Shabestar County Frozen Cherry Producers & Cold Chain | Iranco
Tassuj orchards, IQF & pulp grades, 14 processing and cold-chain units from Erphan to Adalat Tassuj
B2B guide to frozen cherries in Shabestar — 2,400 ha orchards, IQF & pulp lines, Tassuj/Shendabad cold hubs, export and bakery supply.
Shabestar frozen cherry value chain
Shabestar County in East Azerbaijan hosts 2,400+ hectares of cherry orchards and 6–10 thousand tonnes annual harvest; the Tassuj district alone supplies over half the province’s cherries.
Short post-harvest shelf life pushes more than 80% of volume into freezing, pulp and export channels; fresh consumption is under 20%.
Frozen cherry sub-product taxonomy
| Sub-product | Process / storage | Industrial use | Target market |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pitted IQF cherry | IQF −35°C; −18°C store | Cake garnish, chocolate inclusion | Bakery, retail frozen |
| Frozen cherry with pit | Blast freeze; 5–10 kg cartons | Jam, syrup, juice extraction | Jam plants, HoReCa |
| Frozen puree / pulp | Block frozen in metallised bags | Fruit leather, flavours | Snack & beverage |
| Industrial bulk mix | Block freeze −18°C | Concentrate, natural colour | Juice & beverage |
Post-harvest cold technology path
Harvest & rapid chill
Fruit to 4°C within four hours from Tassuj or Shendabad orchards.
Pre-cool & sort
Separate local vs grafted grades; remove defects and calibrate size.
Destem & pitting
Mechanical lines before tunnel to limit drip loss on thaw.
IQF or blast freeze
−35°C tunnel for pitted; air-blast for industrial with-pit.
Pack & palletise
5–10 kg cartons or export frozen pallets.
−18°C storage
Hold until dispatch to bakery, jam plants or export containers.
Geographic orchard & industrial matrix
| District / axis | Orchards | Cold & processing | Chain role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tassuj cherry heartland | 50–70% of provincial crop | Adalat Chehrgan, Zarin Miveh | Premium raw origin |
| Shendabad belt | Peripheral orchards | Hafezi, Shaghaqi, Zarin Bagh | Processing cluster |
| Soofian corridor | — | Serin Misho, Salamat | Blast tunnel logistics |
| Shabestar / Sis | — | Erphan, Mahe Ma plant | Packing & export |
| Kuzehkanan confectionery | — | Downstream bakery plants | IQF pitted demand |
Cold stores & industrial parks
Shendabad, Kuzehkanan, Chehrgan Tassuj and the Soofian–Marand corridor link dual-temperature stores, blast tunnels and plants such as Erphan and Mahe Ma to Tassuj orchards.
Structural bottlenecks
Mismatch between peak Tassuj harvest and local rapid-freeze capacity intensifies summer oversupply and broker-driven farm-gate discounts.
Over 80% of Shabestar cherries are industrial; reaching 4°C within four hours of picking defines bakery-grade IQF quality.
Heavy reliance on legacy blast freezing in some workshops raises bleeding and syneresis risk in pastry applications.
Active company database
Processing, pulp & export
| Company / brand | Location | Activity | Products | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Persian Tejarat Erphan Co.Brand: Persian Tejarat ErphanShabestar, Sheikh Mahmoud St., Golha Alley, No. 8 | Shabestar (central) | Export, processing & trading | Sorted frozen cherry, pitted IQF, concentrate | Export |
| Shadi Noush Sis Food PlantBrand: Mahe Ma04142476999 · mahe-ma.ir | Sis / Shabestar | Processing plant & cold store | Frozen cherry, pulp, jam & marmalade | Active |
| Zarin Bagh ShendabadBrand: Zarin Bagh09141700834 · 09140500834 | Shendabad industrial park | Pulp & fruit leather plant | Cherry puree, lavashak & torshak | Active |
| Mehr Gostar Mahan MalekzadehBrand: Mehr Gostar MahanNational ID 14003448486 | Sis junction | Stone-fruit processing | Pitted cherry, puree, lavashak | Active |
| Zarin Miveh & Nuts TassujBrand: Zarin Miveh TassujNational ID 14009568779 | Chehrgan Tassuj IZ | Pitting & dried fruit | Pitted cherry, pulp, premium dry | Active |
Cold chain & freezing
| Company / brand | Location | Activity | Products | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adalat Tassuj Cold StoreBrand: Adalat TassujReg. 565 Tassuj | Chehrgan Tassuj IZ | 3,000 t cold hub & sorting | Seasonal cherry freezing, palletising | Active |
| Serin Kolak Iranians (Serin Misho)Brand: Serin MishoNational ID 14014242706 | Soofian / Khajeh Marjan | Blast tunnel & cold logistics | −18°C storage, frozen pallet depot | Active |
| Mirzaei Fruit Cold StoreBrand: Mirzaei Fruit Cold09124900193 · info@mirzaeisardkhane.rqo.ir | Km 55 Tabriz–Shabestar road | Horticultural cold storage | Cherry, peach, apricot, apple | Active |
| Salamat Soofian Cold ComplexBrand: Salamat Soofian04142544255 | Soofian–Tabriz highway | 60 t weighbridge cold store | Bulk & pallet cherry holding | Active |
| Hafezi Shendabad ColdBrand: Hafezi ShendabadNational ID 10862124589 | Shendabad industrial park | Sort & pre-cool | Cherry, peach, nectarine | Active |
| Shaghaqi Shendabad ColdBrand: Shaghaqi Shendabad09141710130 | Shabestar–Shendabad axis | Seasonal horticultural store | Cherry & peach peak-season hold | Active |
Sorting, brokers & bulk supply
| Company / brand | Location | Activity | Products | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SunAi Fruit East AzerbaijanBrand: SunAi Fruit AzarbaijanNational ID 14015698209 | Shendabad industrial park | Sort, dispatch & export | Graded frozen cherry | Export |
| Tabatabaei Horticultural BrokerageBrand: Tabatabaei WholesaleShabestar weighbridge trading platform | Shabestar horticultural hub | Wholesale broker | Pitted-in frozen cherry grades 1–2 | Active |
| Tassuj Ton-Scale Supply NetworkBrand: Tassuj Bulk SupplySoroban & Zandes Tassuj platforms | Tassuj orchard belt | Field broker & load dispatch | 200–500 t lots, IQF pitted | Active |
Markets, exports & industrial demand
Pitted IQF cherry feeds confectionery clusters in Kuzehkanan and Tabriz; frozen pulp supplies lavashak lines in Shendabad; graded loads transit to Russia and the Caucasus via Jolfa and Bazargan.
Challenges & strategic outlook
IQF tunnels near Tassuj, contract farming with large bakeries and less seasonal raw selling are key to stabilising grower prices and export grades.
Summary
With Tassuj’s sour and grafted cultivars, regional cold infrastructure and 14 mapped units, Shabestar is a core frozen-cherry hub in north-west Iran.
Iranco’s team can connect you with verified players in this chain.