The Definitive Guide to How to Buy Green Coffee Beans Direct from the Source

In our last guide, we made the strategic case for sourcing wholesale green coffee beans. We established that for any scaling roastery, moving to full-container-load (FCL) purchasing is not just an option; it is an economic and quality imperative. You have accepted the “why.” Now, you must master the “how.”

This is the playbook.

The action to buy green coffee beans is the final, executional phase of your entire sourcing strategy. It’s the moment you move from vetting, sampling, and analysis to contractual commitment, financial risk, and logistical management. This is where the “rubber meets the road”—where you pull the trigger on a $100,000+ investment that will define your inventory, your cash flow, and your brand’s quality for the next quarter.

As a sourcing consultant, I’ve seen this final step paralyze even the most ambitious roasters. It’s a world of new terminology: FOB, PTBF, CAD, Bill of Lading.

This guide is your step-by-step executional plan. We will deconstruct the two primary purchasing models, provide a final “pre-flight” checklist before you sign, and then walk you, step-by-step, through the entire FCL purchasing process, from the initial contract to the container’s arrival at your roastery door.

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The Two Paths to Buy Green Coffee Beans: A Strategic Choice

Before you execute, you must commit to one of two purchasing models. This choice will define your cost, your risk, and your entire supply chain.

Path 1: The Local “Spot” Market (The “Convenience” Model)

This is the default for most new roasters. You buy from a local importer’s warehouse in your own country.

• How it Works: You look at the importer’s offer list, buy 1-5 bags at a time, and they are delivered to you in a few days.
• The Pros:
  • Low MOQ: You can buy a single 60kg bag.
  • Fast Delivery: You can have coffee tomorrow.
  • Low Risk: The financial outlay is small, and the logistics are simple.
• The Cons (The “Spot Market Trap”):
  • Crippling Cost: As we’ve detailed, you are paying for 2-3 layers of markups (exporter, freight, import duties, warehousing, importer’s 30-50% margin). Your green coffee price is often 2x to 3x higher than the origin FOB price.
  • Zero Traceability: The coffee is almost always a blend of multiple farms, regions, and even harvest dates.
  • Limited Selection: You are limited to whatever that importer chose to stock 6 months ago.

Path 2: The Direct “Wholesale” Model (The “Strategic” Model)

This is the professional model. You buy green coffee beans in FCL (Full Container Load) volume, directly from an origin-based exporter and manufacturer.

• How it Works: You partner with a company like Halio Coffee Co., Ltd, a “Viet Nam Coffee Exporter” physically located in the coffee lands of Dak Lak. You negotiate an FOB (Free On Board) price for a full 19.2-ton container.
• The Pros:
  • Margin Control: You are negotiating the true FOB price, eliminating all intermediary markups. This is the single most powerful way to control your margins.
  • Full Traceability: You are buying a specific lot. You can buy an Arabica S18 Fully Washed | Specialty | Lam Dong Origin or a Vietnam Robusta Honey Processed Coffee, and you have a direct, traceable line to that specific process and terroir.
  • Total Customization: You can work with the producer to commission custom lots or secure the best micro-lots before they ever hit the “spot market.”
• The Cons:
  • High MOQ: Your minimum order is now one 19.2-ton container.
  • Logistical Management: You are now the importer. You must manage the freight, insurance, and customs.
  • Financial Risk: You are managing a much larger financial commitment over a 60-90 day period.

The Consultant’s Verdict: Path 1 (Spot) is where you start. Path 2 (Wholesale) is how you scale. This guide is your playbook for Path 2.

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The Pre-Purchase Gauntlet: A 3-Step Final Vetting Checklist

Before you sign a $100,000 contract, you must complete this final, non-negotiable checklist. When you buy green coffee beans, you are not buying the sample; you are buying a promise that the container will match the sample. Your job is to verify the partner making that promise.

Step 1: The Pre-Shipment Sample (PSS) Approval

This is the “handshake.” You must approve a 1-2kg sample of the exact lot you intend to buy.

