Egypt’s snack food industry has been growing steadily for over a decade, and popcorn sits at the centre of that growth. Cinema chains expanding across Cairo and Alexandria, packaged snack producers supplying modern retail, street vendors running popcorn carts from Alexandria’s corniche to the markets of Aswan, and the enormous export-oriented food manufacturing sector that ships Egyptian-branded snacks across the Arab world. All of them run on popcorn kernels.
Asia & Africa General Trading FZE LLC is offering Super Popcorn Butterfly Popcorn Kernels, grade 40-42, Argentina origin and Non-GMO certified, at USD 599 per metric ton CIF Damietta Port, Egypt. Produced and exported by Southern Seeds Production S.A. (SSP), packed in 20 kg bags, 25 metric tons loading per 20-foot container, with August 2026 shipment from Argentina.
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Product Specifications
Brand: Super Popcorn
Product: Butterfly Popcorn Kernels
Grade: 40-42
Origin: Argentina
Producer/Exporter: Southern Seeds Production S.A. (SSP)
GMO Status: Non-GMO
Packing: 20 kg bag
Loading: 25 metric tons per 20-foot container
Price: USD 599 per metric ton CIF Damietta Port, Egypt
Shipment: August 2026 from Argentina
Status: Booking available
Butterfly vs Mushroom: The Grade That Matters
Popcorn kernels come in two popping shapes and buyers in the food industry care about the distinction.
Mushroom popcorn pops into a dense, compact round ball. It holds its shape under the weight of coatings like caramel, chocolate, and cheese powder, which is why it dominates the packaged flavoured popcorn segment. But it has less surface area and produces a chewier, denser bite.
Butterfly popcorn, also called snowflake popcorn, pops into the irregular, jagged, wing-like shape that most people picture when they think of fresh popcorn. It has significantly more surface area, which means butter, salt, oil, and seasonings coat it more evenly. It is lighter, crunchier, and it is the shape used by cinema operators, street vendors, festival caterers, and fresh-popped retail concessions worldwide. The experience of eating butterfly popcorn is what drives cinema attendance and open-market sales in a way that mushroom variety simply does not replicate.
The 40-42 grade designation refers to the kernel count per 100 grams. At 40-42 kernels per 100 grams, you are in the medium-large kernel size range that balances expansion ratio, flavour capacity, and per-kg yield in a way that commercial operators across Egypt and the wider region recognise as the standard specification for cinema and food service popcorn.
Argentina: The Right Origin for Premium Popcorn
Argentina produces some of the world’s finest popcorn maize. The country’s Pampas region, which stretches across Buenos Aires, Córdoba, and Santa Fe provinces, offers the deep, fertile soil and temperate climate conditions that produce high-starch, consistent popcorn kernels. Argentine popcorn consistently achieves high expansion ratios, meaning the volume of popped corn produced per kilogram of kernel is among the best available commercially.
Southern Seeds Production S.A. operates as both producer and exporter, which removes an intermediary from the supply chain and allows for better quality control across planting, harvesting, drying, cleaning, and packing. The Non-GMO certification on Super Popcorn is increasingly valuable as Egyptian food manufacturers and modern trade retailers face growing consumer and regulatory pressure to document their ingredient sourcing.
The Non-GMO status also matters for export-oriented Egyptian food manufacturers who produce popcorn snacks and ship them into the EU or UK, where non-GMO documentation is often a prerequisite for food product imports.
Egypt: Why Damietta and Why Now
Damietta Port sits on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast in the Nile Delta, and it has emerged as one of the country’s most efficient container ports for food commodity imports. Unlike Sokhna, which handles a large share of bulk and breakbulk cargo and can experience congestion, Damietta’s container terminal is operationally efficient for food-grade FCL imports and has strong connectivity to Alexandria and Cairo via road.
Egypt’s population recently crossed 105 million people, making it the most populous country in the Arab world and one of the top 15 most populous globally. The combination of a young, urban-skewing demographic, a rapidly expanding modern retail sector (hypermarkets, supermarkets, convenience stores), and a growing entertainment infrastructure including cinema multiplexes in Cairo, Alexandria, New Cairo, and Sixth of October City creates structural demand for commercial-grade butterfly popcorn that is not going away.
Egypt also hosts one of the Arab world’s most significant packaged snack food manufacturing sectors. Companies producing branded popcorn, flavoured corn snacks, and ready-to-eat products for domestic consumption and export into GCC markets, Sudan, Libya, and East Africa require consistent, documented kernel supply. Argentine origin Non-GMO butterfly popcorn from a named producer with available COA and phytosanitary documentation is precisely what those manufacturers are looking for in a supply partner.
