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Quality and traceability
Measured, inspected, documented: how fruit and oil are controlled before they ship
Buyers should know exactly which checks were made, by whom, and which standard covers which site. This page sets out the quality workflow we run on every consignment and a plain register of certifications, audits, licences, registrations and readiness programmes, with the holder and scope of each.
Workflow
From orchard to container: the checks in order
1. Orchard and grower approvalOwn plantations and partner orchards are registered with KEPHIS and HCD (AFA) for export and listed in our grower register with GPS and block identity. Growers follow the spray programme and pre-harvest intervals agreed for the destination.
2. Maturity: dry matter before harvestDry matter is tested in the field on a sample from each block before harvest is approved. The threshold is set per variety and per buyer programme (importers specify their own minimum), so no single figure is quoted here; it is written in the offer.
3. Residue and contaminant testingResidue analysis is arranged at accredited laboratories for each programme at the frequency the buyer requires, with results shared on request. Oil lots carry a batch certificate of analysis.
4. Harvest and intakeOur own crews harvest with clipped stems, field crates and shade; intake records grower, block, date and crate count, which become the lot identity on the carton.
5. Packing and gradingWashing, grading by size and class, carton labelling with lot, packhouse code and date; pulp temperature is checked before loading and the cold chain is documented from packhouse to port.
6. Independent preloading inspectionFruit Quality Studio Africa, the Kenyan arm of Quality Studio Europe, inspects every avocado consignment at the packhouse before loading and issues a preloading QC report (dry matter, defects, sizing, pulp temperature) that the buyer receives before departure. Arrival inspections in Europe can be arranged on request.
7. Dispatch documentsPhytosanitary certificate (KEPHIS), certificate of origin or EUR.1/EUR-MED where a trade agreement applies, packing list, commercial invoice, bill of lading or air waybill, and the QC report. Container settings (temperature, ventilation, atmosphere where booked) are agreed with the importer and recorded on the booking.
8. Arrival, claims and learningArrival reports are reviewed against the preloading report. Claims are handled against the quality tolerances written in the contract, with an independent survey where either side requests it, and findings feed back into harvest and packing decisions.
Standards register
Which standard applies where
A certification is held by a named site; an audit is a periodic third-party check; a licence or registration is granted by an authority; readiness means we are working towards it and it is not yet in place. Coverage differs by product and by site. Certificate copies are provided with each offer so the buyer can verify the holder, scope and validity directly.
| Standard | Type | Where it applies in our chain | Product scope | How to verify |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KEPHIS export registration and phytosanitary certification | Registration / certificate per consignment | Orchards and packhouses shipping fresh produce from Kenya | Fresh avocados, fruit, herbs, chillies | Phytosanitary certificate with every consignment |
| AFA – Horticultural Crops Directorate (HCD) export licence | Licence | Exporting entity for Kenyan horticulture | Fresh produce | Licence copy with the offer |
| GLOBALG.A.P. (IFA Fruit and Vegetables) | Certification | Own orchards and partner orchards supplying programme fruit | Fresh avocados and fruit | GGN on the certificate; check in the GLOBALG.A.P. database |
| GRASP | Assessment (add-on to GLOBALG.A.P.) | Orchards holding GLOBALG.A.P. | Social practice at farm level | GRASP assessment letter with the certificate |
| SMETA (Sedex) | Audit | Partner packhouses that supply retail programmes | Ethical trade at packhouse level | Sedex audit report shared under the packhouse's permission |
| BRCGS Food Safety | Certification | Partner packhouses and processors where held | Packing and processing sites | Certificate copy; BRCGS Directory |
| HACCP | System / certification | Partner processors (oil, dried fruit, macadamia, purees) and packhouses | Processed and packed products | Certificate or audited HACCP plan with the offer |
| EU Organic (Regulation (EU) 2018/848) | Certification | Selected orchards and processors on request | Organic lots only, stated per offer | Certificate of inspection (COI) in TRACES per consignment |
| Rainforest Alliance | Readiness | Programme in progress on selected orchards | Not yet claimable on product | Will be listed here when certified |
| GACC registration (China) | Registration | Orchards and packhouses registered for China under the Kenya–China avocado protocol | Fresh Hass to China | Registration number on the GACC list |
| FDA Food Facility Registration (USA) | Registration (not an approval) | Partner processors shipping processed products to the USA | Avocado oil, dried fruit, macadamia, frozen, purees | Registration number on request; FDA registration is not product approval |
Not every standard applies to every product or every site. Where a buyer needs a specific certificate at a specific site, we confirm it in writing before the offer is accepted, and we do not describe readiness work as certification.
Avocado oil
How oil lots are specified and documented
Each oil lot carries a certificate of analysis issued for that batch, stating grade, origin, extraction method, packaging and the parameters below with the test methods used. Indicative specifications per grade are on the avocado oil page; the batch COA governs the lot.
Parameters on every COAAppearance and odour, Lovibond colour, free fatty acids (as oleic, ISO 660), peroxide value (ISO 3960), moisture and volatile matter (ISO 662), insoluble impurities (ISO 663), smoke point (AOCS Cc 9a-48), refractive index (ISO 6320), relative density (ISO 6883). Refined oil adds soap content (AOCS Cc 17-95).
Laboratory arrangementsRoutine parameters are run at the processing plant's QC laboratory; buyers may require third-party testing at an accredited laboratory at the buyer's chosen frequency, and pre-shipment samples are sent by courier before loading.
Typical versus guaranteedSpecifications shown on the website are indicative. The contract states the guaranteed maximum or minimum for each parameter and the sampling and arbitration procedure.
TraceabilityBatch number links to production date, plant, fruit origin and packaging unit (flexitank, drum or IBC seal numbers).
Claims and complaints
What happens when something is wrong on arrival
Notify within the contract windowImporters notify us with photos and the arrival report within the period set in the contract, normally on the day of devanning.
Compare with the preloading reportIndependent preloading data (dry matter, pulp temperature, defects) is the reference point for judging transit versus origin causes.
Independent survey where neededEither party may request a survey by an independent inspector at destination; Quality Studio Europe can inspect in European ports.
Settle against agreed tolerancesClaims are settled against the quality tolerances and the pricing mechanism written in the contract, not by negotiation after the fact.
Contact
Let us talk fruit
We work from Nairobi with our own orchards in the Rift Valley and partner orchards and exporters in Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi, and we answer email and WhatsApp during East African, European and Gulf business hours.
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