Supplier and Distributor

IQF Fruit Ingredients

Brothers International is your trusted source for premium Individually Quick Frozen (IQF) fruit for your manufacturing needs. From high-demand staples like Strawberries, Blueberries, and Mango to Peaches, Pineapples, and Exotic Berries; all rapidly flash-frozen at peak ripeness to preserve natural piece identity, cell structure, vibrant color, and fresh-picked flavor.

Brothers International is proud to offer various fruit juices and concentrates as USDA Organic certified.

IQF Fruit can be supplied as organic upon request

Private Label & Retail Packaging

Scale your brand with contract packaging in GFSI-certified facilities. We manage everything sourcing to flushed barrier pouching. Our turnkey private label programs deliver market-ready, high-quality IQF fruit pieces.

Dairy, Yogurt & Frozen Desserts

IQF fruit pieces add vibrant visual appeal, natural texture, and real-fruit bite to dairy products. They are widely used in fruit-on-the-bottom yogurts, ice cream inclusions, sorbets, gelato, and freeze-dried cereal fruit toppings.

Smoothies & Prepared Foods

Essential for commercial smoothie kits, ready-to-eat meal preparations, salsas, chutneys, and foodservice bulk operations. IQF fruit provides exact portion control, easy automated dispensing, and consistent plate presentation.

Cellular Integrity, Texture, and Visual Appeal

IQF Fruit for Production

When utilizing whole or cut fruit in commercial food production, conventional block freezing often damages fruit tissue, resulting in soft, mushy textures and excessive juice loss upon thawing. Individually Quick Frozen (IQF) technology flash-freezes each individual piece of fruit in seconds, preventing large ice crystals from forming and rupturing the fruit’s cell walls.

By understanding how IQF processing protects cellular integrity, R&D and operations teams can maintain superior product texture and visual appeal without processing downtime.

  • Free-Flowing Convenience & Portion Control: Because each fruit piece is frozen individually, IQF fruit does not clump into a solid block. This allows for effortless automated weighing, precise recipe portioning, and continuous feeding into production lines without manual thawing or chopping.

  • Minimal Drip Loss & Color Bleed: By preserving natural cell walls, IQF fruit significantly reduces fluid loss (drip loss) and prevents unwanted color migration into bakery batters, white dairy bases, or doughs during processing.

  • Peak-Ripeness Consistency Year-Round: IQF fruit is harvested and flash-frozen within hours at peak maturity, locking in optimal Brix levels, natural acidity, and vibrant color regardless of seasonal agricultural gaps.

Brothers International has a global network of growers and suppliers that can source blueberry NFC juice, blueberry juice concentrate and more.
Brothers International is your dedicated supplier for raspberry juice concentrate, raspberry puree, raspberry essence, IQF and more.
Decades of Experience in

Fit For Purpose Sourcing

Not every manufacturing line can handle the same cut size or moisture parameter; a high-speed pie line, an artisan muffin batter, and a commercial smoothie blender each demand specific piece dimensions, firm textures, and melt-rate characteristics.

Rather than offering a one-size-fits-all solution, our global sourcing network carefully aligns fruit cultivar, cut specification, and freezing protocols with your functional requirements.

Whether you need 10x10mm Chilean diced peaches for a bakery prep, or calibrated whole Polish wild blueberries for a muffin mix, we match the origin and cut specification to your objective. We deliver IQF fruit that fits your exact manufacturing parameters.

  • Custom Cuts & Precision Grading: We offer a vast array of cut options—including whole, halved, sliced, diced (e.g., 3/8″, 1/2″), chunks, tidbits, and crumbs—graded to strict size tolerances to prevent machine clogging.

  • Unbroken Cold Chain Security: Maintained at strict sub-zero temperatures from post-harvest freezing through global shipping and warehousing, ensuring zero freezer burn or ice build-up in bulk containers.

Uncompromising Purity and Integrity

IQF Fruit Supplier

As international fruit experts, we’ve spent the last 25 years supplying our customers with everything from IQF Fruit to Fruit Purees and Juice Concentrates. The quality and reliability of our frozen fruit make them essential for high-volume food and beverage manufacturing.

  • 100% Clean Label: Our standard IQF fruits contain zero added sugars, artificial colors, syrups, or chemical preservatives—just 100% natural, unadulterated fruit.

