# Importing beans...



## Phil

Hi, does anyone have any clues about finding estates to import coffee beans from, to the UK?


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## Glenn

Hi Phil

Assume you are looking for estates which have no representation in the UK?

A number of UK roasters have direct trade agreements but have usually been to origin or have been introduced through their buyers.

Do you have any ideas of quantities and region at this stage?


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## Phil

Hi, not sure yet - wondering if worth importing or buying beans from wholesaler in the uk so wanted to compare quality/cost..


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## coffee2u

Phil said:


> Hi, not sure yet - wondering if worth importing or buying beans from wholesaler in the uk so wanted to compare quality/cost..


Are you thinking of creating a private label brand ? - that would be cool if you are, there is a company in the USA that does that, then smaller wholesalers/distributors pay to rebrand with their own labels - I want my own brand of coffee beans to sell too!









Zara's Coffee Venues medium roast...


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## Glenn

Zara, there are a number of roasters willing to whitelabel their coffees. At the end of the day, as long as they sell they may not mind too much about what name is on the label (as long as it is not offensive)

Many cafes do this in conjunction with their roaster, packaging up the blend they sell.


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## Phil

I would like to roast myself really, but that depends if I can get coffee from roaster which is excellent quality and priced reasonably then to start with would want to purchase from these companies..

Does anyone have any recommendations, or people to speak to about it?

Cheers


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## coffee2u

Glenn said:


> Zara, there are a number of roasters willing to whitelabel their coffees. At the end of the day, as long as they sell they may not mind too much about what name is on the label (as long as it is not offensive)
> 
> Many cafes do this in conjunction with their roaster, packaging up the blend they sell.


Ahh interesting, I will have to look into that then, I 've heard of it done with cosmetics/soap/bubblebath etc. didn't realize that option had got here yet


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## coffee2u

Phil said:


> I would like to roast myself really, but that depends if I can get coffee from roaster which is excellent quality and priced reasonably then to start with would want to purchase from these companies..
> 
> Does anyone have any recommendations, or people to speak to about it?
> 
> Cheers


I 'd just pop an e-mail to a person that does imports myself - tell them you are interested in importing coffee and you'd heard from someone in your business network that they were the person/company to talk to about it for example if I personally wanted to know I'd probably drop these people an e-mail:

http://www.wogancoffee.co.uk/

Why ? - they are a Bristol based company that I saw advertising a job for a coffee sales person in connection with their import business - and I thought - that sounds like quite an interesting job and it's just up the road from me in Bristol - so I took a look around their website, and testimonials etc which include a cafe in Bristol http://www.cafe-dujour.co.uk/

Their website was basic but it supplied all the information I needed to remember them and what they do - should anyone be looking for a service or job like that.

So that would be my answer - ask a small business person that does a similar thing already - they can either offer some useful advice or not, either way you will know one coffee bean importer more to recommend to others or not.

Let me know how you get on, if you speak with them as I'll know if to keep them on my website then too


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## coffee2u

Glenn said:


> Zara, there are a number of roasters willing to whitelabel their coffees. At the end of the day, as long as they sell they may not mind too much about what name is on the label (as long as it is not offensive)
> 
> Many cafes do this in conjunction with their roaster, packaging up the blend they sell.


Hi Glen, I'm having trouble finding any information on white labelled coffee - or rather I've found one (karas coffee) I'd have to buy 10 cases of it at £360 - which is way too expensive - do you have any recommendations of where to look / who to talk to ? Maybe they don't call it white label or private label









Update: - I will probably buy from the States until the UK catches up. Boo!


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## Glenn

Hi Zara

Will drop a few recommendations into your PM box

Regards

Glenn


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## coffee2u

cheers I got them, I also found a load of others shortly after having my hissy fit, always the way 

I'm just working on a label now, my idea is really just to test out some own brand ideas, maybe sell some via eBay to locals - I thought about making the first brand a 'local' one "Weston-super-Mocha" after our brown sea down here!


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## coffee2u

I have two images and I can't decide which to use - this is just a first draft but what do you think ? - the title "weston-super-mocha" - is a pun on the name of the town - Weston-super-Mare / and the "brown colored" sea (mud deposits from the nearby Bristol channel)

The lady with the parasol - is looking at things from a Victorian/Edwardian angle when towns like Weston were built for the rich to bath in the mud, retreat from the cities.

The coffee cup is a direct connection mocha = coffee.


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## denzil

Phil said:


> Hi, does anyone have any clues about finding estates to import coffee beans from, to the UK?


Hi Phil

I am a coffee grower in India. If you are interested please do let me know. We can discuss this in detail.

Thanks

Denzil


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## Gags

hi phil,

i know this reply is coming from me after 2 yrs!! mainly because i saw it today!!! well..if ur still interested in finding coffee estates..please do let me know..because my family owns coffee plantations back in india which gets exported to other countries in Europe.


