Green Kiwi Producers in Ramsar County | Iranco
Katalam Hayward belts, Kosar & Persian Fruit trading, Qaem cold store and Ramsar citrus RIC
B2B guide to Ramsar green kiwi — Kosar, Persian Fruit, Qaem, Sali Fruit, Besmel and the subtropical citrus RIC; cold chain, export grades and Class III processing at Iran’s kiwi birthplace.
Ramsar — Iran’s kiwi cradle and the Hayward green chain
Westernmost Mazandaran, Ramsar County is the historical entry point of commercial kiwi in Iran: European planting material arrived in 1968 and proved highly adapted to the Caspian lowland microclimate at the Ramsar citrus research station. Annual rainfall above 1,000 mm, light alluvial soils and 500–800 winter chill hours support exceptional dry matter and sugar–acid balance in Katalam, Sadatshahr, Chehelshahid and Talesh-Mahalle belts—orchards that punch above their ~400 ha footprint versus Tonekabon’s scale.
Ramsar supplies only 6–7% of Mazandaran’s kiwi tonnage yet anchors national genetics, post-harvest science (Subtropical Citrus RIC) and export trading through Persian Fruit and the Katalam cold-store corridor.
Orchard belt geographic matrix
| Belt | Climate note | Chain role | Key assets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Katalam & Sadatshahr | Foothill microclimate, coastal access | Top-yield orchards, Qaem & Besmel cold hubs | Coastal cold-store ring |
| Chehelshahid & Talesh-Mahalle | Rich soil, skilled management | Long-storage quality, export packs | Seasonal sorting sheds |
| Ramsar–Tonekabon corridor | Transit axis | Overflow sorting to Tonekabon & Chaboksar | Optical line upgrade gap |
| Shahid Rezaei Blvd | Admin centre | RIC, rural co-ops union | Post-harvest protocols |
Green kiwi product taxonomy
Export-calibrated Hayward contrasts with industrial fruit (small, misshapen, Class III) feeding concentrate, aseptic puree, dried chips and pure fruit leather—stabilising grower income in heavy crop years.
| Product lane | Technical specs | Target market |
|---|---|---|
| Luxury export fresh | Hayward 70–120+ g, single-layer cartons | UAE, Russia, Oman |
| General trade | 6–10 kg poly bins, double-layer | India, Kazakhstan, domestic markets |
| Industrial / on-tree | Bulk industrial lots | Kosar concentrate, juice plants |
| Chips & leather | Moisture <10%, 5 mm slices | Premium snacks, souvenirs |
| Puree / concentrate | Brix 60–65, aseptic | Dairy, ice cream, beverages |
Cold chain & packing workflow
Kiwi is strongly climacteric; trace ethylene triggers softening. Ramsar’s standard chain: 8–12 h forced-air pre-cool to 8–10 °C, holding at 0 to −0.5 °C, 90–95% RH and <10 ppb ethylene, mechanical-optical sorting, ventilated cartons and reefer haul to northern and southern ports—with part of peak volume diverted to CA rooms in neighboring counties.
Pre-cooling
Forced-air 8–12 h after picking; slows respiration.
Zero-plus storage
Stable temperature, permanganate or ozone scrubbers; Botrytis control.
Sort & calibrate
Weight grading and defect removal; optical upgrade needed.
Pack & transit
PE liners and rigid cartons; seasonal overflow to Tonekabon CA.
Product portfolio mapping (key players)
| Company | Core product | Secondary | Portfolio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Persian Fruit Ramsar | Export Hayward | Sorted Thomson orange | Mandarin, bulk pallets |
| Kosar Agro-Industry | Citrus concentrate | Industrial kiwi concentrate | Feed pulp, RTD syrup |
| Qaem cold store | Hayward chilling service | Citrus bin storage | Packing & palletising |
| Sali Fruit | Kiwi chips | Pure kiwi leather | Mixed dried fruit |
Active company directory
| Unit | Location | Activity | Products | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ramsar Citrus Growers Co-op (Kosar Agro-Industry)011-55213825 / 011-55215700 | Kosar IC, Ramsar–Tonekabon Rd | Processing, concentrate, cold | Industrial kiwi concentrate | Processing |
| Persian Fruit Ramsar Trading Co. | Ramsar trade hub | Export, sort, container | Export Hayward green kiwi | Export |
| Qaem 1,500 t Cold Store Ramsar09121382592 | Katalam / Sadatshahr | Zero-plus cold storage | Export Hayward holding | Cold store |
| Sali Fruit Food & Dried Nutssalifruit.ir | Ramsar | Drying & fruit leather | Kiwi chips & pure leather | Processing |
| Besmel Fruit Cold Store Katalam09195547380 | Katalam | Agri cold warehousing | Bin kiwi storage | Cold store |
| Kuh Sard Ramsar Cold Store Co-op | Ramsar | Cold store & sorting | Horticultural cold holding | Cold store |
| Ramsar Rural Co-ops Union011-55222600 | Shahid Rezaei Blvd | Support buying & inputs | Member on-tree kiwi | Active |
| Ramsar Subtropical Citrus RIC011-55222081 | Shahid Rezaei Blvd | Post-harvest R&D | Kiwi storage protocols | R&D |
| Ramsar Produce Market Stall 44011-55260046 | Central produce market | Wholesale brokerage | On-tree & industrial grade | Trading |
Structural challenges & market gates
Fragmented smallholdings, quarantine mealybug risk, early-harvest bans until early Mehr and limited in-county concentrate capacity during the Aban peak define exporter and broker exposure.
Orchard passport systems (Yekta / Sanka) and RIC protocols are now baseline for India and Eurasian Economic Union destinations.
Shipment rejections linked to Pseudaulacaspis pentagona or Botrytis reinforce the need for mechanised washing and intelligent optical sorting.
Strategic outlook
Priorities: optical sorting lines, full orchard registration, harvest at Brix ≥6.2% and scaling chip plus aseptic puree for Class III fruit.
Co-op and private export synergy can cement Ramsar Hayward in Caspian, Russian and Gulf lanes as a knowledge-intensive, job-creating model.
Iranco connects you with verified players in the Hayward chain.