A caper is a flower bud picked before it opens. The younger the bud, the smaller, firmer and more aromatic it is — and the longer it takes to hand-pick a kilogram. That single fact explains almost everything about caper grading: size is not cosmetic, it drives flavour, texture, price and use.
The six calibres
The trade grades capers by diameter, and the scale is international:
| Calibre | Diameter |
|---|---|
| Nonpareil | up to 7 mm |
| Surfines | 7 – 8 mm |
| Capucines | 8 – 9 mm |
| Capotes | 9 – 11 mm |
| Fines | 11 – 13 mm |
| Grusas | 14 mm and above |
Food service buyers, especially in English-speaking markets, often call the smallest grade Lilliput. It is a commercial name, not a separate calibre: it maps to Nonpareil. If a supplier quotes you Lilliput, ask for the millimetre range — that is the language every packing line speaks.
Why the smallest cost more
Nonpareil buds are picked first, one by one, before the plant has put its energy into growth. A picker fills a crate far more slowly with 6 mm buds than with 12 mm ones, and sorting to a tight tolerance rejects more fruit. Smaller also means firmer bite and a more concentrated flavour, which is why fine retail and gastronomy specify Nonpareil and Surfines almost exclusively.
Larger calibres are not lesser products — they are different tools. Capotes and Fines hold their shape in cooking and slicing, which suits sauce manufacturers and pizza lines. Grusas deliver caper flavour at the lowest cost per kilogram, which is what an industrial tapenade or dressing line needs.
Matching calibre to use
- Nonpareil / Surfines — premium retail jars, garnish, smoked fish service, gastronomy.
- Capucines / Capotes — retail mid-range, pizza and salad lines, chopped preparations.
- Fines / Grusas — sauces, tapenades, industrial ingredient use where the caper is blended.
The preservation method crosses all sizes: our capers ship in brine, in dry salt or in vinegar, and the choice affects your line more than the calibre does — brine is ready to use, dry salt travels without liquid weight and needs desalting.
How to specify a calibre order
Give three numbers: the millimetre range, the tolerance you accept outside it, and the drained weight per pack. Our full calibre guide with visual scale is on the products page, and every calibre is available across the packaging range, from glass jars to 250L drums.
Tell us your target market and we will recommend the grade — or send us the specification you already buy against, and we will match it.