1. A growing need for flexibility

Across Europe, small and medium roasters are increasingly looking to access green coffee directly. They want to know where their beans come from, ensure consistent quality, and build relationships with producers. Yet, importing coffee alone can feel overwhelming — from freight booking and customs paperwork to financing and warehousing. For many, these barriers make direct trade seem out of reach.

But there’s a new way forward: shared logistics and collaborative sourcing.

2. The challenge of traditional importing

Importing coffee has long been built around large-scale models that don’t fit small roasters. Most exporters and importers operate by full container loads (18–21 tons). Add to that the complexity of export documentation, customs clearance, and cash flow requirements — and even motivated roasters find themselves limited to spot-market intermediaries.

The result is predictable: higher prices, less transparency, and limited control over freshness and traceability.

3. A smarter model: shared containers

Instead of managing a full container alone, roasters can now share space within consolidated shipments. This model — often called LCL (Less than Container Load) or shared FCL — makes importing practical at any scale.

By joining a shared container, small roasters can:

• ✅ Access traceable, freshly harvested coffees without committing to huge volumes
• ✅ Share freight and insurance costs efficiently
• ✅ Receive their bags through a bonded warehouse in Europe
• ✅ Plan purchases in sync with their roasting calendar

In other words, they can enjoy the same freshness and transparency as major importers — with none of the operational weight.

4. How SONECA Coffee simplifies the process

At SONECA Coffee, we make importing accessible and risk-free for independent roasters. Our shared container model removes the logistical and administrative complexity while maintaining full transparency from origin to warehouse.

• Pre-selected lots — verified quality from trusted exporters.
• Shared shipments — consolidated through Antwerp with full traceability.
• Bonded storage — coffee remains under customs until you need it.
• Flexible delivery — collect or ship by pallet anywhere in Europe.

This model gives roasters freedom to focus on what matters most — roasting and serving great coffee — while we handle the complexity of global trade.

5. Why this matters

Shared importing isn’t just about reducing costs. It’s about enabling small roasters to buy smart, stay agile, and access coffees that were once out of reach. It supports fairer trade, encourages closer collaboration between importers and roasters, and helps build more resilient supply chains.

Whether it’s Fine Robusta from Vietnam or Specialty Arabica from Colombia and Brazil, the goal is the same: make direct sourcing accessible, transparent, and secure.