Frozen Sour Cherry Producers in Urmia County | Iranco
Lake Road IQF lines, Mahabad concentrate corridor, Bahman cold hub and a mapped set of 17 processors and traders
Directory of Aftab Azerbaijan, Shams Bahman, Pakdis, Orum Spoota, Torsh Narin and Urmia cold-chain traders — IQF technology, product grades and export lanes to Russia and the Gulf.
Urmia and the frozen sour cherry chain
Urmia County’s mild mountain climate and alluvial soils make it a northwest hub for stone fruit and sour cherries; harvest and price swings here steer national cherry market balance.
High perishability and a short summer window push roughly 80% of the crop into processing, concentrate or rapid freezing to preserve commercial value year-round.
Demand from dairy, ice cream, bakery and retail channels has elevated IQF and pitted frozen cherries as the core value-add and export lane to Russia, EAEU and the Gulf.
Frozen sour cherry product taxonomy
| Product class | Technology / specs | Industrial use | Target market |
|---|---|---|---|
| IQF cherries with pit | −35 to −40°C tunnel; stem removal & sort | Syrups, industrial jam, bakery | Food processing B2B |
| Pitted IQF | Needle pitting; fluidized bed | Ice cream topping, tarts, premium retail | Gulf export |
| Frozen puree / pulp | Gentle grind; deep freeze | Fruit yogurt, smoothies | Dairy plants |
| Hungarian-type IQF | Large cultivars; thaw shape retention | Pastry décor, grade-A export | Russia & Gulf |
| Rasmi small sour | High anthocyanin pigment | Color concentrate, marmalade | Extract industry |
| Cherry kernels | Washed; frozen or dried | Kernel oil, activated carbon | By-product sector |
IQF vs conventional blast freezing
Intake & prep
Mechanical wash, destemming, optical sort and cull removal before freezing.
Slow-freeze risk
Legacy blast tunnels grow large ice needles, rupture cells and raise drip loss on thaw.
Fluidized-bed IQF
−35 to −40°C sanitary air suspends cherries so they freeze individually.
Core chill rate
Center hits −18°C within 5–16 minutes; micro-crystals preserve texture.
Pack & cold chain
6–10 kg B2B bags or laminated retail packs; uninterrupted −18°C through loading.
Industrial zones and logistics corridors
| Corridor / zone | Chain role | Key units |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Road (Chee-Chest) | Largest cold stores & IQF | Shams Bahman, Pakdis, Aftab Azerbaijan, Golfam |
| Mahabad Rd (Sentu) | Concentrate & puree hub | Orum Spoota, Torsh Narin, Urum Ada |
| Salmas / airport industrial parks | IQF lines & machinery | Tataoo, advanced sorting shops |
Active company database
Processing plants, IQF and concentrate
| Unit / brand | Location | Activity | Products / services | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aftab Azerbaijan Co. | Km 2 Lake Rd, Urmia | IQF plant, packing, export | IQF sour cherry, frozen strawberry, fries | Export |
| Shams Agro-Industrial GroupBrand: Shadlee / Bahman | Km 3 Lake Rd | −25°C store, concentrate | Frozen cherry puree; 7,000 t capacity | Export |
| Pakdis Public Co.Brand: Sandis | Km 1 Lake Rd | Concentrate & aseptic puree | Cherry concentrate; frozen puree | Core producer |
| Orum Spoota Food Industries | Km 14 Mahabad Rd | Puree & cold storage | Frozen & aseptic cherry puree | Export |
| Torsh Narin Urmia | Km 9 Mahabad Rd | Puree, concentrate, export | Cherry puree/concentrate; frozen pulp | Export |
| Shohdab UrmiaBrand: Pars Faravar | Urmia plain | Export concentrate | Cherry concentrate; puree & juice | Export |
| Urum Ada Production Co. | Km 9 Sentu Rd | Compote, jam, cold store | Cherry compote/jam; frozen puree | In portfolio |
| Golfam Urmia | Km 4 Lake Rd | Syrup & concentrate | Cherry syrup; compote & sub-zero storage | In portfolio |
| Tataoo Food IndustriesBrand: Tataoo | Km 11 Salmas Rd | Canning & compote | Cherry compote; fruit sorting line | In portfolio |
| Sib Noush Nazlu | Km 10 Talatappeh Rd | Puree & concentrate | Cherry puree; cold-stored derivatives | Core producer |
Cold stores, sorting and wholesale trade
| Unit / brand | Location | Activity | Products / services | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iranco OrganicBrand: Iranco | Urmia / Khoy | Organic IQF, export packing | Sorted frozen cherry; export pitted | Export |
| Abdollahi Cold & Sort | Lake Rd cold belt | Sort & wholesale | Small Rasmi frozen cherry (50–100 t seasonal) | Wholesale |
| Khalili Frozen Fruit Trading | Urmia plain cold stores | Cold-chain supply | Grade-A frozen cherry; up to 250 t | Wholesale |
| Esperah Trading | Cold loading terminals | Cherry specialty distribution | Pitted frozen; Hungarian & Rasmi | Wholesale |
| Akhshjan Group | Mahabad / Serow corridor | IQF & sorting | IQF cherry; bulk cultivars | Cold store |
| Nasim Gharb Kashtgar | Urmia & Oshnavieh | Supply & export | High-volume sorted frozen cherry | Export |
| Sardab Urmia Cold Store | Industrial park | Specialized warehousing | Frozen cherry & barrel puree storage | Cold store |
Cold chain, packaging and export lanes
Quality hinges on an unbroken −18°C chain; temperature swings trigger recrystallization damage. B2B packs use heavy twin-wall PE bags (6–10 kg net); retail uses 400–1,000 g laminated pouches; puree ships in 220 kg aseptic drums.
| Export axis | Route | Target market |
|---|---|---|
| Northern (Astara / Bazargan) | Reefer land transit | Russia & EAEU winter demand |
| Western (Tamarchin / Bashmaq) | Into Iraq & Kurdistan | Dairy processors & urban retail |
| Persian Gulf | Cold road to southern ports | Qatar, UAE, Oman — premium pitted |
Plants combining optical needle pitting with fluidized-bed IQF capture the largest share of export pitted cherry and ice-cream/bakery inclusions.
Development outlook
Retrofitting slow freezers to IQF on the Lake Road corridor, scaling automated pitting and branding Urmia cherries with organic certification will cut seasonal raw sales and strengthen global-standard export positioning.
Bahman’s 7,000 t sub-zero capacity, Aftab Azerbaijan’s IQF line and the plain’s wholesale sort network form northwest Iran’s largest stone-fruit cold platform.
Iranco’s specialist team can connect you with players in this industry.