How to Buy African Green Coffee for China
Compare Ethiopian Arabica and Ugandan Robusta. Check the China quarantine route, the registered mill and the lot behind your approved coffee sample.
To buy African green coffee for China, compare Ethiopian Arabica with the Ugandan Robusta or Arabica your roast needs. Have your broker confirm the country’s current plant-quarantine route and the actual mill’s registration. Then approve a pre-shipment sample that links to the same mill lot, bag marks and official certificate as the coffee you’ll receive.
A roaster can cup an excellent offer sample and still face a delay over a mill name or certificate statement. Get procurement, quality and your broker to agree the evidence they need before the supplier reserves a shipment. Use the China import compliance overview to set up that review.
Ethiopian Arabica or Ugandan Robusta for your roast?
China’s 2025 customs records show substantial green, non-decaffeinated coffee imports from Ethiopia and Uganda under HS 090111. Those figures include different grades and processes. Buy against the lot, season and delivery schedule offered to you.
| Offer | What to compare | Evidence to request |
|---|---|---|
| Ethiopian Arabica | Washed or natural, cup profile and how much of the same lot is available | Station or processing lot, mill ID, crop period and retained sample |
| Ugandan Robusta | A repeatable blend component, physical tolerances and supply schedule | Grade, screen distribution where relevant, defect check and pre-shipment cup |
| Ugandan Arabica | A distinct Arabica offer against your own roast and cup specification | Species, source and processing record under its own lot ID |
Send the same sample brief to both suppliers. Specify your cup preparation and which attributes would put a lot on hold. Record moisture, physical defects and the sample roast separately from the sensory result. If you’re planning a recurring blend, ask how the mill keeps grade and cup within the agreed range across intakes. If you want a single-station offer, ask whether the mill will keep that material segregated through bagging.
Which China rules apply to Ethiopian and Ugandan green coffee?
GACC Announcement No. 68 of 20 May 2026 took effect on 20 July 2026. It sets a regional route for qualifying unroasted, shelled coffee grown and processed in African countries with diplomatic ties to China. It calls for the exporting authority to review the production or processing enterprise and for the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC) to approve its registration.
Ethiopia has its own route. Announcement 68 specifically keeps Ethiopian coffee under GACC Announcement No. 142 of 24 October 2023. That notice covers qualifying unroasted, shelled Arabica grown and processed in Ethiopia. Have your broker use the Ethiopian instructions for the bag markings and the extra statement on the phytosanitary certificate, the official plant-health document. For a Ugandan order, check the regional announcement and verify the current mill listing before release.
Separately, Decree No. 280 of 14 October 2025 took effect on 1 June 2026. Its implementing Announcement No. 27 of 18 March 2026 directs listed primary agricultural goods to GACC Announcement No. 219 of 7 November 2025. Unroasted coffee falls on that agricultural side. Use the applicable plant-quarantine facility list and confirm qualification code 302 for a listed good. If you switch to a roasted or processed product, have your broker check its separate classification and any overseas food manufacturer registration through the China Import Food Enterprise Registration system (CIFER).
What should match before the container closes?
- Record the country where the coffee grew and the facility where it was processed. Search the official register for the correct name, site, product and status. Match the mill in the quote to the one on the lot records.
- Review the bag markings with your broker under the applicable notice. Match the registered establishment and product details to the packing list. Confirm the carrier can document the seal and the condition of the container at loading.
- Ask for a certificate draft early enough to fix discrepancies. Check the plant-health authority, establishment details and the applicable additional declaration. The exporter’s commercial quality report is a separate record.
- Check the identifiers on the lot sample, bag list and mill records. Use a fresh draw when the agreed procedure calls for it after a substitution or a change to the lot composition.
Review a coffee supplier’s lot before you book it
Bring a mill listing or sample brief to a buyer demo and work through what you’d check before the coffee ships.
Use a two-sample record for a first order
Keep the offer sample for the commercial decision. Draw a second sample against the reserved shipment lot under a written sampling plan. A cupping result from the first sample helps you select the supplier. The second can help your team decide whether the final assembly meets the contract. Agree how to retain sealed samples and who will assess any discrepancy at arrival.
Illustrative Ethiopia Arabica booking sheet
Use the fields below as a starting point. The lot and sample codes, bag count and weight are fictional. Confirm the facility and certificate in the applicable official records for your purchase.
| Gate | Example record | Release check |
|---|---|---|
| Reserve coffee | Washed Arabica lot ET-052, 300 bags at 60 kg net | Record mill, crop period and station batches feeding 18,000 kg. |
| Cup and inspect | Offer sample O-052 and shipment sample S-052 | Compare both physical and sensory checks using the agreed method. Keep the final sample’s draw log. |
| Clear the document review | Draft bag marks and phytosanitary certificate under Announcement 142 | Broker checks the mill’s official record, identification and required additional declaration. |
| Load and receive | ET-052 bag range, packing list and seal record | Match the warehouse tally at loading and record seal condition and receipt results on arrival. |
If the exporter offers replacement bags after approval, put that quantity on hold. Ask which station batches and mill produced the replacement. Recheck the registration and sample coverage, then confirm whether the plant-health authority needs to update the certificate. Release the amended lot only after the broker and quality team review the revised evidence.
Give your receiving team the lot code, seal number and a copy of the sample results before the truck arrives. Ask them to record bag damage and moisture exposure while the load is still identifiable. If the arrival cup differs from the approved sample, use the sealed retain and draw log to investigate. Keep the booking and quarantine file separate from the cupping decision so both teams can find their evidence if the next shipment uses a different mill.
Keep coffee lot approvals together
Explore how buyers and suppliers can organise the evidence they review before each shipment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which African green coffee origins should buyers in China compare?
Ethiopia is a starting point for Arabica. Uganda offers Robusta and Arabica. Verify the actual grade, site and lot for each offer before ordering.
Does China’s 2026 African green coffee notice replace the Ethiopia rules?
Announcement 68 explicitly keeps Ethiopian green coffee under Announcement 142 of 2023. Use the Ethiopian notice for its applicable registration, packaging and phytosanitary requirements.
What is the customs code for green coffee?
HS 090111 is the six-digit code for unroasted, non-decaffeinated coffee. Ask your broker to confirm the full Chinese declaration code and the classification for decaffeinated or roasted products.
Which sample should a roaster approve before loading?
Draw the pre-shipment sample from the actual reserved lot using the agreed procedure. Record how it links to the bag range, mill lot and the offer sample used for the initial selection.
Sources & Further Reading
- 1.GACC Announcement No. 68 of 2026 on African green coffee phytosanitary requirements — GACC via China International Trade Single Window
- 2.GACC Announcement No. 142 of 2023 on Ethiopian green coffee — GACC via China Ministry of Commerce
- 3.GACC Announcement No. 219 of 2025 on primary agricultural goods — GACC via China International Trade Single Window
- 4.GACC Announcement No. 27 of 2026 implementing Decree No. 280 — GACC via China Ministry of Commerce
- 5.China’s revised manufacturer registration and primary agricultural categories — Shanghai Municipal Government
- 6.2025 China green coffee imports by origin, HS 090111 — UN Comtrade via World Bank WITS
- 7.Uganda Coffee Annual on Robusta and Arabica production — USDA Foreign Agricultural Service
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