Damavand County Cherry Producers Directory | Iranco
Jaban & Absard cold chain, processing matrix and a 16-firm cherry & stone-fruit directory
B2B guide to Damavand cherries — 427 ha orchards, 2–5k t harvest, 60k t cold network, Zarsabz IQF, Shokooh Sabz, Alma and Homand Absard co-op.
Agro-ecology & role in Tehran Province
Damavand County at 1,900–2,300 m enjoys mountain temperate climate, deep loam soils and 900+ chill hours below 7°C — Tehran Province’s second cherry pole after Shemiranat. Cultivars such as Mashhad single-seed, black Mashhad and pink Lavasan deliver high Brix within a ~598 ha stone-fruit cluster including sour cherry.
Sub-product & processing matrix
High respiration after picking demands rapid sort into export, urban fresh and industrial grade-3 streams; value-added processing is the main hedge against spoilage.
| Category | Product | Specs | Target market |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cold-chain fresh | Export MAP-packed cherries | 28+ mm, 1–5 kg packs | Eurasia, Russia, Gulf |
| Fresh retail | Hand-picked grades 1–2 | Pink & black commercial cultivars | Tehran & provincial markets |
| Frozen | IQF cherries | −40°C, pitted or whole | Dairy, bakery, confectionery |
| Dehydrated | Freeze-dried chips | 95% aroma/colour, crisp texture | Premium snack export |
| Dehydrated | Leather & dried halves | 12–15% moisture, tunnel dry | Nuts & home baking |
| Canned | Cherry compote | Invert syrup, in-can sterilisation | Modern retail |
| Sugar preserves | Jam & marmalade | 65–68 Brix, glass jars | Hypermarkets & food export |
| Liquid | Clear concentrate | Pectinase, 65 Brix | Juice & jelly |
| Liquid | Puree & heavy syrup | Aseptic homogenised | Ice cream & beverages |
| By-product | Kernel & cherry oil | 8–12% of dry pit weight | Pharma & cosmetics |
Drying yield: 8–10 kg fresh → 1 kg dried; raw juice recovery 70–78% before concentration to 65 Brix.
Geographic production zones
Absard–Homand, the Jaban–Seydabad corridor, Gilavand foothills and western valley orchards (Rudehen & Abali) define growing models and sales channels.
| Zone | Role | Trait | Hub |
|---|---|---|---|
| Absard & Homand plain | Commercial & co-op hub | Strong water & grower orgs | Milad cold store pooling |
| Jaban & Seydabad corridor | Export & cold hub | Single-seed export cultivars | Alma, Shokooh Sabz, Sorkhodasht |
| Tarroud, Chenar, Gilavand | Late firm varieties | Cool foothill climate | July harvest window |
| Aynehvarzan industrial belt | Downstream processing | Orchard–factory interface | Zarsabz, packhouses, IQF |
| Rudehen & Abali slopes | Valley orchards | Tourism & Tehran day markets | Direct farm-gate sales |
Cold chain & seasonal capacity reuse
Harvest from late Khordad through Mordad overlaps apple cold rooms between crop cycles; hydro-cooling within 4–6 h, 0 to +1°C holding at 90–95% RH, and −18 to −25°C halls for IQF.
Hydraulic pre-cooling
Field heat removed in under 4–6 hours; slows respiration and stem browning.
Sort & grade
Export 28+ mm, urban fresh and rain-damaged industrial lots.
Above-zero / CA storage
2–4 week shelf life; buffers simultaneous peak supply.
IQF & freezer line
Absorbs grade-3 surplus for food plants and export.
Key cold-store network
| Facility | Location | Capacity | Technology |
|---|---|---|---|
| County cold network | Jaban, Absard, Aynehvarzan | 60,000+ t aggregate | Apple-era assets; summer slack for cherry |
| Shokooh Sabz Damavand | Gilavand / Chenar | 15,000 t | Hydro-cool, export terminal |
| Sorkhodasht Agro-Industry | Jaban / Sorkhodasht | 15,000 t | Above-zero cherry holding |
| Alma Damavand Cold Store | Seydabad, Firuzkuh road | 5,000 t (5k t project) | 8 halls, pre-cooling |
| Sive Jaban Cold Store | Abrishiveh / Jaban | 8,000 t | Grade-1 intake & sort |
Cultivars & spring frost risk
Gisela, Regina and Bing rootstocks support late bloom; April radiation frosts can sterilise 50%+ of blossoms — hail nets, orchard mist and late cultivars are structural responses.
