Imported Coffee Beans: Precautions and Details_Coffee Bean Import Process and Documentation_Imported Coffee Bean Prices

For professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Cafe Style (WeChat public account: cafe_style)

Compared with instant coffee, many drinkers prefer freshly ground, carefully brewed coffee — a single well-made cup can turn an ordinary afternoon into a leisurely one. In recent years, coffee shops have been opening in shopping malls and on street corners everywhere, and their menus — Americano, mocha, Blue Mountain and so on — rely on a steady supply of imported beans from different origins. As demand grows, so does the trade itself, and the paperwork behind it. Below is a practical summary of the key considerations involved in customs declaration and inspection when importing coffee beans.

1. Qualifications You Need Before Importing Coffee Beans

1. Before importing coffee beans, check whether your company holds import and export rights. If it does not, Wanxiang can handle the import on your behalf as an agent.

2. Check whether "food" is covered by your business license, and whether your company has previously held a food circulation license. For most general foods — apart from categories such as red wine, milk, and health supplements — having these two items in order is enough for your company to import food.

3. Consider whether your company has handled similar products before. A first-time food import without prior experience can run into many avoidable problems.

2. Importer and Exporter Filing for Imported Coffee Beans

Since October 1, 2012, the country has operated the Filing Management System for Import Food Importers and Exporters, an internet-based platform through which importers and exporters can submit their filing information and complete filing procedures online. What actually affects customs clearance, however, is the filing system for overseas exporters or agents of imported food. Once that filing is completed, be sure to record the filing number and the query number — both will be required when you declare the goods and apply for inspection at clearance.

3. Inspection and Required Documents for Imported Coffee Beans

Imported coffee beans fall into two categories: raw (green) beans and roasted beans. Raw beans are subject to regional restrictions under commodity inspection — not every origin is eligible for import. Before purchasing green beans, therefore, you should first check the national regulations to confirm that the origin in question may be imported. If it cannot, the shipment will have no choice but to be returned or destroyed on arrival.

4. Customs Declaration and Required Documents for Imported Coffee Beans

Customs declaration itself is relatively straightforward for food imports: once you have confirmed the HS code and the product, checked the customs supervision conditions, and assembled a complete document set, you can declare. The genuinely difficult part of importing coffee beans lies in commodity inspection, not customs.

5. Labeling in the Commodity Inspection Warehouse

After customs release, the goods can be picked up directly from the customs-supervised warehouse and then go through animal and plant inspection, at the address given on the inspection receipt, with food inspection checked. On arrival at the destination, commodity inspection officers will check the current labels. If the labels are correct, they will ask the driver to take samples and issue a sampling receipt stating exactly how much was taken, after which labeling is required. Once labeling is finished, the goods can be collected and taken away.

6. Health Certificates for Imported Coffee Beans

Every food item requires a health certificate, and goods without one cannot be sold. Until the certificate is issued, therefore, keep the goods in your own warehouse and do not put them into use. Otherwise, should the health certificate fail, there will be no way to recall everything already distributed. When a health certificate does fail, only two options remain: return or destruction. Before importing, then, it pays to understand China's applicable standards thoroughly.

The overall customs declaration and inspection process for imported coffee beans is broadly similar to that for other agency-imported foods, the slight difference being that coffee-type foods must undergo quality inspection by the relevant authoritative departments.

END FrontStreet Coffee: A roastery in Guangzhou with a small shop but diverse bean varieties, where you can find various famous and lesser-known beans, while also providing online store services. https://shop104210103.taobao.com

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation: Certified Jamaica Blue Mountain No.1, Imported the Right Way

Reading about import procedures is one thing; tasting beans that cleared them properly is another. The FrontStreet Coffee Jamaica Blue Mountain No.1 comes from the historic Clifton Estate, which has been growing coffee since around 1750 at roughly 4,300 feet (about 1,310 meters), and arrives with complete origin certificates and the traditional wooden barrels — packed in 15, 45, and 70 kg sizes — that are themselves a hallmark of authentic Blue Mountain. Roasted medium-dark within five days of shipping, it shows cream, caramel, dark chocolate, and nuts with a soft, lingering sweetness. For pour-over, FrontStreet Coffee suggests a 1:15 ratio, 87-88°C water, a grind slightly coarser than for light roasts (about white sugar), and rest the beans 4-7 days from the roast date for the fullest flavor.