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## coffeebean

Hi Gags

What sort of coffee do they grow? I may be interested in importing some too!

cheers

Andy


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## Mr8ean

I am currently living in Antigua, Guatemala and am trying to form better relationships with some of the coffee fincas here.

If you're still interested I could act as a middle man for you as it would help me i.e. give me some leverage as I'll be looking to buy rather than pitching for a future idea.

drop me a PM if you're still interested (or anyone else). I'll do what I can to help.


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## dukestaar

i do,i came from malawi and our coffee is one of the best in africa,unfortunately malawi is still undeveloped thats why most people havent heard of it.it smooth,taste nice and has a wonderful smell.i join the forum to see if i can find people willing to buy it if i bring here in UK.I can even bring u samples u u wanna try it before making an order.if interested or knows anyone who might be interested buying it u can email me my addresss is [email protected].u can research about malawi coffee or read this link for yourself

http://www.mzuzucoffee.org/index.php/7-main/36-mzuzu-tops-list-in-japan


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## dukestaar

i do,i came from malawi and our coffee is one of the best in africa,unfortunately malawi is still undeveloped thats why most people havent heard of it.it smooth,taste nice and has a wonderful smell.i join the forum to see if i can find people willing to buy it if i bring here in UK.I can even bring u samples u u wanna try it before making an order.if interested or knows anyone who might be interested buying it u can email me my addresss is [email protected].u can research about malawi coffee or read this link for yourself

http://www.mzuzucoffee.org/index.php/7-main/36-mzuzu-tops-list-in-japan


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## dukestaar

i can get u cheap coffee from malawi,its one of the best u can do yr own research or i can give you samples to try them out,plus malawi kwacha has just been devalued by 47.9% last week which makes it a desirable country to import goods from.the GB pound has gone up from 270 to 430kwacha.if interested email me [email protected]


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## newagecoffee

Gags said:


> hi phil,
> 
> i know this reply is coming from me after 2 yrs!! mainly because i saw it today!!! well..if ur still interested in finding coffee estates..please do let me know..because my family owns coffee plantations back in india which gets exported to other countries in Europe.


I would be interested as I am setting up a new firm to supply to high end retailers, however we are still finalizing who our supplier will be. If this interests you please contact me at [email protected]


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## dominicrienz

dear sir,

sorry for late to give inform, cause i just read the post.

when you still need estate i can give reference in Bali Island, Indonesia. and the variety of the coffee bean is arabica & robusta.


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## doudou

Help please,

I would like to start a business selling coffee online. I will be importing green coffee from Africa and I am looking for roasters and packaging companies that can help me with the roasting&Packaging. Any suggestions, please, of good and competitive companies?Thank you in advance for your help.


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## Ben.s

Phil said:


> I would like to roast myself really, but that depends if I can get coffee from roaster which is excellent quality and priced reasonably then to start with would want to purchase from these companies..
> 
> Does anyone have any recommendations, or people to speak to about it?
> 
> Cheers


Hi,

my name is Ben. I am originally from Uganda and I am also interested in importing Ugandan coffee. It is very good quality coffee accepted world wide. If you're interested we can work something out and get some samples in to test for quality, who knows, it could kick start something good.

please don't hesitate to cantact me for any questions. My email is [email protected]

Cheers.


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## froggystyle

Ben.s said:


> Hi,
> 
> my name is Ben. I am originally from Uganda and I am also interested in importing Ugandan coffee. It is very good quality coffee accepted world wide. If you're interested we can work something out and get some samples in to test for quality, who knows, it could kick start something good.
> 
> please don't hesitate to cantact me for any questions. My email is [email protected]
> 
> Cheers.


Robusta beans??


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## Ben.s

Phil said:


> I would like to roast myself really, but that depends if I can get coffee from roaster which is excellent quality and priced reasonably then to start with would want to purchase from these companies..
> 
> Does anyone have any recommendations, or people to speak to about it?
> 
> Cheers





coffee2u said:


> Hi Glen, I'm having trouble finding any information on white labelled coffee - or rather I've found one (karas coffee) I'd have to buy 10 cases of it at £360 - which is way too expensive - do you have any recommendations of where to look / who to talk to ? Maybe they don't call it white label or private label
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Update: - I will probably buy from the States until the UK catches up. Boo!


If you want to try African coffee, I am also interested in entering the coffee importing business. I can get good coffee from East Africa where I am originally from. I am currently looking for people I can supply. My email is [email protected]. I am based in the North East of England at the moment.

cheers.


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## Ben.s

froggystyle said:


> Robusta beans??


Yes,

Good quality Robusta grown around and near the shores of lake victoria.


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## froggystyle

Good luck.


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## Ben.s

Hi Andy,

Both Robustas and Arabicas are grown in Uganda and I can get you the quantities you want.

Cheers


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## Ben.s

Do you wish to get a sample?


