Peru & Chile Fruit for Middle Eastern Grocers
Local and California grapes and stone fruit are finished by the time the cold sets in, and your shoppers still want them in December. The fruit comes from the other side of the equator, from Peru and Chile. Here is what lands from each, when it lands, and what to book before the shelf goes bare.
Why winter is the gap for Persian, Arab and Afghan shelves
Fruit is on the table at every big date in these communities. Yalda falls around December 21. Ramadan 2027 is expected to start around February 8. Nowruz is around March 20. All three sit inside the months when Peru and Chile are shipping.
A grocer who waits until a customer asks in the store is ordering against whatever is left on the boat. The grocer who books in the fall has the first fruit on the shelf. For the full list of what lands each month, see the specialty produce import calendar.
What we bring from Peru
Grapes. Peruvian table grapes ship from the northern Piura region from late September, and from Ica into February and March, according to Peru's grape growers' association, Provid. Red Globe leads the early weeks. We carry Red Globe and seedless green.
Mangoes. Kent, Haden and Rosa. Kent is the smooth, low-fibre one. Haden is large and aromatic with a red blush over yellow. Rosa is smaller, with a rose-pink blush and sweet flesh, and Latin American shoppers ask for it by name as manga rosa. Peru grows on the opposite calendar to the north, so its mango picks up where Egyptian mango leaves off. The Egyptian run is on the mangoes page.
Yellow Barhi dates. Fresh and crisp, picked at the khalal stage before they soften. We sell Barhi hard only, never soft or dried. One importer who works the Peruvian crop puts its window from late February to early June. That puts the first fruit at the end of Ramadan 2027 and the rest of the crop in the weeks after Eid. The same trade report calls Peru the only origin shipping fresh dates in volume at that time of year, so book early.
The full Peru range is on the Peru page.
What we bring from Chile
Table grapes rank among the biggest single fruit lines Chile ships to Canada. Chile's counter-season harvest fills the months when Canadian orchards are bare.
| Chilean fruit | When it ships | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Table grapes | December to early May | The longest Chilean season and the safest standing order |
| Plums | December to April | Specialty varieties run only a few weeks, so book them early |
| Peaches and nectarines | December to March or April | Soft fruit, so quote the week you want it |
| Cherries | Late October to January | The shortest season and the first to sell out |
| Apples and pears | Quoted weekly | Carry a standing order through the winter |
| Blueberries and raspberries | Quoted weekly | Berries move fast, so order close to the week you sell |
| Mandarins, clementines and lemons | Quoted weekly | Citrus fills the gap between the grape and stone fruit weeks |
| Kiwifruit | Quoted weekly | Part of Chile's wider winter basket |
Windows move with the weather each season, so ask for the current list rather than planning off a calendar.
What to book for each date
| Date | What to book |
|---|---|
| Yalda, around December 21 | Chilean grapes, plums and nectarines as their season opens, and Peruvian grapes from Ica. For pomegranate, read the fall pomegranate ordering timeline |
| Ramadan 2027, expected from about February 8 | Chilean grapes, stone fruit and citrus, Peruvian grapes and mango, and the first Barhi dates in the last week |
| Nowruz, around March 20 | Chilean grapes, plums, nectarines, apples and pears, plus Peruvian Barhi dates |
How ordering works
Everything ships on one account. Peruvian and Chilean fruit travels on the same invoice and truck as your Egyptian, Turkish and Mexican lines and the packaged goods, so a case of nectarines does not need to justify a delivery on its own. The minimum is $300 to $500 depending on your shipping area, counted across the whole order. How wholesale pricing works explains why prices come on a price list, not on the site.
Delivery runs on our own trucks in Metro Vancouver and by refrigerated freight to the rest of Canada. Routes are on the shipping and delivery page.
Questions grocers ask
Do you sell Chilean grapes wholesale in BC?
Yes. Chilean table grapes are the standing winter line, from December to early May. Email for the current price list and the week they land.
Which Peruvian mangoes do you carry?
Kent, Haden and Rosa. Ask what is landing this week and we quote from that.
Are your Barhi dates soft?
No. They are yellow Barhi: hard, crisp and picked at the khalal stage. We never sell them soft or dried.
Can I mix Peruvian and Chilean fruit on one order?
Yes. Both ship on the same account as the rest of your line, and the minimum is counted across the whole order.
Get the list
Email contact@shalyfoods.ca with the fruit you want, the week you want it and your city. You get the current price list and what is landing from Peru and Chile that week. You can also call (604) 339-6499, 8am to 6pm, seven days a week.
Persian, Arab and Afghan grocers can start from the pages built for them: Persian grocers, Arab grocers and Afghan grocers.