Initialising experience_
How coffee actually gets from an Ethiopian washing station to your warehouse: the Incoterms we trade on, the ports we use, the documents that travel with every consignment, and the timelines you can plan against.
We quote most commonly on FOB Djibouti and CIF destination port.
Under FOB, our responsibility ends once the goods are loaded at the port of shipment; freight and insurance from that point are yours to arrange. Buyers with their own freight forwarders usually prefer this.
Under CIF, we arrange and pay for carriage and insurance to your named destination port. It is simpler if you would rather not manage freight, and the quoted price covers everything up to arrival.
Ex-Works and CFR can be arranged on request. Whichever we agree is stated explicitly on the pro-forma invoice — never assumed.
Ethiopia is landlocked, so almost all export moves overland to Djibouti, which handles the overwhelming majority of the country's sea freight. From Djibouti there are regular sailings to Europe, the Gulf, South and East Asia, and onward to North America.
We ship to buyers across the United Kingdom, the European Union, the Middle East and Asia. If you are importing somewhere we have not shipped to before, say so early — it is almost always workable, but the documentation lead time can differ.
Green coffee is normally shipped in 60kg or 30kg jute bags, palletised or loose-loaded depending on your handling.
A 20ft container typically carries around 18 to 19.2 tonnes of green coffee. A 40ft container is rarely used for coffee, as weight limits bind long before volume does.
Less-than-container-load is available for smaller purchases and for buyers testing a new origin, though the per-kilo cost is higher. GrainPro or equivalent moisture-barrier liners are available and recommended for long transits or humid destinations.
From confirmed order — approved samples and received deposit — to port of loading is typically three to six weeks, covering final milling, grading, export documentation and inland transport to Djibouti.
Ocean transit then depends on destination: roughly three to four weeks to Northern European ports, two to three to the Gulf, four to six to East Asia and North America.
These are realistic estimates, not guarantees. Customs clearance, vessel schedules and port congestion sit outside our control, and we would rather quote honestly than optimistically.
Every shipment is accompanied by a commercial invoice and packing list, a bill of lading, a certificate of origin, a phytosanitary certificate issued by the Ethiopian authorities, and quality and weight certificates.
Where your destination requires more — health certificates, fumigation certificates, specific import permits — tell us at the quotation stage so it is built into the timeline rather than discovered at the port.
Under CIF terms, cargo insurance is included and the policy details are shared with you. Under FOB, insurance is yours from the moment of loading.
Risk passes to the buyer when goods are dispatched, as set out in our Terms of Service. If a consignment arrives damaged or off-specification, contact us immediately with photographs and the survey report — claims are far easier to resolve while the container is still at the port.
Five quick questions. We match your answers against what is actually in stock and tell you why each lot fits.
No account, no email. Takes about a minute.