How to Buy African Green Coffee for the U.S.
Compare direct and landed green coffee offers, verify the exporter and sample, and get the right FDA and USDA checks in place before a U.S. purchase.
To buy African green coffee for the U.S., decide whether you’re buying stock already in the country or committing to an overseas lot before entry. Then check the exporter and mill, agree which sample represents the bags you’ll receive, and confirm who handles FDA verification and plant import checks. Put those details in the order before you lock the roast schedule.
A roaster comparing a landed warehouse offer with a direct offer has two different timelines to price. The direct lot may need a final sample, freight, and a broker filing before the roaster can schedule it. Start with the U.S. import compliance overview and work out which tasks each offer leaves with you.
Who is buying the coffee when it enters the U.S.?
For stock already landed, ask the U.S. seller for the warehouse lot ID, the date it was received, and a sample of the inventory you’ll actually draw from. Confirm who handled the import and ask how the seller links the stock to its origin and mill. Agree when title passes and when the warehouse can release your bags.
If you commit before entry, confirm who qualifies as the Foreign Supplier Verification Programs (FSVP) importer. FDA generally assigns that role to the U.S. owner or consignee at entry, meaning a party in the U.S. that owns, has purchased, or has agreed in writing to purchase the food. If there’s no such party, the U.S. representative of the foreign owner or consignee needs signed consent to serve.
A customs importer of record handles the separate customs role. Ask your broker to confirm both roles and who provides each filing detail. For forward offers from U.S. distributors, read the signed agreements and verify the facts at entry. The FSVP guide explains the verification program in more detail.
How do you check the exporter and mill?
Start with the name on the sales offer. Identify who can release the coffee, who milled it, and whose name will be on the export documents. Then use the origin authority to verify the role that each party says it fills.
Ethiopia
Ask the Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority about the exporter’s license and which marketing route the seller uses. Ethiopia’s Coffee Marketing and Quality Control Directive No. 1100/2025 is a reference for that route. Ask which mill or warehouse produced the final grade and how it links the offered washed or natural lot to your sample.
Kenya
Kenya’s Coffee Act No. 8 of 2026 assigns roles to the Coffee Board of Kenya and other licensing authorities. Ask who holds the license for the proposed sale and confirm it with the applicable authority. Get the mill’s out-turn number, its identifier for the lot, and the warehouse location. For a direct sale, match the contract and applicable exchange quality report to the seller’s release instructions.
Rwanda
Start with the National Agricultural Export Development Board’s coffee exporter directory. Ask the exporter to name the washing station or other origin facility that supplied the lot. If several station lots went into the offer, request their IDs and an explanation of how the exporter formed and sampled the final lot.
Uganda
Confirm the seller’s annual coffee export license with the Department of Coffee Development in the agriculture ministry. Uganda’s Trade Portal lists evidence of an arrangement with an authorized grading facility as part of the license application. Ask for the actual grading site for your order and how the export grade maps to your agreed quality specification.
Which sample should drive your buying decision?
Use an offer sample to assess whether you want the coffee. Agree to approve a representative sample from the final milled lot before it ships. Set the cupping protocol, moisture range, physical defects, bag and liner spec, and conditions for rejection or re-sampling. For landed stock, define the condition you expect at warehouse release.
| Illustrative purchase | What to ask for |
|---|---|
| A distributor offers 30 bags already in a New Jersey warehouse. | Request a sample from the available warehouse lot and a release number for those bags. Check storage and receiving condition before scheduling the first roast. |
| An exporter offers 30 bags from the next milling run. | Approve the offer on a conditional basis. Set a date for a final sample, have the broker check the import route, and name the party that can stop loading. |
| The final sample cups well but the mill report lists a wider blend. | Ask which lots were combined, request the sample history for the blend, and decide whether it still fits the contract before booking production. |
Check your green coffee offer before you book it
Bring a supplier name and a sample reference. See how to collect the mill, lot, and shipment records for your team to review.
What should the roaster and broker confirm before shipment?
Tell the roaster what it’s receiving and how to keep green stock identified until release to roasting. FDA’s FSVP guidance uses coffee that requires roasting before consumption as an example under 21 CFR 1.507(a)(1). The importer still conducts a hazard analysis and documents why the provision applies. If you’re buying a different form, such as an ingredient made from green coffee, assess that product and its intended use separately.
- Give your broker the growing origin, commercial description, form, and routing, including any transshipment. Ask the broker to check USDA’s Agricultural Commodity Import Requirements database and flag Hawaii or Puerto Rico. The coffee rules in 7 CFR 319.73-2 and 319.73-3 restrict unroasted coffee and have specific transit provisions.
- Confirm who submits FDA Prior Notice where applicable. Check the applicable rules for green coffee sent as a commercial sample, even when a courier handles it.
- Identify the foreign facilities involved. Facilities that manufacture, process, pack, or hold food for U.S. consumption generally must register with FDA unless exempt. Check which activities and exemptions apply to each site.
- Check FDA import alerts against the product and facilities involved. Before departure, match the final packing list, bag marks, and lot reference to the accepted sample.
Give your receiving team a copy of the final warehouse or shipping release. At arrival, check that the bag count, marks, and condition match it. Hold bags with damage, moisture, or unfamiliar marks for review. If your team also buys for Europe, our EU green coffee guide covers the evidence for that destination.
Bring your coffee suppliers into your review workflow
Keep the sample history, supplier records, and shipping documents together as a lot moves from the mill to your warehouse.
Frequently Asked Questions
Am I the FSVP importer if I buy green coffee from a U.S. distributor?
Check who owned, bought, or agreed in writing to buy the coffee at entry. If you bought stock after the distributor imported it, the sale timing differs from a forward commitment. Confirm the parties’ roles before a pre-entry purchase.
Does green coffee require FDA Prior Notice?
FDA generally requires Prior Notice for imported food. Confirm any exception for your exact shipment with your broker, including when you’re sending commercial samples.
Can I send green coffee through Hawaii or Puerto Rico?
The U.S. coffee quarantine rules restrict imports of unroasted coffee into Hawaii and Puerto Rico and set specific conditions for transit. Have your broker confirm the route and form with USDA before booking.
Which sample do I ask for when buying already landed coffee?
Request a sample from the warehouse lot the seller can actually release to you. Confirm its lot ID, storage history, and the condition you expect at pickup or delivery.
Sources & Further Reading
- 1.Foreign Supplier Verification Programs final rule overview — U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- 2.Customs broker guidance and importer-of-record responsibilities — U.S. Customs and Border Protection
- 3.FSVP guidance, Section G on foods that require a control before consumption — U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- 4.Foods that require hazard controls before consumption, 21 CFR 1.507 — Electronic Code of Federal Regulations
- 5.Importing human foods — U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- 6.Prior Notice guidance for imported food shipments — U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- 7.Import alert database — U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- 8.Commercial plant import requirements and ACIR — USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
- 9.Coffee quarantine rules, 7 CFR 319.73-2 and 319.73-3 — Electronic Code of Federal Regulations
- 10.Coffee Marketing and Quality Control Directive No. 1100/2025 — Ethiopian Ministry of Justice
- 11.Coffee Act No. 8 of 2026, licensing and coffee sales — Kenya Gazette via Kenya Law
- 12.Rwanda coffee exporter directory — National Agricultural Export Development Board, Rwanda
- 13.Apply for a coffee export license — Uganda Trade Portal
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