Active company database
Cold stores, sorting & export
| Unit | City | Activity | Products | Export |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sorkhodasht Damavand Agro-IndustryBrand: Sorkhodasht15,000 t capacity | Jaban / Sorkhodasht | Industrial orchard & cold store | Cherry cold holding, apple portfolio | Export |
| Shokooh Sabz Damavand Co.Brand: Shokooh Sabz02176523602 | Gilavand | Dual-temp cold & export hub | Hydro-cooling, export sort | Export |
| Alma Damavand Cold StoreBrand: Alma09124378244 | Seydabad | Pre-cool & storage | Jaban cherry intake, crate line | Export |
| Shehad Jaban Food IndustriesBrand: Shehad JabanISIC 1513 | Jaban | Above-zero fruit store | Cherry & stone fruit | Active |
| Sard Iman Damavand (Memek)Brand: Memek | Aynehvarzan | Freeze & cold services | Cherry & sour cherry dual temp | Active |
| Sive Jaban Cold Store (Babaei)Brand: Sive09126772572 | Jaban | Sort & cold intake | Grade-1 harvest cherries | Export |
| Milad Damavand Cold StoreBrand: Milad02176396737 | Absard | Orchard cold holding | Absard & Ouchonak cherry | Active |
| Sib-sar Jaban Cold StoreBrand: Sib-sar | Jaban | Seasonal holding | Jaban cherry lots | Active |
Processing, packing & IQF
| Unit | City | Activity | Products | Export |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Behsabz Damavand Foods (Zarsabz)Brand: Zarsabzzarsabz.com | Aynehvarzan | IQF food plant | Frozen cherry, sour cherry | Active |
| Persia Toranj Fruit Packing Co-opBrand: Persia Toranjkm 60 Firuzkuh | Aynehvarzan | Mechanised packhouse | Fresh cherry MAP lines | Active |
| Setareh Damavand PackagingBrand: Setareh | Aynehvarzan | Corrugated & cartons | Export cherry trays | Active |
| Yasin Zarchin Middle EastBrand: Yasin Zarchin | Damavand Industrial Town 2 | Dry & pack food | Cherry chips & dried fruit | Active |
| Negin Damavand Foods (Fidel)Brand: Fidel | Damavand Industrial Town 2 | Dehydration & snacks | Fruit chips, cherry lines | Active |
Co-ops & orchard projects
| Unit | City | Activity | Products | Export |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Homand Absard Growers Co-opBrand: Homand Co-op | Absard | Pooling & wholesale sort | Absard cherry lots | Active |
| Meh Damavand Growers UnionBrand: Meh Union | Gilavand / Absard | Market coordination | Pricing & cherry logistics | Active |
| Kohsaran Damavand Agro-IndustryBrand: Kohsaran2,500–5,000 t | Kohsaran lands | Orchard & cold project | Sort plant & industrial store | Active |
Trade channels & export
Tehran’s central fruit market (Azadegan) remains the traditional van channel; export lots move through Alma, Shokooh Sabz or Homand Absard pre-coolers but often clear via Tehran, Astara or Mashhad brokers. Grade-3 cherries ship in bulk to Alborz, Qazvin and Azerbaijan concentrate plants.
Without an in-county customs export terminal, part of the margin stays in Tehran wholesalers; finishing Shokooh Sabz’s fruit terminal and residue labs is a strategic priority.
Development outlook
Standardising hydro-coolers in Jaban and Absard, freeze-dry lines in Industrial Town 2 and Aynehvarzan, optical internal-quality sorting and pit oil recovery are the three pillars to stabilise Damavand’s cherry chain.
Iranco’s specialist team can connect you with active players in this chain.