3 Questions to Consider Before Importing Green Beans Coffee For Your Business

Coffee is like a daily go-to beverage for most people, from coffee aficionados to occasional coffee drinkers. There’s no doubt that green coffee beans have become the sought-after commodities in global trade. But, let us tell you a secret as a coffee supplier: Importing green beans coffee by container isn’t an easy task to accomplish. 

Lots of factors need to be taken into account every time you import green beans coffee, due to the fact that green beans coffee is a sensitive commodity and importing green beans coffee is costly. External factors like excessive moisture, light contamination, and extreme temperature changes can easily tamper the quality of green beans coffee. 

If you don’t expect your green coffee beans to lose its unique flavor notes and aroma profile caused by improper packing and shipping processes, here are some questions that should be considered before placing your order.

What’s to Consider During Green Beans Coffee Shipping?

If you’re a new player in the coffee industry, it’s highly recommended to partner with a coffee supplier that specializes in export-import compliances like us. This coffee supplier works closely with you to clear all the country-specific procedures, local regulations, and other logistics requirements. 

Most of the expensive mistakes when importing green coffee beans take place in the shipping process. Oftentimes, green coffee beans lose its unique flavor notes and aroma profile caused by excessive moisture levels and humidity while the container stays in the transit point. 

Based on a well-known agronomist, the moisture level required for green beans coffee ranges between 11% to 14%. Above that, green coffee beans are susceptible to mold formation and pest contamination. Other than that, green coffee beans need to be exported under 60% humidity, or the moisture content in the green coffee beans will be impacted. 

On the flip side, even when the moisture level and humidity are maintained at its ideal rate, temperature fluctuations are highly possible to severely impact the quality of green coffee beans. That’s why you need to consider the seasons when arranging a quotation with your coffee supplier when purchasing green beans coffee in bulk. Extreme temperature change causes condensation within the coffee packaging, which increases the moisture content in the green beans coffee. When this happens, green coffee beans’ quality deteriorates by losing its tasting notes and aroma profile. 

Recommended article: A Guide to Check Damaged Coffee Beans

What’s the Best Way to Ship Coffee?

When it comes to deciding your freight partners, it’s wise to discuss the volume exported, the types of coffee beans, and the shipping budget with your coffee supplier. There are 2 common ways of coffee shipping offered by coffee suppliers; air freight and sea freight.

Air shipment mostly goes for roasted coffee because it tends to lose its potential taste quicker than unroasted coffee or green coffee beans. For this reason, roasted coffee needs a quicker shipping time. Most coffee suppliers choose air freight when exporting roasted coffee in a small quantity. It’s because the pricing rate of air shipment costs 4 to 6 times higher than sea freight. 

On the other hand, green coffee beans won’t lose its potency for months, and most coffee suppliers dispatch green beans coffee in high volumes. That’s why green coffee beans don’t need fast-shipping but cost-effective shipping like sea freight. For this reason, sea freight has become most coffee suppliers’ choice because it costs cheaper than air freight. When shipping green coffee beans by container, the estimated time takes 30 to 45 days before the container arrives at the destination country. 

Last but not least, it’s worth considering filling your container to be entirely loaded. When a container is entirely loaded, the temperature inside the container is able to circulate evenly, compared to a half-loaded container. This way, the temperature inside is more stable, and the green coffee beans’ quality won’t be impacted. 

How’s the Green Beans Coffee Packaged for Export?

To avoid undesirable damages during the shipping process, investing in high-quality packaging is highly recommended. High-quality packaging offers more than protection, but a good impact on the environment as well. When talking about high-quality packaging for coffee shipping by container, most coffee suppliers’ choices turn to reusable packagings, like hermetic bags and jute bags. 

Hermetic bags like Grainpro bags are mostly utilized for dry agricultural commodities. It’s a water-resistant and gas-tight packaging option for green beans coffee. For this reason, Grainpro bags are able to protect the green beans coffee from excessive moisture and provide insect control without harmful substances. 

To give double protection, coffee suppliers utilize jute bags. It’s made of all-natural fiber, which makes the jute bags don’t tear easily because of its flexibility. Unlike the Grainpro bags, jute bags don’t protect the green beans coffee from moisture. That’s why it’s merely utilized as the outer layer for the Grainpro bags. 

Indonesian Green Beans Coffee Supplier

Wallacea Coffee is a brand that’s directly managed by one of the most reputable Indonesian coffee exporters, PT. Jaffarindo International Indonesia. We’re a direct-trade coffee supplier that has held proven results for decades in exporting green beans coffee to countless businesses across the globe. As a direct-trade coffee supplier, we provide a diverse range of locally-sourced Indonesian green beans coffee. 

We are your dependable source of Gayo Sumatra, Lintong Sumatra, Mandheling Sumatra, Ijen Mountain arabica, and Java Estate robusta green beans coffee. Our green coffee beans are certified with COO (Certificate of Origin), COA (Certificate of Analysis), ICO (International Coffee Organization), and phytosanitary certificate to ensure the authenticity of our green beans coffee. 

Get the opportunity to independently import green beans coffee directly from Indonesia with a reliable coffee supplier like us. We simplified our supply chain by cutting out any form of middlemen, bridging the green beans coffee purchase only between you and our farmers. Set up your green beans coffee in bulk purchase today through our BYOC (Build Your Own Container) system, or reach us at [email protected] for further assistance regarding our coffee products.