How to Buy African Green Coffee for the EU
Source green coffee from Uganda, Ethiopia or Cameroon. Compare origins, check that your sample matches the lot, and collect the evidence an EU buyer needs.
If you’re buying African green coffee for the EU, pick the species, grade and processing method your roast needs. Then approve a representative sample drawn from the actual lot and make sure the exporter can trace every bag back to its contributing plots. Do those checks together, before the coffee is loaded.
Start with Uganda when you need Robusta for a repeat blend, or specify Ugandan Arabica for a different cup profile. Compare Ethiopian Arabica for a washed or natural offer. Consider Cameroon when an exporter can show they have the grade and volume you need. For each offer, work out who handles the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) obligations before you sign.
Which African coffee origin fits your order?
EU customs data for 2025 puts Uganda, Ethiopia and Cameroon on very different scales. The figures below are rounded EU imports under HS 090111, the trade code for unroasted, non-decaffeinated coffee. Ask the exporter separately what species and volume they can reserve for your delivery window.
| Origin | EU imports in 2025 | First question for the exporter |
|---|---|---|
| Uganda | 262,000 tonnes | Which Robusta or Arabica lot will you reserve, and can you repeat the specification next month? |
| Ethiopia | 131,000 tonnes | Which washed or natural lot matches the cup, and which station handled it? |
| Cameroon | 7,200 tonnes | What grade and volume are ready, and how much of the lot can you trace today? |
Uganda for Robusta blends and distinct Arabica lots
Uganda is primarily a Robusta producer and also grows Arabica. If the Robusta will anchor an espresso blend, send your defect, screen size, moisture and sensory specifications with the enquiry. Ask the exporter how it builds a repeat lot across deliveries. If you’re buying Arabica, give the supplier the process and cup profile you’re looking for and ask for a separately identified lot. Cup each offer against the role it will play in your roast.
Ethiopia for washed or natural Arabica
Ask for the station, processing method, crop year and lot code when you request a sample. For a washed offer, ask which cherry deliveries fed the station batch. For a natural offer, ask which drying batches were combined. Compare cup results under the same tasting conditions and ask the supplier to name the collector or station that can resolve a missing intake record.
Cameroon for a focused purchase
Cameroon supplies both Robusta and Arabica. Ask what’s already milled, what’s reserved for you and how much the exporter can deliver to the same spec. If the first order works, ask for a second sample before planning a repeat programme. Our Cameroon and Côte d’Ivoire coffee guide covers the background on origin traceability in those two markets.
What EUDR evidence should you request for green coffee?
Green coffee is covered by Annex I under heading 0901 of Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 of 31 May 2023. As amended by Regulation (EU) 2025/2650 of 19 December 2025, the rules apply from 30 December 2026 for large and medium businesses and from 30 June 2027 for most micro and small businesses. Confirm the applicable date for your business before setting a first shipment date.
If you import the coffee and first place it on the EU market, you normally act as the upstream operator. That means carrying out due diligence and submitting a due diligence statement (DDS) before placement. If you buy coffee already placed on the EU market after upstream due diligence, your role and records depend on what you do with it. As the first downstream buyer, keep the DDS reference or simplified declaration identifier your supplier passes you for at least five years. Review each flow separately if your company buys both ways.
- Get the production country, harvest date or range and geolocation for every contributing plot. For coffee plots over four hectares, the regulation requires a polygon. A point can be used for plots of four hectares or less.
- Ask for information you can verify on deforestation after 31 December 2020 and legality under the relevant laws of the country of production. Match it to the same plot identifiers used in the lot records.
- Trace the quantity from each intake through processing and bagging to the lot you intend to buy. If a mill split or combined batches, ask for the input and output records so you can follow the change.
Review one supplier lot before you commit
Bring a sample specification or supplier data pack to a buyer demo and walk through the records you’d want before approving the order.
How do you prove the sample matches the shipment?
Ask who drew the sample, when they drew it and which bags or bulk locations it represents. Put the sampling method, sample size, physical tolerances and cupping procedure in the contract. Agree when you’ll repeat the checks, who keeps the sealed reference sample and which differences trigger a hold. The Specialty Coffee Association’s Coffee Value Assessment separates physical and sensory checks, which you can record side by side for your lot.
Illustrative buyer record for a Ugandan Robusta lot
Copy these fields into your own lot approval sheet. The identifiers and quantities are illustrative. Set your own tolerances with the exporter and your quality team.
| Check | Illustrative record | What you match |
|---|---|---|
| Reserve the lot | UG-017, 320 bags at 60 kg net, 19,200 kg total | Quote, warehouse stock record and bag IDs 001–320 |
| Draw and cup the sample | S-017 drawn from UG-017 under the agreed sampling plan | Sample label and draw log, with moisture, defects and cup results recorded against the contract |
| Reconcile origin | Mill outputs A-41 and B-26 account for 180 and 140 finished bags | Input batches, plot IDs and mapped evidence for each contributing intake |
| Release or hold | Compare the loading tally with the approved bag list and record the seal | Packing list, any substitutions, and the arrival sample against the sealed reference |
Give quality and origin separate sign-offs. If bags are swapped after you cup the sample, hold the affected quantity. Ask for an updated packing list and the new bags’ source records, and draw a fresh sample for the changed lot under the agreed procedure. At arrival, record bag counts, seal condition and any deviation while the carrier and warehouse can still help investigate.
What should you agree before placing a repeat order?
Agree who signs off on quality, who reviews the origin records, and the latest point at which either team can put the lot on hold. Put the buyer’s named contact, the required documents and the substitution procedure on the order. For a repeat programme, request one completed example before the first shipment and apply the same checks to every new lot.
Set up a shared record for your coffee orders
Explore how to work with origin suppliers on the shipment records your team reviews before each order ships.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is green coffee covered by the EUDR?
Yes. Heading 0901 in Annex I covers green coffee. The current application dates are 30 December 2026 for large and medium businesses and 30 June 2027 for most micro and small businesses.
Which African origins should EU Robusta buyers consider?
Start with Uganda for a recurring Robusta programme. Consider Cameroon for a specific offer if the exporter can show the grade, reserved volume and lot records you need. Request and cup a representative sample for each offer.
Do you need a polygon for every coffee plot?
For the usual geolocation requirement, coffee plots over four hectares need polygons. Plots of four hectares or less can use a point. The plot IDs should link to the coffee in the actual lot.
What happens if the exporter substitutes bags after sample approval?
Hold the affected shipment quantity, ask for the revised bag list and trace the replacement bags. Repeat sampling for the changed lot under the agreed procedure before releasing it.
Sources & Further Reading
- 1.Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 of 31 May 2023, Articles 2, 3 and 9 and Annex I — EUR-Lex
- 2.Regulation (EU) 2025/2650 of 19 December 2025 on EUDR obligations and dates — EUR-Lex
- 3.Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/2102 of 13 July 2026 on the Annex I product list — EUR-Lex
- 4.EUDR roles, responsibilities and application dates — European Commission
- 5.2025 EU green coffee imports by country of origin, HS 090111 — UN Comtrade via World Bank WITS
- 6.2025 green coffee imports from Cameroon, HS 090111 — UN Comtrade via World Bank WITS
- 7.Uganda Coffee Annual, including the Robusta and Arabica crop mix — USDA Foreign Agricultural Service
- 8.Ethiopia Coffee Annual, including washed and natural processing — USDA Foreign Agricultural Service
- 9.Cameroon’s 2025/26 coffee season launch — Cameroon National Cocoa and Coffee Board
- 10.Coffee Value Assessment — Specialty Coffee Association
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