How does Vietnam supply freeze-dried longan every month of the year?
Because Mekong Delta growers do not wait for one season. Orchard by orchard, they time flowering so that ripe longan reaches the gate every month of the year, with a volume peak in June and July. FruitBuys sources freeze-dried longan from that belt, in Vinh Long, Ben Tre, Dong Thap, Tien Giang and Soc Trang, using two thick-fleshed cultivars, Tieu Da Bo and Xuong Com Vang. For a buyer, that changes the whole programme: instead of buying a year’s stock in one harvest window and paying to warehouse it, you run scheduled call-offs through the year, each lot packed close to its shipping date.
Why does Mekong longan fruit every month?
Because flowering is managed, not left to the calendar. In a single-season longan region, every tree flowers after the same cool spell and every orchard ripens in the same few weeks. Mekong growers work the opposite way: pruning, water management and flower-induction treatments are timed block by block, so neighbouring orchards sit at different stages of the cycle. On any given week, one orchard is flowering, another is filling fruit and a third is being picked.
The result is a supply curve with a summer peak but no empty months.
| Supply pattern | Single-summer-crop regions (northern Vietnam, southern China) | Mekong Delta |
|---|---|---|
| Harvest window | Mainly July–August | Every month, peak June–July |
| How a buyer has to buy | One stock-up per year, hold it 10–11 months | Scheduled call-offs, monthly or quarterly |
| Working capital tied up | A year of inventory | One or two lots at a time |
| Risk if the season fails | A full year short | One month’s volume affected, the next block already flowering |
Single-summer-crop regions are shown here as market context; FruitBuys sources longan from the Mekong Delta only.
What do Tieu Da Bo and Xuong Com Vang bring to a crisp ball?
Thick, firm flesh that releases cleanly from the seed, which is exactly what freeze-drying needs.
| Cultivar | In the orchard | On the freeze-drying line | In your bag |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tieu Da Bo | The traditional Mekong longan: brown skin, dense, sweet aril | Aril comes off the seed in one piece; holds a round cup when frozen | Ivory, round hollow balls with a honey-floral aroma |
| Xuong Com Vang | Larger fruit with a thick, firm, slightly golden aril | Thick wall resists tearing at the peeling table and collapse in the dryer | Larger balls with a firm crack and a light caramel finish |
Both reach the gate fully ripe at 18–22 °Brix, one of the sweetest fruits that goes into a freeze dryer. Thin-fleshed fruit, by contrast, tears when the seed comes out and dries flat; it is the most common reason cheap freeze-dried longan arrives broken. Count whole balls in 200 g of any sample, including FruitBuys’: the whole-ball grade allows ≤10% broken.
Vietnam grows longan on about 80,000 hectares nationally (2023), and Vietnamese fresh longan already ships to markets with demanding entry rules such as Japan and Australia. For freeze-drying, FruitBuys does not need export-grade skin; it needs fully ripe fruit with a thick aril, picked and peeled fast. That is what the gate is graded on.
Does the season change what you receive?
Not the specification; it changes how much fresh fruit it takes. Fruit that ripens in dry weather carries more solids, at 20–22 °Brix; rain-season fruit takes up water and sits at 18–19 °Brix.
| Fruit at the gate | Brix | Fresh longan per kg freeze-dried | Finished product |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dry-weather fruit | 20–22 °Brix | 8–8.5 kg | ≤4.0% moisture, aw ≤0.25 at release |
| Rain-season fruit | 18–19 °Brix | 9–9.5 kg | Same release limits |
A programme that runs through the year averages the two. A buyer who books only in the rains should expect the upper end of the ratio in the raw-material cost; why that line dominates the price is explained in how many kilos of fresh longan make 1 kg of freeze-dried longan.
How does a 12-month call-off plan work?
You sign for an annual volume and call it off in lots; FruitBuys schedules production so each lot is packed close to its shipping date.
| Step | When | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Annual plan | At contract | You set annual volume, grade, carton and call-off months; FruitBuys locks one partner facility for the year |
| 2. Lot booking | 30–40 days before each sailing | Production runs 20–30 days for a 20 ft container after deposit |
| 3. Pre-shipment sample | Before the container is closed | 100–200 g from the packed lot, approved by you |
| 4. Shipment | Your calendar | Standard dry container from Cat Lai, lot COA and full dossier |
| 5. Next lot | Already in planning | One lot on the water, the next in production |
| Your annual volume | Typical call-off rhythm | What it saves you |
|---|---|---|
| 2–4 × 20 ft | Quarterly | Holding three to six months of stock instead of twelve |
| 6–12 × 20 ft | Monthly or every six weeks | Warehouse space, cool storage and the cash tied up in it |
| Mixed grades | Alternate lots of whole balls and pieces | Each line gets the grade it uses, fresh |
The other advantage is in the duty line. Vietnamese longan enters the EU at 0% with Form EUR.1 under the EU–Vietnam Free Trade Agreement, while longan from Thailand and China still pays the third-country rate. Duty by market is set out in what freeze-dried longan needs to clear US, EU, UK and UAE customs.
What should you write into your specification about origin?
Three lines, so every lot is checked against the same reference:
- Origin: Mekong Delta, Vietnam (provinces as supplied on the lot record).
- Cultivar: Tieu Da Bo, Xuong Com Vang, or either. If your brand needs one cultivar on every lot, name it in the RFQ and FruitBuys confirms availability month by month before you sign.
- Raw fruit: fully ripe, hand-sorted, 18–22 °Brix; whole-ball grade ≤10% broken.
If your pack needs the name of a specific northern or geographical-indication longan on the label, a Mekong programme is not the right fit. If what your product needs is the honey-floral taste, a thick crisp ball and the same quality in March as in July, it is. How that quality is held lot by lot, in one locked facility, is in how freeze-dried longan bulk matches the approved sample. The full specification is on the freeze-dried longan product page. To turn a call-off plan into a quote, use the freeze-dried longan RFQ checklist.
FAQ
Where does Vietnamese longan for freeze-drying come from?
FruitBuys sources from Mekong Delta orchards in Vinh Long, Ben Tre, Dong Thap, Tien Giang and Soc Trang.
When is longan season in Vietnam?
In the Mekong Delta, ripe longan is harvested every month because growers stagger flowering orchard by orchard; volume peaks in June and July. Single-season regions harvest mainly in July and August.
Which longan varieties are used for freeze-drying?
Tieu Da Bo and Xuong Com Vang, both with thick, firm aril that comes off the seed cleanly and keeps a round, hollow shape through freezing and drying.
Can I buy freeze-dried longan all year?
Yes. Programmes run on scheduled call-offs, monthly or quarterly, with production of 20–30 days for a 20 ft container after deposit.
Does rain-season fruit change the quality?
No. Every lot is released at ≤4.0% moisture and aw ≤0.25. Rain-season fruit takes 9–9.5 kg of fresh longan per kilogram instead of 8–8.5 kg.
Why buy freeze-dried longan from Vietnam rather than other origins?
Year-round Mekong supply, thick-fleshed cultivars, and 0% EU duty with Form EUR.1, which longan from Thailand and China does not have.