The Egyptian food processing sector specifically favours August shipment timing because it aligns with Q4 production planning for the Ramadan season, Eid, and the winter entertainment peak when cinema attendance and snack sales in Egypt are at their annual high.
Beyond Egypt: North Africa and the Arab World
The CIF Damietta price of USD 599 per metric ton makes this offer relevant not just for Egyptian buyers but for distributors who import through Egypt and move product into adjacent markets.
Libya sources a significant share of its food manufacturing ingredients through Egyptian suppliers and distributors. Libyan snack manufacturers and wholesale importers regularly source from Egypt and move goods overland through the Libyan border crossing at Sallum.
Sudan has an active snack and confectionery manufacturing sector, and Sudanese buyers increasingly look to Egyptian and UAE-based traders for their ingredient supply, including popcorn kernels, as direct shipping from South America into Port Sudan remains logistically complex.
The GCC markets, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, and Qatar, all have established popcorn consumption cultures driven by cinema culture and modern retail, and UAE and Saudi-based buyers regularly import Argentine popcorn kernels for their domestic manufacturing operations. We can provide CIF quotations to Jebel Ali, Dammam, and other Gulf ports on request.
20 Kg Bag and 25 MT per Container
The 20 kg bag format is the commercial standard for popcorn kernels across food manufacturing, cinema supply, and institutional catering worldwide. It is the right weight for a single operator to handle without mechanical lifting and can be stored in standard food warehouse racking systems.
At 25 metric tons per 20-foot container, this shipment packs efficiently. A single FCL brings 1,250 bags of 20 kg each into Damietta at a total cost of approximately USD 14,975 per container at the quoted CIF price, before Egyptian import duties and local handling. For a food manufacturer running commercial-scale popcorn production, one container typically represents two to four weeks of kernel supply depending on production volume.
Asia & Africa Foodstuff Trading: Two Decades of Dubai Heritage
Get in Touch
For inquiries and booking:
– WhatsApp or Call: +971 55 956 9371
– Email: sales@agro-factory.com
– Head Office: Al Ras Market, Dubai – UAE
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the 40-42 grade mean for popcorn kernel buyers?
The grade number represents how many kernels are present in 100 grams of product. A count of 40-42 indicates medium to large kernel size. Larger kernels generally produce higher expansion ratios and bigger, more impressive popped corn that performs well in cinema and food service presentations. This is the standard commercial specification for premium butterfly popcorn in Egypt and the GCC.
Is Non-GMO certification documented?
Yes. Southern Seeds Production S.A. provides Non-GMO documentation with each shipment. This is available as part of the standard export documentation package and can be used by Egyptian food manufacturers for their own product labelling and regulatory compliance purposes.
Can I import this through a port other than Damietta, such as Alexandria or Sokhna?
The current published price is CIF Damietta. We can provide CIF Alexandria or CIF Sokhna pricing on request, as freight rates to different Egyptian ports vary. Contact us with your preferred port and we will provide a revised quotation.
What is the shelf life of the kernels?
Properly stored dry popcorn kernels have a shelf life of 12 to 24 months from production date. For the August 2026 shipment, the production date and best-before date will be confirmed on the Certificate of Analysis prior to shipment. Kernels should be stored in cool, dry conditions away from moisture to preserve popping performance.
Can you quote for GCC buyers such as Saudi Arabia or UAE?
Yes. We can provide CIF Jebel Ali, CIF Dammam, or CIF Jeddah pricing for buyers in the Gulf.
Are samples available before committing to a full container?
Sample requests can be considered for serious buyers committing to a commercial volume. Contact our team to discuss sample arrangements alongside your provisional booking.
Where is Asia & Africa General Trading located?
Our office is located in Dubai, at Al Shizawi Building – Al Ahmadiya St – Deira – Al Ras(Near Al Ras Metro Station). You can easily find us on Google Maps or contact us directly for any assistance you may need in finding us. We look forward to serving you!
Other Products We Supply for Egypt and North Africa
Egyptian food manufacturers and importers who source popcorn kernels from us can also discuss several other commodity categories we actively supply into Egypt and the North African market.
White chickpeas in 42/44, 44/46, 58/60, and 80/85 count grades are available FOB with CNF additions to Damietta and Sokhna ports. India-origin spices including cumin powder, chilli powder, coriander, and turmeric are available on commercial terms. White refined sugar and Indian-origin lentils are also available to Egyptian buyers.
For Libyan buyers importing through Egypt, our full offer sheet covering pulses, spices, and dairy products CIF Misurata and Benghazi is available separately on our website.