A plain-English guide for UK procurement teams sourcing bulk Turkish bay (laurel) leaves (Laurus nobilis) — Incoterms, customs and import VAT, lead time, and why buying direct from the Turkish exporter keeps origin pricing without a domestic middleman.
Most bay leaves in UK supply chains are Turkish. Turkey's Aegean region is the benchmark origin, producing tight, aromatic whole leaves with an essential-oil content of roughly 1.5–2.5%. Mediterranean and Marmara / Black Sea origins round out availability. Region, crop year, and drying discipline drive leaf colour, breakage, and aroma — which is why a serious supplier confirms specifications per lot on a Certificate of Analysis (COA) rather than publishing one fixed number.
You have two paths. You can buy through a UK reseller — convenient, but with a domestic markup layered on origin pricing. Or you can buy direct from the Turkish exporter, who arranges export documentation, freight, and delivery, and invoices you for the shipment.
Laurel Leaves Co. is set up for the direct path. You contract with Tuna Project Global Trade Inc. in İzmir, Turkey — part of the Tuna Project group — so you get a Turkish-origin ingredient at origin pricing, with one accountable exporter managing the chain.
Incoterms define who handles freight, insurance, customs, and duties. For first orders, many UK buyers prefer DDP (Delivered Duty Paid): the exporter delivers the goods, cleared for import, with duty and import VAT handled, to your nominated UK warehouse. That collapses the import process into a single landed price. We also quote CIF, FOB, and other terms if you manage your own logistics.
Dried bay leaves are a shelf-stable plant product, so UK import is straightforward: a commercial invoice, packing list, and certificate of origin support the customs declaration, and the correct commodity code determines any duty. Import VAT applies on entry (usually reclaimable by VAT-registered businesses, or accounted for via postponed VAT accounting). On a DDP quote the exporter manages clearance and these charges so the goods arrive ready to receive; on CIF/FOB you or your broker handle the UK entry.
Turkey-to-UK transit is short compared with long-haul origins, so lead times are fast. From a confirmed order, the window covers production / sorting, pressing and packing, export documentation, sea or road freight, UK customs clearance, and inland delivery. Volume, packing format, port, and Incoterm move the date, and we confirm a target with every quote.
Bay leaf grades run from Hand-picked Select (uniform whole leaves for retail jars and gourmet blends) through Semi-select and Standard to Industrial / Crushed (distillation and seasoning feedstock). Standard packing is 25 kg and 50 kg pressed bales and 10 kg carton boxes; buyer-specific packing is available by RFQ. See the grade comparison table for moisture, colour, and foreign-matter ranges.
To get an accurate quote fast, include:
Send your RFQ and we will respond within 24 hours with availability, packing options, and a quote.
Laurel Leaves Co. supplies bulk Turkish bay leaves (Laurus nobilis) to UK and European buyers as a brand of Tuna Project. You buy direct from the exporter, Tuna Project Global Trade Inc. in İzmir, Turkey — no extra middleman between you and origin.
Yes. You contract directly with Tuna Project Global Trade Inc., the İzmir-based exporter, which handles export documentation, freight, and delivery to your UK or EU warehouse. Buying direct from origin keeps origin pricing without a domestic reseller's markup.
Request a quote with your destination, volume, grade, and packing format. We prepare DDP (Delivered Duty Paid), CIF, or FOB quotes; on DDP, Tuna Project manages export documentation, ocean freight, UK customs clearance, and final delivery — so the leaves arrive at your warehouse with duties and import VAT handled.
Turkey-to-UK transit is short, so expect fast lead times to a UK or EU warehouse — the exact window depends on volume, packing format, port, and Incoterm, and is confirmed on the quote.
Grades range from Hand-picked Select (retail / gourmet) through Semi-select and Standard to Industrial / Crushed (distillation and seasoning feedstock). Standard packing is 25 kg and 50 kg pressed bales and 10 kg carton boxes; buyer-specific packing is available by RFQ.
From Turkey — primarily the Aegean region, with Mediterranean and Marmara / Black Sea origins. The Aegean benchmark (1.5–2.5% essential oil) is the reference most UK and European buyers index to.
Buy direct from the Turkish exporter. DDP available; fast lead times to your UK / EU warehouse.
