Sumac
Sumac is the dried, ground or whole crushed drupe (berry) of Rhus coriaria, a shrub in the cashew family native to the eastern Mediterranean and Middle East. The dried fruit has a tart, lemony flavour from its high malic and tannic acid content and is used as a table and cooking spice, most visibly as one of the base spices in za'atar blends, and as a natural souring agent in Levantine and Anatolian cooking. It is sold both as whole dried berries and as a coarse or fine ground powder, with the powder form being the more common retail product. The plant also has a documented history of use in leather tanning and natural dyeing on account of the tannin content in its leaves and bark, separate from the culinary fruit trade.
Listed sumac markets
Each line is a grade at a delivery point. Open one for its full specification and terms.
Hedging sumac
If a move in the sumac price would hurt you, fix the price now. We agree it today for the months you name, and it holds whatever the market does in between.
| Buying | You use or resell sumac and need to know your cost. We fix your purchase price for the quantity and months you name. |
|---|---|
| Selling | You grow, produce or hold sumac and need to know your revenue. We fix your sale price ahead of production or shipment. |
| Settlement | With delivery of the sumac, or in cash against an agreed reference with nothing moving. |
A price is fixed only once a trader confirms it in writing. Ask the desk for a fixed price.
Caps and floors on sumac
A fixed price binds both sides. A cap or a floor is a guaranteed price on one side only. You pay a fee up front for it, and it is a right, not an obligation: you use it only if the market moves against you.
| Cap | For buyers. A guaranteed maximum price for sumac. If the market is above the cap when you buy, you pay the cap and we cover the difference. If it is below, you buy at the market price and let the cap lapse. |
|---|---|
| Floor | For sellers. A guaranteed minimum price for sumac. If the market is below the floor when you sell, you receive the floor and we cover the difference. If it is above, you sell at the market price and let the floor lapse. |
| Fee | Agreed and paid up front. It is the whole cost of the protection, and it is not refunded if the cap or floor goes unused. |
A cap or a floor is in place only once a trader confirms it in writing. Ask the desk for a cap or a floor.
Grades
A sample is assessed on moisture content, colour (deep maroon-red indicating a fresh, properly dried lot versus a faded brownish older lot), foreign matter/stem content, and particle size (whole berry versus coarse or fine ground). The commercially decisive test is an independent HPLC (high-performance liquid chromatography) assay screening for illegal synthetic red azo dyes (Sudan I, II, III, IV and related colourants such as Para Red), which are sometimes added to mask a faded or lower-quality lot; this is the same analytical method used to police the EU's Sudan-dye ban on other red-coloured spice products and is not detectable by visual inspection alone.
Sudan-dye HPLC screen
2 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| PASSConfirmed non-detect | All screened Sudan dyes below the laboratory's stated limit of quantification |
| FAILDetected adulteration | Any screened Sudan dye at or above the laboratory's stated limit of quantification |
Moisture and foreign-matter grading
2 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| WHOLEWhole dried berry | Intact dried drupes, not milled; moisture and foreign-matter percentage confirmed by lab or inspector on the specific lot |
| GROUNDGround/milled powder | Whole berries milled to a coarse or fine powder; moisture and foreign-matter percentage confirmed by lab or inspector on the specific lot |
Grades outside this list, including washed/de-stoned lots or a specified particle-size mesh, trade on request.
Locations
| Country | Region | We trade it as |
|---|---|---|
| Turkey | Southeastern Anatolia (Gaziantep, Sanliurfa, Diyarbakir, Mardin) | Origin |
| Iran | Western Iran | Origin |
| Syria | Northern Syria | Origin |
| Italy | Sicily | Origin |
| United States | National | Destination |
| United Kingdom | National | Destination |
| Canada | National | Destination |
| Germany | National | Destination |
Origins and destinations outside this list trade on request.
Timing
Sumac berries are harvested once a year when the drupe clusters ripen to deep red in late summer, then sun or mechanically dried before sale; arrival windows at destination follow shortly after origin drying and export clearance since the dried product is shelf-stable and not held back for a separate curing season.
HarvestArrival
| Origin | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | Window |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turkey | Harvest | Harvest | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest Aug to Sep, arrival Oct to NovSoutheastern Anatolia (Gaziantep/Sanliurfa) harvest window; arrival estimate assumes prompt drying and export clearance, must-verify against the specific season's crop timing |
Timing outside the stated harvest and arrival pattern trades on request.
Common questions
What grades of sumac does SIP Global trade?
We quote 4 published grades of sumac, including PASS - Confirmed non-detect, FAIL - Detected adulteration, WHOLE - Whole dried berry and GROUND - Ground/milled powder. Every grade is tied to a delivery point and a settlement route. Grades outside the published list are priced on request.
How is sumac graded?
A sample is assessed on moisture content, colour (deep maroon-red indicating a fresh, properly dried lot versus a faded brownish older lot), foreign matter/stem content, and particle size (whole berry versus coarse or fine ground). The commercially decisive test is an independent HPLC (high-performance liquid chromatography) assay screening for illegal synthetic red azo dyes (Sudan I, II, III, IV and related colourants such as Para Red), which are sometimes added to mask a faded or lower-quality lot; this is the same analytical method used to police the EU's Sudan-dye ban on other red-coloured spice products and is not detectable by visual inspection alone. Grading runs on 2 systems: Sudan-dye HPLC screen and Moisture and foreign-matter grading.
Where does SIP Global trade sumac?
We trade sumac in Turkey, Iran, Syria, Italy, United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Germany. Origins and destinations outside this list trade on request. We are not limited to the locations shown.
When is sumac harvested and when does it arrive?
Typical windows are Turkey: harvest aug to sep, arrival oct to nov. Harvest is when the lot is taken at origin, arrival is when a shipment from that origin lands in a consuming market. Windows outside this pattern, including carry, trade on request.
Can I hedge sumac prices?
Yes. SIP Global fixes a sumac price ahead for buyers and for sellers, which is what a hedge, or a price guarantee, comes down to. Send the grade, the quantity and the months you need covered. We settle with delivery or in cash, and a price is fixed only once a trader confirms it in writing.
How do I get a price for sumac?
Send the grade, the origin and the delivery window to the SIP Global desk. That is enough for a trader to come back with a level and a settlement route. 4 listed sumac markets are published on this page, each with its full specification and terms. We take both sides, physical and financial, prompt to long dated.
Standards and data sources
The grading language on this sheet follows published standards. Trade volumes and tariff lines are public record. Verify anything here against the source.
- UN Comtrade (opens in new tab)Official international trade statistics by HS code
- ITC Trade Map (opens in new tab)Bilateral trade flows and tariff data
- FAOSTAT (opens in new tab)FAO production and trade series for agricultural commodities
Price this with our desk
Grade, origin and window if you have them. If what you are carrying does not fit the sheet above, describe it in your own words and a trader will take it from there.