  • Organic & Conventional Options: We supply both conventional and certified organic IQF fruit to support various market positioning goals and clean-label declarations.

Global Sourcing & Supply Chain Resiliency:
Maintaining a reliable, high-volume supply of Individually Quick Frozen (IQF) fruits and vegetables requires a sophisticated, multi-continental agricultural footprint. Because IQF processing depends on freezing raw produce rapidly within hours of harvest to lock in cellular turgor, natural juices, and vibrant pigmentation, freezing tunnels must be located directly adjacent to prime agricultural growing belts. Brothers International coordinates an expansive, audited supplier network across the globe, balancing harvest cycles between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. We successfully insulate our industrial buyers from localized weather anomalies, early frosts, seasonal agricultural gaps, and regional crop shortfalls.

Moving bulk frozen produce across international borders demands uncompromising, continuous cold-chain logistics. A single temperature fluctuation during transit can cause surface frost sublimation, freezer burn, or partial thawing. Brothers International oversees a continuous sub-zero logistics pipeline, managing temperature-monitored marine reefer containers, cross-dock cold storage, and domestic refrigerated freight. Through structured multi-quarter forward contracting and high-volume purchasing across our specialized ingredient divisions, we negotiate secure shipping allocations, locked-in freight tariffs, and predictable pricing, shielding procurement teams from volatile spot-market commodity spikes and ocean transport disruptions.

To bridge seasonal harvest gaps and support agile commercial production, Brothers International maintains strategic buffer inventories and optimized transportation routes around the globe. By keeping fulfillment strategically short, we eliminate long overseas shipping lead times. This allows R&D, procurement, and plant operations teams to align ingredient delivery schedules directly with fluctuating high-speed bakery throughput, seasonal frozen meal packing, and unexpected consumer demand surges.

Quality Assurance & Technical Compliance:
Every production lot of aqueous fruit essence distributed by Brothers International undergoes rigorous analytical and chromatographic profiling to guarantee sensory fidelity and batch-to-batch repeatability on automated production lines. Because essences are un-concentrated in sugar and measured by volatile potency rather than Brix, our quality assurance protocols center on high-resolution Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) and Gas Chromatography–Flame Ionization Detection (GC-FID).

Purity, clean-label compliance, and the total absence of adulterants are strictly validated. Brothers International guarantees that every essence is 100% From The Named Fruit (FTNF), extracted purely through physical condensation and fractional vacuum distillation without the addition of synthetic aroma chemicals, nature-identical isolates, propylene glycol, or artificial preservatives. Because light fruit volatiles concentrate alongside naturally synthesized fruit ethanol during the distillation process, our laboratories precisely standardize the endogenous alcohol by volume. For clear beverages and hard seltzers, every batch is verified for complete water solubility and optical clarity , ensuring the essence will never form an oily meniscus ring or cause phase separation in clear bottled products.

Global food safety and multi-agency regulatory compliance are central to our technical documentation. Every processing facility in our supplier network operates under Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) benchmarks, including SQF, BRCGS, or FSSC 22000. For alcoholic beverage manufacturers, craft breweries, and commercial distilleries, we supply complete Flavor Ingredient Data Sheets (FIDS) and formula compliance papers to streamline TTB (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau) approvals and support drawback tax recovery. Every shipment arrives with a comprehensive technical documentation packet, including lot-specific Certificates of Analysis (COA) specifying volatile chemical profiles, specific gravity, refractive index, microbial validation confirming the absence of yeasts, molds, and pathogens, Kosher and Halal certifications, Non-GMO Project Verification, and USDA National Organic Program (NOP) transaction paperwork.

Optimize Production

IQF Fruit Ingredient F.A.Q.

Commercial Bakery, Pastry & Snack Bars:

  • Muffins, Cakes & Scones: IQF blueberries, diced strawberries, and diced apples are introduced into batters during the final 30 seconds of low-speed mixing while still frozen. The frozen fruit holds its physical piece identity through depositing nozzles and prevents anthocyanin color bleed into surrounding yellow batters.

  • Thermostable Pie Fillings & Tart Toppings: Whole and sliced IQF stone fruits and berries cook evenly with modified starches, absorbing liquid without turning to mush or weeping excessive water through bottom crusts.

Dairy, Yogurt & Frozen Desserts:

  • Fruit-on-the-Bottom & Swirl Inclusions: IQF fruit chunks provide authentic visual particulates and real-fruit chew in yogurts, parfaits, and ice cream churn inclusions without collapsing into a homogenous syrup.

