Fresh produce sourcing request for commercial buyers
For importers, wholesalers, retailers, processors and distributors planning recurring or seasonal programs of harvested produce. Free for buyers. Qualified programs start at USD 250,000 total annual or seasonal value. A sourcing specialist reviews every request before any supplier is approached; suppliers do not receive your contact details.
Which certifications and documents do importers ask for?
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Buying harvested produce
Tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, avocados, berries and other fruit and vegetables, specified by grade, volume and window.
Buying inputs or infrastructure instead?
Why commercial produce buyers use SeedMatch instead of searching alone
Finding a grower or exporter is rarely the hard part. The work is in specifying, checking and comparing offers for a perishable product with a short window. A SeedMatch sourcing specialist does that work with you, free for buyers.
Who it is for
Importers
Origin and season coverage for programmes such as premium cherries, avocados and berries, with the documents the destination requires.
Supermarket and retail procurement
One specification, pack and label held across the season, with lot-level traceability records.
Wholesale produce distributors
Supplementary or counter-season supply organised by grade, pack format and arrival week.
Foodservice
Steady volumes and pack sizes at an agreed quality, delivered to schedule.
Processors
Raw-material grade, Brix or dry-matter requirements and volumes that suit the line.
What you get
Free buyer access
No fee to submit or review a request. Qualified programmes start at USD 250,000 total annual or seasonal value.
A sourcing specialist on your request
A person reviews the scope, asks the questions suppliers will ask and flags gaps before any supplier is approached.
Product, origin and season knowledge
Origin windows, market-access status and specification norms researched from dated, cited sources.
One structured RFQ
Variety, grade and size, volume per shipment and per season, packaging and labelling, arrival window, documents, Incoterm and cold chain in a single brief.
Like-for-like supplier comparison
Responses are organised against your specification, and supplier claims stay marked as declared until the documents are reviewed.
Documents and logistics organised early
Phytosanitary and food-safety certificates, residue limits, certificate of origin, temperature records and shipping terms are listed before offers arrive, not after shipment.
Confidential, mediated contact
Your company and project details stay confidential. Supplier communication is mediated by Global B2B Group, SeedMatch's parent group; suppliers do not contact you directly.
What makes fresh produce hard to source alone
Fruits and vegetables have the highest loss rate of any food group: 25.4% is lost after harvest and before retail (on farm, in transport, storage, wholesale and processing), against 13.3% for all food.
Cold chain, packaging and arrival windows need to be specified up front.
FAO, SDG indicator 12.3.1 Global food losses (2023 estimate) · 2023
Fruits and vegetables were the most-notified product category in the EU Alert and Cooperation Network in 2024 (1,479 notifications, 16%); 84% concerned products from outside the EU, and pesticide residues were the most reported issue.
Residue limits, certificates and lot records belong in the RFQ.
European Commission, Alert and Cooperation Network 2024 Annual Report · 2025
Under the US Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act, whether a shipment meets the contract depends on the written terms (FOB or delivered, grade, size, quantity) and transit conditions, and a truck shipment must be rejected within eight hours of arrival.
Grade, Incoterm and inspection terms agreed in writing decide disputes.
USDA Agricultural Marketing Service, PACA: Top 10 Contracting Issues (accessed) · 2026-10-26
For your procurement economics, a complete specification and like-for-like comparison can help you negotiate on one basis, avoid paying for scope you did not ask for, and save your team time chasing and reformatting quotes. These are potential benefits, not guaranteed savings, prices, margins or profit; results depend on the market, supplier responses and the terms you agree.
SeedMatch sources for buyers only. It does not grow, pack, export or import produce, hold stock, publish live prices, or guarantee availability, quality, price, timing or compliance approval.
How qualification and matching work
1. Specify
Describe product, grade, volume, window, documents and terms in the form below.
2. Qualify
A specialist checks scope and the USD 250,000 program minimum, and asks follow-up questions.
3. Screen
Suitable suppliers are approached confidentially; their information is checked before any introduction.
4. Compare
Responses are organised against your specification so offers can be compared on the same basis.
We do not own farms or inventory, publish live stock or prices, or guarantee availability, quality, price, timing, compliance approval or outcomes.
Buyer tools: sourced season windows and a checklist to compare quotes
Your produce specification
SeedMatch Group coordinates sourcing. It does not grow, pack, sell, inspect or certify produce, and does not guarantee quality, price, availability or delivery.
Step 1 of 4 · Products
Which products do you need?
Add each product you want quoted in the same request. Destination, timing and documents on the next steps apply to every product; note any differences under "Anything else".
You can add up to 6 products per request.
This records your requirement. Suppliers must show evidence for it; SeedMatch does not grade or certify produce.
Buyer questions
Is this page for buying produce or for growing it?
Buying harvested produce. If you are planning a greenhouse, irrigation, seed or fertilizer project, use the input and infrastructure paths linked on this page instead.
What is the minimum program size?
A qualified request is a total annual or seasonal program value of at least USD 250,000, not per shipment. Smaller requests are not processed as qualified leads.
Does it cost anything for buyers?
No. Submitting and reviewing a buyer request is free.
Will suppliers contact me directly?
No. A sourcing specialist reviews your request first. Your contact details are not shared with suppliers, and any introduction is coordinated by our team after supplier information has been checked.
Do you hold stock or guarantee supply?
No. SeedMatch Group does not own farms or inventory and does not guarantee availability, quality, price, timing, compliance approval or transaction outcomes.
Which documents should I list?
List what your destination market and customers require, for example phytosanitary certificates, GLOBALG.A.P. or other food-safety certificates, residue tests or certificate of origin. We record supplier documents as supplier-declared until reviewed.
Related
- Fresh produce buying guide: official prices and seasons
- Premium fruit trade lanes: cherries, avocados and blueberries by origin, destination and season
- Japan import intelligence: what Peru, Ecuador, India, Kenya and Colombia ship to Japan, and what is admissible
- Kenya export intelligence: avocados, beans and mangoes — destination rules and buyer checklist
- Colombia export intelligence: Hass avocados, bananas and limes — destination rules and buyer checklist
- Sourcing from Brazil and Türkiye: harvest windows, logistics and Incoterms
- Brazil fresh produce RFQ
- Türkiye fresh produce RFQ
- How buyers specify reliable crop programs
- Protected agriculture buyer markets
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- Grower offer FAQ