What should you check before you sign a freeze-dried lotus seed supplier?
Ten lines, put to every supplier in the same words: origin and season, coring rate, broken definition, moisture and water activity, COA scope, conversion ratio, sample control, facility lock-in, documents and HS code, and the load plan. A supplier who answers all ten in writing can be compared, contracted and held to the result. A supplier who answers with a photo and a price per kilo cannot.
Freeze-dried lotus seeds are the shelled, cored kernels of Nelumbo nucifera, steam-blanched and freeze-dried to ≤5% moisture and water activity ≤0.30. They are crisp and ready to eat from the bag, and rehydrate in 10–15 minutes in warm water instead of an overnight soak. They are not makhana (fox nut, Euryale ferox), which comes from a different water plant. The checklist below is the one every buyer should run, including on us: each line shows the answer to expect, the answer that should make you stop, and where the detail is covered.
Why do two quotes for the same lotus seeds land so far apart?
Because they rarely describe the same product. One quote is for cored kernels at ≤5% moisture with a lot COA; the other is for kernels with plumules left in, a moisture figure with no basis and no test report. Both say “freeze-dried lotus seeds”. The difference surfaces at goods-in, when a bitter batch of paste or a soft, chewy bag is already your problem.
Comparing price per kilo before the ten lines are equal compares two different products. Lock the specification first; then the price comparison means something.
The 10-point supplier check
| # | Ask the supplier | The answer to expect | Stop if you hear | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Where are the seeds grown, and when are they bought? | One named region, here Dong Thap; main harvest July–September; year’s volume contracted in season | “Various provinces”, or no harvest window | Origin and season |
| 2 | What is the coring rate? | ≥99% coreless: count 100 kernels, no more than one with a plumule | “Cored” with no figure | COA and arrival checks |
| 3 | How is “broken” defined? | ≤3% in whole-kernel grade; fine split lines from coring and drying not counted; halves and pieces are their own grades | A broken limit with no definition | COA and arrival checks |
| 4 | Is the moisture an exit figure or a contract figure, and what is the Aw? | 1–4% at chamber exit, ≤5.0% contract ceiling at release, Aw ≤0.30 | One unlabelled moisture range, or no Aw at all | COA and arrival checks |
| 5 | What does the lot COA cover, and what is optional? | Every lot: moisture, Aw, TPC, yeasts and moulds, E. coli, Salmonella from an independent ISO/IEC 17025 accredited laboratory; heavy metals, aflatoxin and residues arranged before stuffing for FCL or project needs | “Every lot tested for everything”, or no lab named by accreditation | COA and arrival checks |
| 6 | How many kilos of fresh seed make 1 kg? | 10–12 kg in the green husk, 5.5–6.5 kg of fresh shelled kernel | 3–4 kg, which is below the dry-matter floor of about 4.2 kg | Fresh-to-dried ratio |
| 7 | How is the pre-shipment sample taken, and what is kept? | 100–200 g from the packed lot in two sealed foil pouches, couriered in 24–48 hours; a retained sample from every container lot kept up to 24 months | A sample “from stock” with no lot link | Below |
| 8 | Which facility makes my order, and can it change? | One qualified partner facility per contract; change only with prior written notice and re-approval of your sample; audit access | “We use several factories” with no change-control | Product page |
| 9 | Which HS code and documents ship with the goods? | 1212.99 for plain kernels and powder, 2008.19 for seasoned; invoice, packing list, B/L, C/O Form EUR.1 (EU, UK) or Form CEPA (UAE), phytosanitary certificate and lot COA with every shipment | A code chosen to cut duty, or documents “on request” | HS code and documents |
| 10 | What carton, load and lead time? | 58 × 28 × 34 cm, 7–10 kg net; about 550 cartons per 20ft (3,850–5,500 kg); 20–30 days per 20ft after deposit; dry container, no reefer | A carton count that does not fit the container | Container load |
Put the ten lines into your RFQ as questions, ask every supplier to answer in writing, and score the answers side by side. The supplier who fills all ten is the one you can hold to them.
Three answers that should end the conversation
A conversion ratio below the physics. Fresh lotus seed kernels are about 77% water. Taking that to 4% moisture needs about 4.2 kg of fresh kernel per kilo before a single seed is sorted out, cored or lost. A quote built on 3–4 kg is counting from kernels that were already part-dried, or finishing above spec. Either way, the kilo you receive is not the kilo in the quote.
