Hicaznar, Ernar, Wonderful, Beynarı and Fellahyemez: Turkey's main export pomegranate varieties, their season and grading.
The pomegranate has been grown across Anatolia and the wider region for millennia, regarded since antiquity as a symbol of abundance and fertility. Today it thrives on the warm, semi-arid plains of Mersin, Antalya, and Muğla, where the tree's natural drought tolerance suits growing conditions that would stress many other fruit crops.
Hicaznar leads, but the season has more than one act
Hicaznar is the variety most identified with Turkish pomegranate exports, but the full picture includes Ernar, an early variety that opens the season in August ahead of the main harvest; the deep-red, intensely sweet Wonderful, an American variety now widely grown in Turkey; and Beynarı and Fellahyemez, both valued for their balance of sweetness and acidity. Fruit is graded by a combined diameter-and-weight caliber scale, from Caliber D (51-60 mm, 201-300 g) up to Caliber A (81 mm and above, 501 g and above).
Why timing the harvest is unusually strict
Unlike many fruits, pomegranate does not continue ripening after it's picked, which means the harvest window has to be judged correctly the first time — growers watch for the rind darkening to the right shade and the arils reaching adequate sugar content before picking by hand. Keeping irrigation carefully balanced through this period is one of the main ways growers prevent the rind from splitting as the fruit nears maturity. Because the arils hold up well in cold storage, well-timed harvests can still supply fresh markets well into winter, and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) is available on request to extend that window further.
You can visit our Pomegranate product page for full variety, caliber, and packaging detail.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the largest pomegranate caliber class?
Caliber A, covering fruit 81 mm and above and weighing 501 g and above.
Why does pomegranate harvest timing need to be so precise?
Because pomegranate doesn't continue ripening after it's picked, so the rind color and aril sugar content have to be correct at the moment of picking.