How do you make sure the bulk shipment matches the sample?
Approve the lot, not the sample. FruitBuys couriers a pre-shipment sample from your packed, sealed lot within 24–48 hours of packing, keeps a sealed retained sample from every container lot for its full shelf life, and runs your programme on one processing line for the full contract year.
A sample tray shows what a facility can make on a good day; the pre-shipment sample shows what is actually going into your container. Write those three points into the contract and the carton you open in your warehouse matches the bag you approved on your desk.
The cost of skipping them lands downstream. A lot that arrives a point wetter than the sample turns chewy, and a co-packer will stop the filling line rather than pack soft fruit into your pouches: you pay for the downtime and your launch date slips. If it reaches the shelf, the shopper who bought your second batch for the crunch of the first one does not complain to you; they leave a one-star review and stop buying. Against that, a courier pouch from the packed lot before the ship sails is the smallest line in the budget.
Why does bulk drift from the sample?
Three things change between a sample and a container, and each one shows in the bag:
| What changes | What you see on arrival | How it is held |
|---|---|---|
| Facility or line | Different cut, different colour depth, different crunch | One processing line for the contract year; any change notified in writing and re-sampled before production |
| Season | Off-season fruit at 9–11 °Brix tastes flatter and paler than main-season fruit at 11–14 °Brix | Annual volume allocated to main-season fruit; harder sorting at the gate in the wet months |
| Packing room | Pieces that go soft or tacky within weeks | Packing at 20–24 °C, RH ≤35–40%, each batch exposed to room air for under 20 minutes before sealing |
The drying itself is held to a fixed window: blast freezing at −35 to −40 °C, then 18–24 hours of vacuum drying with shelf temperature kept at or below 50–55 °C. Above 60 °C the natural sugars start to scorch, and the first sign is a dull, brownish edge on magenta fruit. Release is set at moisture ≤4.0% and water activity ≤0.25, inside the contract limits of ≤5.0% and ≤0.30, so the lot has a buffer for the voyage. The full limits are in the moisture and water activity limits for freeze-dried dragon fruit.
What is a pre-shipment sample, and when do you approve it?
100–200 g drawn from the packed production lot, split into two sealed foil pouches with desiccant. One pouch is for your team to open, break, taste and rehydrate; the other stays sealed for your laboratory if you want an independent check. It travels by courier within 24–48 hours of packing, with the lot’s release QC data.
Approve it before the container is loaded and before the balance payment. That timing is the whole point: if the colour, cut or fines are off, the lot is corrected in Vietnam, not argued over in your warehouse. On a 20 ft container, a two-day courier and a one-day review cost far less than a single rejected pallet.
What to check on the PSS:
- Colour: even, vivid magenta, with no brown edges or dark spots.
- Snap: a piece breaks with a clean crack and melts on the tongue; no chewy core.
- Fines: shake the pouch contents over a 3 mm screen against your cut’s limit.
- Taste: clean, mildly tart sweetness, with no fermented or scorched note.
What is the retained sample for?
Proof, held on both sides. From every container lot, FruitBuys keeps a sealed retained sample from the same packed lot, stored for the lot’s full shelf life of up to 24 months. If a question comes up months later, from your QA, your customer or a border lab, the retained sample is tested against the arrived product and the answer comes from the same lot, not from memory. Ask your own warehouse to keep one sealed bag per lot as well; two retained samples settle any query in a single lab run.
Does natural colour vary between seasons?
Yes, a little, and you should expect it. Red dragon fruit is a crop, not a dye: main-season fruit gives the deepest magenta, and off-season fruit can run a shade lighter. Within a programme, the lot you approve on the PSS is the lot you receive. Across a year, FruitBuys keeps the variation narrow by allocating main-season fruit to annual contracts and sorting out pale or spotted fruit at the gate.
For most inclusion and topping programmes, that is enough: main-season allocation and colour sorting at the gate keep lot-to-lot shade within a range a consumer does not notice, with no extra step and no extra cost. If your product needs one exact shade in every lot, for example a retail pouch with a window or a colour-matched yogurt, lot blending is available: fruit from several drying batches is mixed before packing to a single colour standard, with a little more handling time built into the schedule. Why the range is red flesh, and how its colour behaves, is covered in red vs white freeze-dried dragon fruit.
How should you sample the container on arrival?
Draw from across the load, not from the doors. The number comes from ISO 2859-1 at normal inspection:
| Lot size | Cartons to inspect |
|---|---|
| 281–500 cartons (part load) | 50 |
| 501–1,200 cartons (a full 20 ft or 40 ft HC) | 80 |
Pull cartons from the top, middle and bottom layers and from front, centre and back. Check appearance, cut and fines on each; build one composite from several bags for moisture, water activity and any lab work. Compare everything against the PSS you approved and the lot COA. Packing and the receiving checklist are in how freeze-dried dragon fruit is packed and loaded for export.
How does the process run from sample to warehouse?
| Step | When | What you hold |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Development sample | 3–5 working days after request | Cut and colour standard for the specification |
| 2. Specification signed | Before deposit | Limits, cut tolerance, fines, carton fill, documents |
| 3. Production | 20–30 days for a 20 ft after deposit | One processing line for the contract year |
| 4. Pre-shipment sample | Within 24–48 hours of packing | Two sealed pouches from your lot, plus release QC data |
| 5. Approval and loading | Before balance payment | Lot COA; retained sample kept in Vietnam |
| 6. Joint receiving check | Within 14 days of devanning | Your QA and FruitBuys reconcile the arrived lot against PSS and COA, and close the lot file before it enters production |
The documents that travel with the lot are covered in freeze-dried dragon fruit market compliance.
Programme contract or spot purchase: which route fits you?
| Annual programme / OEM | Spot purchase | |
|---|---|---|
| Route | All six steps, from development sample to joint receiving check | Stock already packed and released |
| What you approve | Your specification, then the PSS from each production lot | A sample from the existing lot, its COA and its retained sample |
| What it locks | Cut, colour standard and one processing line for every delivery in the year | That lot, as it is |
| Best for | Brands and manufacturers who need the same product every month | Fast replenishment or a first market test |
On a first trial order below a full container, the PSS and retained sample apply on either route; independent lab testing on a small lot runs at net lab cost and is credited in full against your first container.
Start with a sample from the cut you need
Tell us your application, cut and destination, and we send a development sample within 3–5 working days, with the specification it will be produced to. Product data is on the freeze-dried red dragon fruit product page. The full buying checklist is in what to check before buying freeze-dried dragon fruit in bulk.
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FAQ
What is a pre-shipment sample for freeze-dried dragon fruit?
100–200 g drawn from your packed production lot, in two sealed foil pouches with desiccant, sent by courier within 24–48 hours of packing for approval before loading.
How long does FruitBuys keep a retained sample?
For the full shelf life of the lot, up to 24 months, from every container lot.
Can the facility change during my contract?
Your programme runs on one processing line for the full contract year. Any change is notified in writing and re-sampled before production.
Why can colour differ slightly between lots?
Dragon fruit is a natural crop; off-season fruit can be a shade lighter. Main-season allocation keeps the range narrow, and lot blending holds a single shade with a little more handling time.
How many cartons should I inspect on arrival?
80 cartons for a full 20 ft or 40 ft HC (501–1,200 cartons), or 50 for a part load of 281–500, drawn from top, middle and bottom layers and from the door to the back wall.