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## Ben.s

Hi Froggystyle,

Do you wish to get a sample?


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## froggystyle

Ill pass thanks.


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## Drewster

Glenn

Could you do me a favour mate?

Could you change the title of this thread......

... to Lazarus!


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## HENDRYBERG

Quite an interesting thread.... In more ways than one









I have been searching for a way of buying reasonable priced coffee beans that I can roast and sell on as my own brand... White labelled, a term I learnt on here after a few mins









Has anyone on here had any success?

I'm not imaging I'm going to make millions. I think itd be a good wee hobby. A laugh for me and my business partner selling funny named coffee to the tourists


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## aaronb

HENDRYBERG said:


> Quite an interesting thread.... In more ways than one
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I have been searching for a way of buying reasonable priced coffee beans that I can roast and sell on as my own brand... White labelled, a term I learnt on here after a few mins
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Has anyone on here had any success?
> 
> I'm not imaging I'm going to make millions. I think itd be a good wee hobby. A laugh for me and my business partner selling funny named coffee to the tourists


Why not buy good quality from one of the UK importers and sell that on, rather than burdening yourself with the importing and ending up with a much lower quality product?

Why bother roasting at all if you just care about cheap beans and not quality, plenty of awful roasters in the UK who's beans you could buy then shift on.

White Label would mean you buying some other roasters beans and selling them under your brand. If you are roasting then it wouldn't really be white label.


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## HENDRYBERG

aaronb said:


> Why not buy good quality from one of the UK importers and sell that on, rather than burdening yourself with the importing and ending up with a much lower quality product?
> 
> Why bother roasting at all if you just care about cheap beans and not quality, plenty of awful roasters in the UK who's beans you could buy then shift on.
> 
> White Label would mean you buying some other roasters beans and selling them under your brand. If you are roasting then it wouldn't really be white label.


Well it would be nice to have a semi decent product. At no point did I say I wanted cheap beans and didnt care about product.

Was just hoping for some recommendations and advice.


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## aaronb

HENDRYBERG said:


> Well it would be nice to have a semi decent product. At no point did I say I wanted cheap beans and didnt care about product.
> 
> Was just hoping for some recommendations and advice.


I don't really know what advice can be given if you haven't done any research?

Personally I feel there are far too many roasters popping up these past 5 years or so, and most are bad at what they do, but they seem to succeed!

Do you know how to roast? If not then Google "Roasting courses".

Do you have a roaster? If not what roaster are you considering? What kind of size batches are you intending to roast? That question decides if you can get by with a sample roaster or need something bigger.

You can get green beans of varying quality from anywhere, ebay is flooded with bad ones, better ones can be had from places like falcon specialty, mercanta, cafe imports, drw....

Or have a look at the home roasters forum to see where forum members are getting their green beans from in smaller amounts.


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## Arek

Hey guys I am happy that threads like these are still alive.

I am starting a new roastery lately so if you are a producer or importer please feel free to send me your offer via PM. Take care


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## AssuredPatsy

I just created a post about this but I am bringing in coffee from India. The farm belongs to my friend's family and they have never tried to export before. It will be a sample amount first to test the quality, with 18 tonnes to follow if everything is ok. I'm told its very good quality arabica beans but I don't trust anything until I see/taste it for myself. If anyone here is interested please let me know. I was looking into getting it onto some sort of taste testing panel, but if people here want to roast and taste test it themselves then it might work out better.


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## Tsangpa

Try Small Batch Roasting. They're UK based and very competitively priced https://www.smallbatchroasting.co.uk/contract-roasting



Matt07 said:


> Hi,Do yuhav a website adtessfor Karas Coffee? 'maso ntersted i imporin coffee - I'm Edinburgh based and thn issing out he mide mn would help plus allow me sell own brand to customers.


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## MildredM

Matt07 said:


> Hi,Do yuhav a website adtessfor Karas Coffee? 'maso ntersted i imporin coffee - I'm Edinburgh based and thn issing out he mide mn would help plus allow me sell own brand to customers.


Pardon?


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## Batseba

Hi Phil,

I am a marketing agent for a coffee exporter in Ethiopia. We are currently exporting organic green beans all over the world, certified and compliant to Sustainability Standards and Good Agricultural Practices. I would love to discuss further if you are interested.


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## MildredM

Hey @Batseba it is not a good idea to share an email address publicly . . . maybe get in touch with forum owner, @Glenn to discuss further.


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## Glenn

Please contact me to discuss marketing opportunities


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## Glockers

HI

I would also be interesting in buying coffee that i could white label. Please can you recommend?

Thanks

Liam


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## Gabriela

Hi! I have a wide list of suppliers in Central America interested in exporting their coffee to London, UK. I am looking for some advice as to how this process works? I would like to set up a small business where I import it and re-sell it to local roasters or coffeeshops. Any help is much appreciated! Thank you!


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