[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":208},["ShallowReactive",2],{"guides-en-US-green-coffee-importers-vs-direct-trade":3},{"kind":4,"guide":5,"categorySlugs":200},"guide",{"key":6,"slug":6,"category":7,"order":8,"schema":9,"title":10,"seoTitle":11,"description":12,"excerpt":13,"keywords":14,"published":22,"updated":22,"readingMinutes":23,"cover":24,"related":27,"body":50,"faq":113,"products":120,"sources":133,"locale":134,"sourceHash":135,"translated":136,"paths":137,"slugMap":144,"categorySlug":199},"green-coffee-importers-vs-direct-trade","green-coffee",41,"Article","Buying through an importer or direct from origin","Green Coffee: Importer or Direct Trade?","Buying green coffee through an importer or direct from origin: volumes, finance, logistics, quality claims, price and relationships compared.","Direct trade is a relationship with real costs: you take on finance, logistics, customs and quality risk that an importer would otherwise carry. How to decide which coffees to buy which way.",{"primary":15,"secondary":16,"intent":21},"green coffee importer vs direct trade",[17,18,19,20],"direct trade coffee","buying coffee direct from farmers","green coffee importers uk","coffee exporter","informational","2026-10-09",7,{"figure":25,"kicker":26},"Direct?","Green coffee",[28,35,42],{"key":29,"slug":29,"category":7,"title":30,"excerpt":31,"readingMinutes":32,"updated":22,"cover":33},"how-to-buy-green-coffee","How to buy green coffee for a roastery","From the first sample request to the sacks on your floor: where green coffee comes from, how much to buy, how prices are set, and the checks that stop you paying for a disappointing lot.",9,{"figure":34,"kicker":26},"Spot",{"key":36,"slug":36,"category":7,"title":37,"excerpt":38,"readingMinutes":32,"updated":22,"cover":39},"importing-green-coffee-into-the-uk","Importing green coffee into the UK: EORI, customs, duty and documents","Green coffee carries no UK import duty, but it still needs an EORI number, a customs declaration, the right documents and a plan for plant health and organic checks. The process, step by step.",{"figure":40,"kicker":41},"0% duty","Importing",{"key":43,"slug":43,"category":7,"title":44,"excerpt":45,"readingMinutes":46,"updated":22,"cover":47},"green-coffee-contracts-and-incoterms","Green coffee contracts and Incoterms, explained for roasters","A green coffee contract decides the price, the quality you are entitled to, when you pay and where the risk passes to you. The clauses that matter and the Incoterms you will meet.",8,{"figure":48,"kicker":49},"FOB","Contracts",[51,53,55,90,92,94,96,103,105],{"p":52},"Importers do much more than resell sacks. They select and cup lots at origin, pre-finance shipments, book freight, clear customs, store coffee, offer samples and handle quality claims. Buying direct means doing, or paying someone else to do, each of those jobs.",{"h2":54},"What each route involves",{"table":56},{"head":57,"rows":61},[58,59,60],"Job","Through an importer","Direct from origin",[62,66,70,74,78,82,86],[63,64,65],"Finding and cupping lots","Importer's buyers at origin; you choose from offers","You travel, or rely on the exporter's samples",[67,68,69],"Finance","Importer pays the exporter; you pay on delivery or on terms","You pay before shipment or against documents, months before roasting",[71,72,73],"Volume","From one bag","Usually a pallet to a container, unless you share",[75,76,77],"Logistics and customs","Done for you","You appoint a forwarder and customs agent",[79,80,81],"Quality claim","Importer resolves it","You claim against the exporter, often across borders",[83,84,85],"Price per kg","Includes the importer's costs and margin","Lower at origin, but add your own costs",[87,88,89],"Traceability and story","Good with specialty importers","Strongest when you know the producer",{"h2":91},"A middle route: shared containers and origin partners",{"p":93},"Some roasteries buy direct together, sharing a container and an importer of record who handles the import and storage for a fee. Others work with an importer that offers named, traceable lots and passes more of the price to the producer. These give much of the relationship with less of the risk.",{"h2":95},"When direct makes sense",{"ul":97},[98,99,100,101,102],"You need enough of one coffee to fill a meaningful share of a container","You can pay for coffee months before you roast it","You or a trusted partner can cup and approve at origin and on arrival","You have a forwarder and customs agent, and understand [Incoterms](guide:green-coffee-contracts-and-incoterms)","You can carry the loss if a lot arrives below standard",{"h2":104},"Questions to ask any supplier",{"checklist":106,"title":112},[107,108,109,110,111],"Who produced this coffee, and what did they receive for it?","When did it arrive, and how has it been stored?","Can I have a pre-shipment or arrival sample of this exact lot?","What happens if the delivered coffee does not match the approved sample?","What are the payment terms, and what is the price delivered to my door?","Supplier questions",[114,117],{"q":115,"a":116},"Is direct trade coffee cheaper?","The origin price can be lower than an importer's price, but once you add finance, freight, insurance, clearance, storage and the risk of a poor lot, the landed cost is often similar. The benefits are control and relationship.",{"q":118,"a":119},"What is an importer of record?","The party responsible for the customs import declaration and duties. For green coffee into the UK the duty is zero, but the declaration and its responsibilities still apply.",[121,125,129],{"target":122,"label":123,"note":124},"market:importers","Importers on the Roastnet market","Importers list lots and invoice roasters directly.",{"target":126,"label":127,"note":128},"market:origin","Exporters selling to UK roasters","Origin lots through Roastnet as importer.",{"target":130,"label":131,"note":132},"market:buy","Buy green coffee","All lanes in one 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