When you import table olives, the supplier you choose ends up holding your shelf space, your customer relationships and your name. One container of inconsistent or badly documented olives can cost far more than the order itself. We are Triple Company for Industrial Development, a newly established exporter based in Cairo, and we would rather you check us properly than take our word for it. Below are the checks we would run on any supplier, with our own answer to each.
1. Ask whose certificates they are
Ask any supplier which food-safety certifications apply to their sourcing and processing, and ask to see the certificate documents themselves — the holder's name, the scope and the validity date — not logos on a website.
Our answer: we don't own the processing line. Our olives are processed and brined at an approved partner facility in the 10th of Ramadan Industrial Zone, and any certification that exists belongs to that facility, not to us. We are still checking those certificates against the documents themselves, so we publish no certificate name or number yet. Quality & Documentation shows what we publish today, what we confirm for each order, and what is still in progress.
2. Ask for the document set before you order
Customs delays and rejected shipments usually come down to paperwork, so ask which documents come with a shipment before you place the order. For every shipment we prepare the commercial invoice, packing list, certificate of origin, and phytosanitary or health certificate, with the bill of lading; any further documents your destination market requires are confirmed during quotation. The guide on importing Egyptian table olives walks through each one.
Consistency matters as much as completeness. The variety, caliber and packaging on the sample, the pro-forma invoice, the label and the documents should match exactly; when they don't, it is an early sign that nobody is checking.
3. Get the specification in writing
Ask a supplier to state variety, caliber and brine in writing, and how they hold them from one order to the next. We publish a caliber range and brine figures — salt, acidity and pH — on each product page and in the catalogue, and we confirm the specification for your order in writing during quotation.
Lot and shipment traceability detail is agreed per order too. We are new, and we would rather agree it with you than describe a routine we have not yet run at scale. If you are still choosing a variety, the guide to green, black and oxidized olives covers the trade-offs.
4. Taste before the first container
Never commit to a container on promises alone. We send a 1–5 kg sample of the variety, caliber and packaging you are evaluating, and every sample request is confirmed within 24 hours — you can request a sample at any time.
Our minimum order is one 20ft container, about 16–18 metric tons, and we don't offer smaller trial orders, so the sample is how you test us before you commit. Use that stage to test everything else as well: how quickly questions are answered, how clear the specification is, and whether documents arrive when promised. The six steps from enquiry to shipment are on How We Work.
5. Ask how the price was built
Olive prices move with the harvest, the currency and freight, so a clear explanation is worth more than one low number. We don't publish a fixed price list: each quote is built for your variety, caliber, packaging and volume, on FOB Alexandria, CIF or CFR terms, in US dollars or euros. How our pricing works explains the inputs, and the analysis of Egyptian olive prices explains what moves them.
Then watch how your questions are handled. We reply to enquiries within 24 hours, and you deal directly with the person handling your order — Mohamed Abdullah, in sales — not a ticket queue. A short conversation before you order is the simplest way to test that.
6. Know who does what
The cost of the wrong supplier is rarely just a refund. It is the empty shelf, the demurrage charge and the damage to your own name with your customers — and much of that risk comes from not knowing who is responsible for what.
In our case it is simple to state. We handle sourcing, the specification, all buyer communication, export coordination and the documents; the partner facility handles processing, brining, grading, packing and labelling. Our Supply & Processing Network page sets it out in full.
The cheapest quote is rarely the lowest total cost. Check whose certificates you are being shown, get the documents and the specification in writing, taste a sample, and ask how the price was built. That is the test we ask buyers to put Triple Company through — start with a sample request or a direct conversation.