• Physical Exam: Get your moisture meter. Does it match the spec sheet (Moisture: max 12.5%)? Is it stable (between 10.0-12.5%)? Spread it on a mat. Does the defect count match the Grade 1 spec (Black beans: max 0.1%, Broken beans: max 0.5%)?
• Sensory Exam (Cupping): This is the ultimate test. Does the coffee taste like its description?
  • Does the Arabica Son La Full Washed actually have that “bright, crisp acidity with notes of citrus zest, green tea, and sugarcane”?
  • Does the Robusta Natural (Grade 1) have the “rich body, dried fruits, raisins, and cocoa” notes?
  • Critical: If the cupping is flat, papery, or tainted (musty, phenolic), the PSS has failed. You do not proceed to buy.

Step 2: The Supplier Final Check

You’ve vetted them before, but check one last time. Are you 100% confident in this partner?

• Accountability: Are they a real company with a real address (193/26 Nguyen Van Cu, Tan Lap Ward, Dak Lak, Vietnam) and a real person you can hold accountable (Ms. Eli (CEO))?
• Philosophy: Does their quality philosophy align with yours? Are they a partner who believes in 100% Riped harvesting, or are they a broker just moving boxes?

Step 3: The Sales Contract Review

Your supplier will send you a Sales Contract. Read it. Every single line.

• Product: Does it explicitly match the PSS you approved? (e.g., “Vietnam Robusta Honey Processed, SCR18, Lot #104A, as per PSS approved [Date]”).
• Incoterms: Does it clearly state FOB Ho Chi Minh City (or your agreed-upon port)?
• Price: Does it clearly state the differential (e.g., “London Jan ’26 + $450/ton”) and the “Price Fixing” terms?
• Payment Terms: Does it clearly state the payment structure (e.g., “30% T/T deposit upon signing, 70% T/T balance against copy of B/L”)?
• Shipment Period: Does it specify the latest date of shipment (e.g., “Shipment no later than December 31, 2025”)?

If there are any discrepancies, you must resolve them before you sign.

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Executing the Purchase: A Step-by-Step Playbook to Buy Green Coffee Beans

You have approved the sample and the contract. You are ready to buy green coffee beans. Here is your 8-step execution playbook.

Step 1: Hire Your Freight Forwarder

This is your first action. A freight forwarder is your personal logistics partner. They are your agent, hired by you in your country. They will handle the ocean freight, the insurance, the import, and the customs clearance.

• Action: Google “coffee freight forwarder [Your City]” or “commodity logistics.” Get quotes.
• Tell them: “I am importing a 19.2-ton FCL of green coffee, FOB Ho Chi Minh City, to [Your Roastery]. Please quote me the full door-to-door service.”

Step 2: Sign the Contract & Wire the Deposit

Sign the Sales Contract and send it back to your supplier. They will send you their bank “proforma” invoice.

• Action: Go to your bank and execute a Telegraphic Transfer (T/T) for the deposit (e.g., 30-50% of the total value). This is the “go” signal. Your supplier will now use this capital to secure the raw coffee and begin processing/bagging your order.

Step 3: The “Price Fixing” (If on a PTBF Contract)

If your price is “Price-To-Be-Fixed” (PTBF), you now must watch the C-Market.

• Example: You’ve agreed to “London Jan ’26 + $450/ton.” You must now watch the London Jan ’26 contract.
  • On Nov 6, 2025, it closed at $4,530/ton.
  • On Nov 7, 2025, it closed at $4,648/ton.
• Action: You must email your supplier before the contract deadline (e.g., “First Notice Day”) and “fix” your price. “Please fix our contract at today’s closing price of $4,648.” Your final price is now locked in ($4,648 + $450 = $5,098/ton). This is your risk to manage.

Step 4: The Booking & Stuffing

Your supplier will now coordinate with your freight forwarder.

