Wholesale avocado, cherries and tomatoes: a buyer's specification checklist

What a wholesale produce specification is

A specification is the agreed description of the product: what it is, how big, how ripe, how many defects are tolerated, how it is packed and when it arrives. Without one, two quotes for "avocado, size 18" can describe fruit with different ripeness, pack weight and shelf life — and the cheaper quote may be the more expensive programme.

Most buyers anchor their specification to a public standard and then add their own requirements. The UNECE standards for fresh fruit and vegetables define quality classes (Extra, Class I, Class II), sizing and tolerances for many crops, and Codex Alimentarius publishes standards for avocado and tomatoes. Name the standard and the edition you use; where your customers are stricter, write the stricter value.

Takeaway: If a requirement cannot be measured at inspection, it is not yet part of your specification.

The eight fields every produce specification needs

Avocado: what buyers specify

Avocado does not ripen on the tree, so maturity at harvest is the main quality decision. Buyers who sell ready-to-eat fruit also specify ripening conditions on arrival.

• Variety (for example Hass or a green-skin type) and whether skin colour change is expected
• Size code or count per carton, plus the net carton weight it refers to
• Minimum dry matter (or oil) content at harvest, and the test method — the threshold varies by variety and contract
• Firmness at packing and target firmness on arrival if fruit is pre-conditioned
• Defects: skin blemishes, lenticel damage, stem-end rot and internal browning tolerances per lot
• Transport temperature range agreed with the exporter for that variety and transit time

Takeaway: For avocado, write the maturity test and its threshold — "ripe" is not a specification. For avocado-only depth, see the commercial buyer's guide to wholesale avocados.

Cherries: what buyers specify

Sweet cherries are a short-season, high-value crop where size and condition drive price. The UNECE cherry standard (FFV-13) is a common reference; our premium cherries guide covers sourcing in more depth.

• Variety or colour group (dark red, bicolour) and any excluded varieties
• Minimum diameter in millimetres or a size/row band, with the tolerance for smaller fruit
• Colour range, firmness and soluble solids (°Brix) if your customers set them
• Stem: attached, green and fresh; tolerance for stemless fruit if accepted
• Defects: cracking, pitting, bruising and decay tolerances
• Pack (clamshell, bag or bulk carton), net weight, liners and pallet configuration; air or sea freight

Tomatoes: what buyers specify

"Tomatoes" covers several commercial types that are not interchangeable. Codex and UNECE both publish tomato standards; name the type first, then grade and size.

• Type: round, beef, plum/elongated, cherry/cocktail, loose or on the vine
• Size by diameter range or count, and uniformity within a pack
• Colour stage at packing (e.g. breaker, turning, light red, red) using a named colour chart
• Firmness, and for truss tomatoes the condition of the vine
• Defects: cracks, blossom-end rot, sunscald, mechanical damage and decay tolerances
• Single-layer or multi-layer pack, net weight and label language

Takeaway: Colour stage at packing plus transit time decides the colour on arrival; specify both.

Origin, volume and delivery window

Write every origin you can accept, not only your first choice. Additional origins give our team more suppliers to approach and help cover gaps in a single region's season. Do not assume a fixed harvest calendar; ask exporters to confirm their expected window for your variety. See our guide to planning a year-round supply calendar.

Volume should be stated three ways: per shipment, by cadence (weekly, fortnightly) and as a total for the year or season. The total determines eligibility for assisted sourcing — USD 250,000 per year or season for the whole programme, not per shipment.

Turning the checklist into one RFQ

1. Download or print the commodity specification template and fill one sheet per crop.
2. Mark unknown values as "unknown" rather than guessing, so gaps are visible.
3. Add pack, cold-chain and document expectations — see farm-to-port cold-chain checkpoints.
4. Submit through the produce sourcing request; our team reviews completeness and programme value and may ask follow-up questions.
5. Suppliers that appear to fit are approached by our team; you receive comparable offers and screened introductions only after review and with your approval.

What the platform does not do

Global B2B Group does not grow, pack, export or certify produce, does not hold stock and does not guarantee availability, quality, price or delivery. Quality standards, maximum residue limits and plant-health rules depend on product, origin and destination and change over time; confirm them with the competent authority, your inspection provider and your customs broker.

Frequently asked questions