Buyer Questions, Answered
Ethiopian Coffee Export FAQ
This FAQ answers the questions Speciality Arabica's export desk receives most from roasters and importers: how sampling works, minimum order volumes, how prices are quoted, what Q-grading means, shipping times from Djibouti, which documents accompany every container, EUDR and certification support, and accepted payment terms.
Samples & Ordering
How do I request green coffee samples?
Use any enquiry form on this site or email info@arabica-coffee-ethiopia.com with your target profile (region, process, score band) and volume. We send 200–350g offer samples from current-crop lots by courier, usually within a week, with the lot sheet and Q-grade certificate attached.
Are samples free?
Offer samples are free for genuine wholesale buyers; we ask you to cover courier costs on first contact. Once a contract is in place, pre-shipment samples of your actual parcel are always free and shipment waits for your written approval of them.
Can I order less than a full container?
Yes. Volumes start at pallet-scale micro-lots of roughly 125 kg (about two vertical bags), suited to single-shop roasters. Full 20-foot containers carry 320 bags — about 19,200 kg. Between the two, part-container volumes can often be consolidated with other buyers headed to the same port.
How far in advance should I book fresh-crop coffee?
The main Ethiopian harvest runs roughly October to January. Serious fresh-crop selections are contracted from December through March; by mid-year the best station lots are gone. Working backwards: coffee contracted in January is typically at a European roastery from late spring.
Pricing & Payment
How are your prices quoted?
Fixed outright prices in USD per kg or per lb, on an FOB Djibouti basis by default, with CIF quotes to your named port on request. Offers state the crop year, Q score, available bags, and validity period. We do not quote off recycled prior-season scores.
What payment terms do you accept?
Wire transfer (T/T) and irrevocable letter of credit (L/C) for larger contracts. Typical structure for new relationships is a deposit against contract with balance against shipping documents; established buyers move to documents-against-payment terms.
Do prices follow the New York C futures market?
Specialty station lots are sold at outright fixed prices reflecting cup quality and traceability rather than at differentials to the C price. The futures market still influences the overall level season to season, but an 87-point Gedeb lot does not reprice with every tick of the exchange.
Quality & Traceability
What does the Q score on your offers mean?
It is the lot’s score on the SCA 100-point scale, cupped by a licensed Q grader from the current harvest. Lots scoring 80+ qualify as specialty; our export range is 80+ with most station lots between 84 and 88. The certificate PDF accompanies every offer.
Q-grading explained →What varietals are in your lots?
Southern Ethiopian station lots are typically a mix of JARC selections 74110 and 74112 with farmer-named landraces such as Kurume, Dega, and Wolisho. Where washing-station records document tree stock, that information ships with the lot; where they don’t, the sheet honestly says mixed garden stock.
Varietals guide →How do you control moisture in transit?
Lots are milled to 9–12% moisture, packed in GrainPro-lined jute, loaded into inspected containers lined with kraft paper, and the stuffing moisture reading is recorded on the lot documents. The Djibouti corridor’s altitude drop makes this discipline non-negotiable.
The Djibouti corridor →What happens if arrival quality doesn’t match the sample?
Every contract includes a written quality-claim window and process. Counter-samples of every shipped lot are retained in Addis Ababa, so a dispute is settled by cupping the retained sample against your arrival sample — objectively, not by negotiation leverage.
Shipping & Documents
How long does shipping take to my port?
From Djibouti: Gulf ports 5–14 days, Mediterranean 12–18, North Europe 18–25, East Asia 18–28, US and Australia 25–35. Add roughly two to three weeks before sailing for milling, pre-shipment sample approval, trucking, and port handling.
Which documents come with every container?
Commercial invoice, packing list, certificate of origin, ICO certificate of origin, phytosanitary certificate, weight note, quality/grade certificate, and bill of lading — with drafts shared for your approval before the vessel sails so nothing holds the container at destination.
Do I need an import licence to buy green coffee?
In most destinations, no licence is required to import green coffee, but food-authority filings are: FDA Prior Notice and FSVP in the US, PAFN inspection in Kuwait, MFDS declaration in South Korea, TFDA registration in Taiwan, and so on. Each of our market guides covers the exact sequence with your customs broker’s role.
Market-by-market import guides →Compliance & Certifications
Can you supply EUDR-compliant coffee for the EU?
Yes. Our EU-bound direct-channel lots ship with plot-level geolocation data in GeoJSON format, washing-station reception records, and the legality paper trail your operator needs to file the due diligence statement. Ask for a sample EUDR data pack with your offer sheet.
EUDR dossier walkthrough →Which certifications are available?
Organic (EU and USDA NOP) is available on selected lots; halal-friendly handling is standard for Gulf shipments. Which credential you actually need depends on your market — our certification guide maps requirements by destination rather than listing badges.
Certifications by market →Is your coffee halal?
Green coffee is inherently halal as a plant product; what Gulf buyers typically require is halal-friendly handling and documentation through the chain, which is standard on our UAE, Saudi, Qatar, and Kuwait shipments, with bilingual Arabic-English document sets available.
Who is Speciality Arabica?
An Addis Ababa-based exporter of single-origin Ethiopian arabica, sourcing through the direct/vertical channel from washing stations across Yirgacheffe, Sidama, Guji, and Harrar, and shipping Q-graded, fully documented lots to roasters and importers in ten-plus markets worldwide.
Question not covered here? Browse the insights library or ask the export desk directly below — real answers from Addis Ababa, not a chatbot.
Request Samples or an Offer Sheet
Tell us your target profile and volume — our Addis Ababa export desk replies within 24–48 hours with current lots, Q-grade certificates, and FOB/CIF pricing.