  • Freeze-Dried Cereals & Snack Packs: IQF fruit serves as the primary feedstock for industrial freeze-drying (lyophilization), retaining crisp structural cell geometry and vivid color for ready-to-eat breakfast cereals and fruit snacks.

Prepared Foods, Meal Kits & Foodservice:

  • Frozen Entrees, Skillet Meals & Salad Kits: IQF diced vegetables (carrots, celery, sweet potatoes, beets) and IQF fruits (mango dices, pineapple tidbits, clementine segments) provide visual contrast and cellular crunch in frozen skillet meals, pasta bowls, and commercial food service salad stations.

  • Salsas, Chutneys & Sauces: IQF dices thaw evenly in ambient marinades, imparting fresh-picked fruit and vegetable integrity to refrigerated salsas and glazes.

Commercial Smoothies & Craft Brewing:

  • High-Speed Smoothie Blends & Retail Pouches: Free-flowing IQF chunks blend uniformly in commercial blender carafes without binding blades, delivering high-viscosity smoothie texture without added ice.

  • Brewing Whirlpool & Fermenter Inclusions: Whole and halved IQF fruits are added directly into secondary fermenters or whirlpool vessels by craft brewers, delivering authentic fruit contact, aroma extraction, and natural fermentation sugars.

With over 30 different fruit and vegetable ingredients available as IQF fruit parts, our team is able to provide nearly any variation required for your food and beverage manufacturing. The table below has examples that represent a fraction of our current capabilities. Can’t find what you’re looking for? We can help you source it.

Example IQF Fruits Standard Cut / Size Core Functional Advantage & Popular Applications
IQF Strawberries
(Camarosa / Senga Sengana)		 Whole (15–22mm / 22–26mm),
Sliced (4–6mm), or
Diced (3/8″, 1/2″, 10x10mm)		 Deep Red Core & Firm Cellular Structure. Minimizes drip loss upon thaw. Dices prevent batter bleed in muffins; whole berries preferred for preserves and retail bags.
IQF Blueberries
(Cultivated Highbush & Wild)		 Whole Calibrated
(Small, Medium, Large)		 High Skin Integrity & Natural Waxy Bloom. Free-flowing spheres that withstand high-speed automated depositing into pancake batters, dry cereals, and yogurt cups.
IQF Mango
(Kent / Tommy Atkins / Magdalena)		 Diced (10x10mm, 15x15mm, 20x20mm), Chunks, or Slices Vibrant Golden Hue & Low Fiber Stringiness. High Brix sweetness. Essential for retail frozen smoothie packs, foodservice salsas, and tropical bakery fillings.
IQF Peaches & Apricots
(Yellow Cling / Freestone)		 Slices (crescent cut),
Diced (3/8″, 1/2″), or Halves		 Firm Flesh & Zero Pit Fragments. Ascorbic rinse prevents enzymatic browning. Ideal for commercial cobblers, bakery tarts, fruit salads, and yogurt preps.
IQF Clementines & Citrus
(Clemenules / Mandarin)		 Whole Seedless Segments / Wedges Intact Vesicles & Crisp Burst. De-pithed membranes eliminate bitterness. Designed for fruit cups, pastry garnishes, and craft brewing additions.
IQF Diced Vegetables
(Carrot, Celery, Sweet Potato, Beet)		 Diced (1/4″, 3/8″, 1/2″, 10x10mm) or Crinkle Cut Slices Enzyme Inactivated & Crisp Cellular Bite. Steam blanching stops PPO/peroxidase activity. Free-flowing dices for commercial mirepoix, soups, skillet meals, and salad kits.
IQF Goldenberries
(Physalis peruviana)		 Whole Dehusked Berries
(Calibrated 12–18mm)		 Vibrant Orange Marble Geometry. Retains high-altitude withanolides and tart juiciness. Preferred for trail mixes, pastry decoration, and kettle sour whirlpooling.

  • Individually Quick Frozen (IQF): Individual fruit or vegetable pieces are exposed to high-velocity sub-zero air or cryogenic sprays while suspended in a fluidized bed. Freezing occurs rapidly (typically within 3 to 10 minutes), passing swiftly through the thermal zone of maximum ice crystal growth. This forms tiny, uniform micro-crystals within intracellular fluids that do not rupture cell walls, preserving cellular turgor, crisp bite, and natural juices upon thawing.

