Since the EUDR came into force, the hard part of a shipment is no longer the quality of the bean but proving where it came from. This note records the questions we are asked most often and how the file is put together.
The four sets of data usually asked for
European buyers usually ask for four: coordinates or a description of the sourcing area, harvest timing, the chain of custody from plot to collection point, and the test results for the lot. The first three decide whether the lot clears customs; the last decides whether it is held for re-testing.
- Sourcing area: it varies by item, some under long-term agreements with cooperatives, some bought through traders.
- Harvest timing and post-harvest conditions.
- Chain of custody, with the purchase documents for each leg.
- Test results for the lot.
Two layers of testing
The partner factory tests internally, lot by lot. An Supply re-tests, or sends the sample to an independent laboratory, before shipment. The second layer exists because the risk is not a missing result but a result that does not represent the lot actually shipped.
Re-testing a lot costs a fraction of what a container held at the destination port costs.
What to settle before signing
If your contract carries a traceability clause, settle three things first: which data is mandatory, who pays for independent testing, and what happens when a parameter falls outside its limit. Those three decide most of the disputes that follow.
This article is for reference and is not legal advice. Rules change; the file for each lot is confirmed under the export law in force at the time of shipment.