A kernel that is bright chalk-white. Steam-blanched, freeze-dried lotus seeds are ivory to light cream. A stark white kernel is the cue QA teams associate with bleaching or sulfite treatment, a known issue in dried white seeds traded across Asia. FruitBuys kernels are processed without sulphur fumigation, sulfites or bleaching agents, and a sulfite result below 10 mg/kg is available on request for a clean-label or US pack.
A carton count that cannot fit. Multiply the carton’s volume by the count. If the cartons quoted for a 20ft come to more than the container holds, the load plan was never built, and neither, probably, was the rest of the spec.
How do you make sure the container matches the sample?
Tie the sample to the lot, and tie the lot to one facility. “The sample was good and the container was different” happens when the sample came from a shelf and the container from somewhere else. Four controls close that gap:
- A pre-shipment sample from the packed lot. Not a showroom sample: 100–200 g drawn from the bags going into your container, split into two sealed foil pouches with desiccant. Open one to check colour, core count, crunch and the 15-minute rehydration; keep the other sealed for your own laboratory. Approve it in writing, and it becomes the reference for the container.
- One locked facility. Your order is made at one qualified partner facility for the life of the contract. A change of facility needs prior written notice and re-approval of your sample, so the kernel does not change quietly between containers.
- A retained sample. A sample from every container lot is kept for its full shelf life, up to 24 months, so a question raised months later is answered against the same lot.
- Claim windows in the contract. 14 days from unloading for packaging, appearance, broken kernels and water activity; 30 days for laboratory results. Run the arrival checks inside those windows: water activity read within 60 seconds of opening a bag, and the 100-kernel core count.
The partner facility holds HACCP, ISO 22000, US FDA Facility Registration and BRC (qualified processing facility); copies and registration details are in the technical file shared before contract. Halal certification is available on request.
What if your first order is small?
Start with a sample and a trial shipment, then scale to a programme. Samples carry no MOQ, and an OEM or private-label programme starts at 500 kg per SKU. Below that, the sensible route is a sample for your R&D, then a trial or LCL shipment in the same bags, cartons and documents as a full container. Trial orders ship with a free release QC log and our baseline reports; third-party testing on trial lots is arranged on request.
That sequence lets you test the full chain, from the bag to your customs broker, before you commit a container, and it gives you a reference lot to write into the contract.
Where does each format and use fit?
If the supplier check is done and the open question is which product to buy, the format guides cover it:
- Which cut fits a snack, dessert, congee or paste line: lotus seed formats by application.
- Paste and mooncake fillings, with the Mid-Autumn order calendar: lotus seeds for mooncake paste.
- How the kernel is steam-blanched and freeze-dried: the lotus seed freeze-drying process.
- Shelf life, bags and storage: packaging and shelf life.
- Label values and claims: lotus seed nutrition facts.
- Lotus seed or makhana: lotus seeds vs makhana.
- Milled for paste and drink powders: freeze-dried lotus seed powder.
Send the ten lines as your RFQ
Send us the checklist with your format, size grade, annual volume, destination port and the months you need it. You receive a written answer on all ten lines, the specification and document set for your market, and the pre-shipment sample plan for your first lot. The full specification is on the freeze-dried lotus seeds product page.
FAQ
How do I choose a freeze-dried lotus seed supplier?
Ask every supplier the same ten questions in writing: origin and season, coring rate, broken definition, moisture and water activity, COA scope, conversion ratio, sample control, facility lock-in, HS code and documents, and the load plan. Compare the answers before you compare prices.
What specification should I ask for?
Cored kernels at ≥99% coreless, broken ≤3% in whole-kernel grade, moisture ≤5.0% and water activity ≤0.30 at release, size 12–16 mm natural sort, ivory to light cream colour, and a lot COA with moisture, Aw and microbiology.
Where do Vietnam’s lotus seeds come from?
Mainly Dong Thap Province in the Mekong Delta. All FruitBuys lotus seeds are sourced from Dong Thap and bought in the July–September main harvest.
How do I know the container will match the sample?
Approve a pre-shipment sample drawn from the packed lot, keep one sealed pouch for your lab, and contract one locked facility with change-control. A retained sample from each container lot is kept up to 24 months.
What is the MOQ for freeze-dried lotus seeds?
Samples have no MOQ. OEM and private-label programmes start at 500 kg per SKU; trial and LCL shipments use the same bags, cartons and documents as a full container.
How long does an order take?
20–30 days per 20ft container after deposit, plus sea transit. Samples ship in 3–5 working days plus courier.
Which documents come with each shipment?
Commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading, certificate of origin (Form EUR.1 for the EU and UK, Form CEPA for the UAE), a phytosanitary certificate and the lot COA.