  • Block Freezing: Large masses of fruit (such as 30 lb tins or 400 lb drums) are placed in static cold rooms. Freezing takes 24 to 72 hours to reach the core. This slow thermal curve creates large, sharp, dendritic macro-ice crystals that pierce cell membranes. When thawed, the ruptured cellular matrix collapses, resulting in severe drip loss (20% to 35% juice loss), limp mushy textures, and a clumped, unworkable block of fruit.

Color bleeding (e.g., anthocyanin blue/red haloing) and localized soggy spots are caused by mechanical shear and premature thawing. Plant operators should follow three technical protocols:

  1. Incorporate While Completely Frozen: Add IQF fruit directly from the $-18^circtext$ freezer into industrial mixers during the final 30 to 60 seconds of the mixing cycle. Never allow fruit to sit at ambient room temperature in staging buckets.

  2. Low-Shear Mixing: Use low-speed planetary paddles or gentle ribbon blenders. High-shear agitators will shatter frozen pieces, tearing outer skins and releasing juices into the surrounding batter.

  3. Flour / Starch Pre-Dusting (Optional for High-Moisture Berries): In delicate cake or muffin batters, lightly coating frozen fruit with 1% to 2% native starch or flour creates a protective hydrophilic barrier that absorbs surface frost and prevents fruit pieces from sinking to the bottom of baking pans.

Brothers International supplies commercial IQF fruits and vegetables in durable, food-grade packaging formats:

  • Corrugated Master Cartons (20 lb, 30 lb, or 40 lb net / 10 kg): Heavy-duty corrugated cases fitted with blue-tinted, heavy-gauge polyethylene liner bags (blue liners facilitate rapid visual detection in processing plants). Cartons are palletized, stretch-wrapped, and corner-boarded for high-density warehouse racking.

  • Totes (1,000 lbs): Heavyweight corrugated bulk totes on wooden pallets fitted with food-grade poly liners, designed for automated dumping into continuous industrial cereal, preserve, or soup processing lines.

  • Continuous Sub-Zero Logistics: All shipments are transported strictly at -18°C (0°F) or below in continuous temperature-monitored refrigerated marine containers and domestic reefers.

  • Aromatics & Whole-Fruit Extraction: Adding whole or halved IQF fruit directly into the secondary fermenter or dry-hopping vessel allows brewers to extract delicate harvest aromatics, essential fruit skin tannins, and natural color over extended cold-contact dwell times without introducing dense pureed pulp.

  • Clarification Efficiency: Because IQF fruit pieces retain physical cellular integrity, they settle cleanly to the cone of cylindroconical fermenters after contact. Unlike purees, which can blind centrifuge disks and clog cross-flow filtration membranes, spent IQF fruit is easily dumped with yeast trub, yielding clear, fruited beer with minimal filtration loss.

Every beverage and food formulation requires precise technical parameters to perform consistently on automated production lines. Beyond standard ingredient delivery, Brothers International supports your R&D and QA teams with comprehensive technical documentation and specification matching. We provide batch-specific Certificates of Analysis (COA), detailed product specification sheets, allergen statements, Non-GMO declarations, and heavy metal/pesticide testing.

Whether your product requires a specific pH range, custom titratable acidity, precise color intensity, or tailored seed filtration (down to specific mesh screen sizes), our technical specialists collaborate directly with your formulators to match your operational requirements. To accelerate your product development cycle, we maintain a rapid-ship sample program for bench testing and pilot-scale trials.

Navigating global fruit commodity markets requires proactive supply chain management and real-time market intelligence. Seasonal weather anomalies, shifting freight rates, and harvest yield fluctuations can impact IQF fruit ingredient pricing and availability. Brothers International acts as a strategic procurement partner, offering market forecasts, crop reports, and flexible contracting structures—including multi-quarter forward contracts to lock in budget stability, as well as spot-market sourcing to fill unexpected inventory gaps.

As direct importers, we handle the complexities of international trade so you don’t have to. Our logistics team manages C-TPAT supply chain security, USDA/FDA import clearances, and customs brokerage to eliminate port delays. Backed by strict temperature-monitored cold-chain logistics, we ensure your frozen strawberry concentrates, purees, and essences maintain complete color, flavor, and microbial integrity from origin to your facility floor.