• Your forwarder “nominates” a ship (e.g., “Maersk”) and “books” space.
• Your supplier trucks your finished, bagged coffee (e.g., 320 bags of Robusta Clean SCR18) to the port and “stuffs” (loads) the container.
• Best Practice: Your contract should require the supplier to send you “stuffing photos”—digital photos of the empty container, the bags being loaded, and the final sealed container.

Step 5: Shipment & Document Drafts

The container is loaded onto the ship. The ship sails.

• Action: Within a few days, your supplier will email you copies (drafts) of the “Shipping Documents.” This is your first chance to check for errors.
• Key Documents:
  1. Bill of Lading (B/L): The title to your coffee. It shows who shipped it, what’s on it, and where it’s going.
  2. Commercial Invoice: The bill for the coffee.
  3. Packing List: Details the contents (e.g., 320 bags, 19,200kg NET).
  4. Certificate of Origin (C/O): Proves the coffee is from Vietnam.
  5. Phytosanitary Certificate: Proves it’s free of pests/disease.

Step 6: Pay the Balance (CAD)

This is the CAD (Cash Against Documents) part. You have seen the copies of the docs and confirmed the coffee has shipped.

• Action: You now go to your bank and wire the 70% (or 50%) balance to your supplier.
• Simultaneously: Your freight forwarder is using these doc copies to file the required import declarations (like the ISF in the USA).

Step 7: The Document Release

Your supplier receives your final payment.

• Action: They will now “release” the original B/L to you. They will either DHL the physical paper to you or (more common) do a “Telex Release,” an electronic release that gives your freight forwarder the authority to pick it up.
• This is critical: You cannot claim your container without this release. The B/L is the key.

Step 8: Customs Clearance & Final Delivery

The ship arrives at your port.

• Action: Your freight forwarder takes over. They use the B/L to pay the port fees and clear customs.
• Once cleared, they will arrange a “drayage” truck to pick up your container from the port and deliver it to your roastery’s loading dock.
• The driver will break the container seal (which should match the stuffing photos!), you will unload your 320 bags of coffee, and you have officially completed your first direct import.

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Red Flags When You Buy Green Coffee Beans

This process requires trust. Here are the red flags that prove that trust is broken.

• 🚩 Red Flag 1: The “100% Upfront” Demand A supplier demands 100% T/T deposit before shipment. Do not do this. It is an unacceptable risk. You have zero leverage if they ship you a container of stones. A professional partner (like Halio) operates on a standard, balanced 30/70 or 50/50 T/T/CAD structure.
• 🚩 Red Flag 2: The “CIF Trap” You ask for an FOB price, and the supplier refuses, only offering a CIF (Cost, Insurance, and Freight) price. They are almost certainly hiding their margin in an inflated, non-transparent freight cost.
• 🚩 Red Flag 3: The “Bait-and-Switch” The PSS sample was an 88-point coffee. The container that arrives is a 78-point, defect-riddled mess.
  • How to Prevent: Your Sales Contract must legally tie the shipment to the sample: “Quality to be equal to PSS #XYZ, approved by Buyer on [Date].” This gives you legal recourse.
• 🚩 Red Flag 4: The “Bad Data” Price You are being offered a price that makes no economic sense.
  • Example: It is November 8, 2025. The domestic farm-gate price in Dak Lak is 119,500 VND/kg. This is the raw cost to the exporter. If an “exporter” offers you Grade 1 Robusta at a price below this, it is a mathematical impossibility. It is a scam.

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This is the process. To buy green coffee beans at the wholesale, direct-to-origin level is to transform your business from a “price-taker” into a “price-maker.” It is the act of taking control of your supply chain, your quality, and your margins. It is a complex, but knowable, process.

This direct, FCL model is the most powerful sourcing strategy available. But what if you’re not ready for a full 19-ton container? What if your business is growing, but you still need the flexibility of buying just a few high-quality bags at a time? This brings us to the most common sourcing challenge: the search for a reliable, local partner. It’s the hunt for green coffee beans near me.