Frequently asked questions

Our standard MOQ is one full reefer truck — approximately 19–21 tonnes, equal to 33 EUR pallets or 26 industrial pallets of Class I Polish apples. For first-time buyers and sample programs we can arrange LTL groupage starting from a single pallet (around 700 kg). Pricing scales with truck utilisation, so full loads always achieve the best EXW Warka rate.

We quote EXW Warka, FCA Warka, DAP and DDP across the entire European Union under Incoterms 2020. EXW and FCA suit buyers with their own reefer fleet, while DAP and DDP let us handle transport, customs (where applicable) and delivery to your distribution centre. We can also load free of charge onto trucks you nominate.

Our farm and packhouse hold GLOBAL G.A.P. Chain of Custody, GRASP, IFS Food and BRCGS certifications, all independently audited annually at orchard and packing-line level. These four certificates cover food safety, traceability, social compliance and chain of custody, and are accepted by every major EU retailer including ICA, Coop, Lidl, Kaufland and S-Group. PDFs available on request.

Polish apple harvest runs from the last week of August through late October. Early Gala is picked from around August 25, main-season Gala, Red Jonaprince and Golden Delicious through September, and Red Delicious plus late storage varieties in early October. All fruit then enters ULO storage for year-round availability through to the following August.

Our core export range covers four Class I varieties: Gala (55–80 mm), Golden Delicious (60–90 mm), Red Jonaprince / Prince (65–100 mm) and Red Delicious (60–85 mm). Additional Polish varieties such as Idared, Ligol, Champion, Mutsu, Szampion and Gloster can be sourced on request, subject to seasonal availability and minimum volumes.

Standard reefer transit times from our Warka packhouse are: Czechia 1–2 days direct, Sweden 2–3 days via the Świnoujście–Ystad ferry, Finland 3–4 days via Sweden or the Baltic states, and Romania 3–4 days via Hungary. Most orders dispatch within 24–48 hours of confirmation, with fixed weekly slots available for retail programs.

We pack in 6/7 kg, 8 kg and 13 kg cardboard cartons or returnable plastic crates (IFCO/Euro-pool compatible), plus retail-ready 1–2 kg polybags, mesh bags, 4-pack punnets and trays. Cartons ship on EUR or CHEP pallets — 33 per truck on EUR — with corner protectors and stretch-film. Private-label printing and country-specific labelling are available.

Yes — we produce private-label cartons, polybags, mesh bags and punnets printed with your brand, EAN-13 barcode, origin statement, class and country-specific language (Finnish, Swedish, Czech, Romanian and more). Minimum print runs typically start at one pallet per SKU for bags and one truck for printed cartons. Lead time for first artwork-to-delivery is 3–4 weeks.

ULO (Ultra Low Oxygen) is sealed cold storage at approximately 1 °C with oxygen lowered to 1–2% and CO₂ raised to 2–3%, which essentially puts the apple to sleep. Respiration slows, ripening pauses and Brix plus firmness are preserved for 10–11 months. This is what allows us to ship retail-grade Polish apples from September through August.

Standard at-loading specs: Gala 12–14° Brix and 6.5–7.5 kg/cm² firmness; Golden Delicious 13–15° Brix and 6.0–7.0 kg/cm²; Red Jonaprince (Prince) 12.5–14.5° Brix and 6.5–7.5 kg/cm²; Red Delicious 11.5–13.5° Brix and 6–8 kg/cm². Penetrometer (8 mm tip) and refractometer reports are issued per loading on request.

Yes — we ship EU Organic (Regulation 2018/848) certified apples in limited volumes, mainly Gala and Golden Delicious, with a current organic capacity of around 2–3 trucks per week. Each shipment is accompanied by a TRACES NT certificate of inspection and our control body number. Pre-booking is recommended as organic volumes sell out 4–6 weeks ahead.

First-time buyers ship on 100% advance bank transfer against a proforma invoice in EUR. From the second order onwards we offer credit-insured open account terms — typically Net 14 to Net 30 — once your buyer file has been approved by our credit insurer (Allianz Trade or Atradius). Letters of credit and CAD are also accepted.

