Although we can not determine the exact date of the begining of casing industry in Iran, we can positively say that casing industry has been started in Iran since ancient times.
Almost in 1891, this industry more flourished in Iran with new motives and activities and, despite its temporary stagnation due to first & Second world war, this industry has always had fundamental development.
In 1921, casing industry was continued in a new form and casings were exported abroad, first by Russian specialists and then original casing was exported abroad which was calibrated in the European countries, in order to be used as sausage cover. After some time and in view of very high expenses of the working manpower in Europe, casing calibration has been started in Iran by Iranian workers.
Iranian casing hanks first in Europe from quality & calibration points of view.
For the time being, there are more than 60 casing sorting factories in Iran with the total annual export of about 5,000,000 hanks. The casing exporters united together in 1972 by establishment of Iran Casing Exporters Association and have always enjoyed legal facilities and potentials for development of the business under the cover of the Association.
Iran Casing Exporters Association is managed by a board of directors consisting of 5 members who are selected by general meeting every three years.

We feel strongly that Natural Casings are the sausage makers' Best Choice because:

Today, CASING RECOVERY - most often done in large slaughtering facilities - is both a precise science and an elaborate process. It requires high-level expertise, state-of-the-art machinery, and maximum sanitation and quality control procedures.

As the intrinsic value of the raw material represents a large part of the finished casing product, every inch of tract needs to be utilized. In the slaughterhouse, the viscera of each animal is removed, and the various parts of the intestinal tract are separated. This separation of parts is instrumental in creating a variety of products ranging all the way from pig chitterlings to sheep appendixes for pharmaceutical products.

The casings are prepared for the removal of manure, mucosca (raw material for the anticoagulant "heparin") and any undesirable elements such as fat, threads and animal fluids. This removal, facilitated in a series of both hot and cold water soaks, is accomplished by machine crushing under close "hands-on/eyes-on" scrutiny.

The fully cleaned casings are placed in a saturated salt environment to prepare for further processing. The casings are then sorted into various grades and diameters. The selection process is dictated by such factors as: type of animal, and criteria set by the casing processor and ultimately the sausage producers.

Measuring Casings - After selection, all casings are carefully measured, either by machine or by hand. Regardless of measurement method, both must be accurate since the measured unit becomes the sales pricing criterion.Sheep Casings are prepared in 91-meter (100 yard) hanks or bundles.
Determining Quality - Qualities are determined in several precise and labor-intensive ways.
In sheep, for example, an "A" quality casing is determined during selection, and is defined as a casing with no holes or weakness. This casing can be used for the finest frankfurter emulsion. "B" quality casings are of acceptable strength and quality for coarse ground emulsions such as those used in Pork Sausage.

Test Procedures - The traditional methods for grading and testing Natural Casings are: water testing for Sheep casings.The casings are appropriately filled with water or air and periodically expanded under pressure, to check for size and quality. The casings are then cut to final sizes and quality specifications are confirmed during quality control

Shipping Casings - Casings are prepared and preserved in various forms for shipping to the sausage makers, Some Examples include:

Dry Salt Pack - Excess moisture is removed for semi-dry state. This is usually appropriate for long distance travel and/or prolonged storage at ambient temperatures

Slush or Preflushed Packed - In this convenient form, casings are very soft and flexible and do not require flushing prior to use

Pre-tubed Casings - Each strand is shirred on a tube to allow one-step loading of the casing directly on the sausage filling horn - without the need for flushing - by the processor.

Casings should be stored in a controlled, cool environment. Special care should be taken to avoid excessive heat. A neutral temperature of 4-10 Deg. C (40-50 Deg. F) is ideal.