Importing Coffee to the USA: Buyer Checklist

Describe the offered product precisely, including its composition and processing:

• Green coffee beans: origin, processing, grading and the sample required for your roast trials.
• Roasted whole beans: blend or variety, roast, pack size and intended brewing use.
• Ground coffee: the grind and recipe your customers will use.
• Black instant coffee: the actual ingredient list and preparation instructions.
• Coffee mixes: all ingredients, including milk ingredients, flavourings and sweeteners where present.
• Ready-to-drink coffee: formulation, processing and documented storage conditions.

Record the retail pack, case quantity, producer and origin. Use this same description in the quotation, label review and shipment paperwork.

Build a real SKU shortlist. MR.VIET catalogue formats include 250 g whole-bean or ground packs, Black Coffee in 20-pouch boxes, Coconut Coffee in 15- or 30-pouch boxes and Salted Coffee in 15-pouch boxes. Compare the chosen retail pack, preparation instructions and complete ingredients before asking the importing team to review it. The food label checklist helps organise that file.

Build the import plan around the responsibilities of each authority:

Customs classification and entry. Work with your US customs team on the product code, value, origin and applicable charges. Check the current US Harmonized Tariff Schedule and current origin-specific measures; do not budget on a blanket assumption that all coffee enters duty-free.

Food-import requirements. FDA’s importing-human-foods guidance covers prior notice, applicable facility registration and label requirements. FDA does not approve individual foods or importers before importation. Identify the responsible facilities and people rather than asking for a generic “FDA-approved coffee” certificate.

Plant and ingredient conditions. Check APHIS’s plant-import guidance and ACIR tool for the exact commodity, processing and origin. Traveller guidance is not a substitute for a commercial shipment check.

Ask the supplier for evidence that matches the product you will order:

• The producer and relevant facility details for the importing team’s registration checks.
• The complete formulation, allergen information and proposed English-language label.
• A sample, product specification, lot identification and shelf-life/storage information for finished packs.
• A draft commercial invoice, packing list and any origin or other documents required for the shipment.

Agree which information will be available before dispatch and who approves it. A certificate for another SKU or production site does not establish the status of your order. Use our supplier-selection questions to organise the discussion.

Review the actual US sales label before packaging is printed or the order is shipped. FDA’s food-labelling resources provide the applicable rules. Have the label reviewer check:

• The product’s statement of identity.
• The net quantity declaration and units.
• The ingredient declaration where required for the actual formulation.
• Major food allergens where present, including those in coffee mixes.
• Whether Nutrition Facts are required or a specific exemption applies.
• The responsible business name and address.
• The applicable country-of-origin marking requirements with the customs team.

Do not copy the label decision for plain coffee to a mix or ready-to-drink product. Keep the approved artwork version with the product specification.

Choose the buying and importing arrangement before requesting a final freight quote:

• Direct purchase: agree the Incoterms® rule, named place and version, and specify who arranges transport, insurance and customs entry.
• Local distribution: verify what stock is actually held in the USA and which products, quantities and delivery terms are available.
• Third-party services: state the broker, importer-of-record and food-import roles explicitly; buying a service does not make the roles interchangeable.

Identify the FSVP importer and applicable programme requirements. FDA generally defines that importer as the US owner or consignee at entry, with a designated US representative where there is no US owner or consignee. Review any applicable exemptions or modified requirements for the actual business and food. Agree who will provide the necessary entry information.

If you intend to sell the coffee as organic, plan that supply chain separately. USDA’s organic trade guidance explains the recognised routes and certification requirements. Imported organic shipments must be associated with a valid electronic NOP Import Certificate; confirm the certificate and participating operations with the certifier before dispatch.

For any additional claim, request evidence covering the offered product and the claim you will use. Organic, Fairtrade, halal or kosher documentation should be checked individually when relevant to the order. None of these replaces the ordinary food-import and label checks.

Give the broker a shipment file that identifies the product formulation, origin, manufacturer, value, retail packs, transport cases and agreed delivery term. Confirm who provides customs-entry information, prior notice and the FSVP importer details required for the order.

Reconcile the units before dispatch. For example, an order for 24 retail boxes of 15 Salted Coffee pouches contains 360 pouches. Those figures do not establish the number of transport cartons. Obtain the supplier’s actual case arrangement and weights, then keep the invoice and packing list consistent on the unit being counted.

Agree who resolves missing or inconsistent information and which services the broker’s quote includes. Keep freight, brokerage, storage and any inspection or testing costs on separate lines.

Use the first-order trial to answer a specific commercial question: will the selected products work for your retail shelf, office programme or foodservice customer?

• Preparation: test each SKU using its own pack instructions; record serving size, preparation time and taste feedback.
• Retail review: check how the actual box or pouch presents on the intended shelf, whether the product is easy to explain and which pack shoppers would buy.
• Receipt: compare case counts, dates, lot codes, seals and the approved label with the order file.
• Reorder: record sales and buyer feedback by SKU before increasing the quantity.

Keep the sample decision, product specification and final artwork together. The sample approval worksheet helps record the product and pack version evaluated. A smaller trial order still needs its applicable import checks.

For a MR.VIET range, shortlist the coffee your customers can prepare and sell. You might compare a 250 g roasted-coffee pack with a Coconut or Salted instant-coffee box, then review them as separate products.

Tell the MR.VIET wholesale team your US destination, sales channel, selected products, retail packs and expected order quantity. Request the current specification, sample options and label files, then review the offered formulation and documents with your US importing team.