Phytosanitary certificates for non-EU destinations are issued by PIORIN, the Polish State Plant Health and Seed Inspection Service, after on-site inspection at our Warka packhouse. Intra-EU shipments do not require a phyto certificate under the EU Plant Health Regulation 2016/2031, only a plant passport which we attach to every pallet. Issuance takes 1–2 working days.

Yes — we welcome buyer visits to our orchards, ULO cold stores and packing line in Warka, central Poland, roughly one hour by car from Warsaw Chopin airport. Tours typically run 2–3 hours and include a packhouse walk-through, ULO room inspection and tasting of all four export varieties. Please book at least one week in advance.

Quality claims are acknowledged within 24 hours and resolved within 48 hours of receiving photographic evidence and, where the claim exceeds €2,000, an independent inspection report from SGS, Bureau Veritas or Cofrep. Resolution is by credit note, free replacement on the next truck, or partial refund per a documented claims protocol shared at contract signing.

Class I Polish Gala pricing is set weekly and depends on caliber, packaging format, Incoterm and season — typically the FCA Warka range for Gala 70+ in 13 kg cartons sits between €0.80 and €1.20 per kilo, with retail-ready bagged programs priced higher. Send your spec and destination and we return a live quote within one working day.

Yes — we supply industrial-grade Polish apples in 300 kg bulk bins for juice, NFC, concentrate, purée, cider and dried-apple processors, in volumes from one truck (about 22 tonnes) to multi-truck weekly programs. Brix typically 11–13°, mixed varieties accepted. Industrial fruit ships EXW Warka or DAP across the EU at processor-grade pricing.

Every reefer is pre-cooled to 1 °C set-point before loading and equipped with at least two continuous temperature data-loggers (Sensitech or Tempmate) recording at 15-minute intervals throughout transit. Pre-cooling reports, loading-temperature pictures and full trip data are emailed to the buyer on arrival, free of charge, alongside the CMR and packing list.

Club varieties such as Pink Lady, Jazz, Kanzi and Modi are subject to grower licensing and we do not currently grow them under licence. We can however source third-party club varieties on a trade basis where the licensing rules allow re-export within the EU. For licence-free alternatives, our Red Jonaprince delivers comparable colour and shelf appeal.

Our peak weekly capacity is 25–35 full reefer trucks, equal to roughly 600–800 tonnes of Class I packed apples across all four export varieties. Capacity is highest from October to April when ULO rooms are fully stocked. Retail program slots can be reserved on a 4 to 12-week rolling forecast — earlier bookings secure preferred loading days.

Yes — every block in our orchard follows a spray program built around the strictest EU retailer residue lists (Lidl LRP, REWE, Ahold, Coop), with most actives held to 33–50% of legal MRLs and a maximum of four detectable residues per sample. We are GLOBAL G.A.P. CoC, GRASP, IFS Food and BRCGS certified, and pre-loading residue analyses by Eurofins are available on request.

Yes — we hold an active Polish EORI number and a PL VAT-EU registration for intra-Community supplies, both verifiable in the European Commission's VIES and EORI online databases. Both numbers appear on every commercial invoice, CMR and customs document. Buyers in non-EU destinations receive full export documentation including the SAD/MRN customs declaration.

Fresh apples ship under HS Code 0808 10 (CN code 0808 10 80 in the EU Combined Nomenclature), which we declare on every commercial invoice, packing list, CMR and customs document. Import duty is 0% for intra-EU trade and varies by trade agreement for non-EU destinations. We also provide the relevant TARIC code on request.

Yes — our orchards and packhouse are GRASP (GLOBAL G.A.P. Risk Assessment on Social Practice) assessed every year alongside GLOBAL G.A.P. Chain of Custody, IFS Food and BRCGS, covering worker contracts, wages, working hours, health & safety and grievance procedures. The latest GRASP assessment summary and certificate number are available on request to retail buyers.

Email us with your variety, caliber and packaging interest plus a full delivery address, and we dispatch a sample carton (typically a 13 kg or 8 kg case of Class I fruit) within 3–5 working days by DPD or DHL Express. Samples are free of charge for qualified retail and wholesale buyers; freight costs apply to non-EU destinations.