Three graded pod lengths from farms around Ismailia, washed, crowns trimmed, blanched and quick-frozen. Packed 400 g to 10 kg, June to October, shipped from store all year.
Okra is sold by pod length, and the trade names for the bands say nothing at all to a buyer meeting them for the first time. Extra is the smallest: pods up to 2.5 cm. Zero sits in the middle at 2.5 to 3.5 cm. Excellent is the largest at 3.5 to 4.5 cm. The names are conventions, not quality rankings — Extra is not better than Excellent, it is smaller.
That matters because the bands are not interchangeable in a kitchen, and because a supplier who is vague about which band is in the carton is usually being vague on purpose. We pack each band separately and label it. If your specification says Zero, the carton contains Zero.
Small pods hold their shape and stay firm. As okra gets longer the pod turns fibrous and the seeds harden, and the texture that makes okra worth eating goes with it. That is why the smaller bands command a premium in markets that eat okra whole, while the larger band suits stews and sauces where the pod is going to break down anyway.
Buyers new to the product often order the largest band because it looks like more food per carton. It is, and it is also the band most likely to come back as a complaint from a retail customer. Tell us the dish and we will tell you the band.
Every pod is topped by hand at the crown, and where that cut falls decides how the okra behaves in a pan. Cut cleanly at the base of the cap and the pod stays sealed. Cut into the seed cavity and the pod releases its mucilage the moment it meets heat — the sliminess that people who dislike okra are usually describing.
It is slow work and it is the difference between okra that a retail buyer will reorder and okra that they will not. Residue screening happens before this stage, against the limits in the EU pesticide MRL database for European consignments.
Packed to order. Anything below can be changed against your spec — say what you need and we quote to it.
| Product form | Whole pods, trimmed. Cut okra on request. |
|---|---|
| Size grades | Extra — up to 2.5 cm · Zero — 2.5 to 3.5 cm · Excellent — 3.5 to 4.5 cm |
| Grade | Grade A within each size band. Defect tolerance to your spec. |
| Preparation | Washed, crowns trimmed, blanched, cooled and quick-frozen. |
| Retail & bulk packing | 400 g, 1 kg, 2.5 kg and 10 kg. Private label and custom cartons on request. |
| Freezing method | IQF (individually quick-frozen). |
| Storage | −18°C at the thermal centre, unbroken cold chain from cold store to port. |
| Shelf life | 12 months from date of production. |
| Certification | BRCGS, ISO 9001:2015, GLOBALG.A.P., registered with the U.S. FDA. Halal and Kosher available. Third-party inspection accepted on request. |
| Production campaign | June to October. Frozen stock shipped year round. |
| Terms & ports | FOB and CIF. Loading Damietta, Alexandria, Port Said or Ain Sokhna. |
Tell us the size band, the volume, your destination port and Incoterm — we send the spec sheet, certificates and a quote, usually within 24–48 hours.
Practical background from our side of the trade — free, no sign-up.
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See the whole IQF frozen range, or all of our buyer's guides.
