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[GuestUser8117]

Hi guys, I want to import coffee from Ethiopia to Canada to start my own coffee brand. I don't know anything about import/export so I figured I would ask for some advice of yours. I would really appreciate your help.

Here are my questions :

1.How the hell do I import the coffee beans?
2.Once I contact the producers, do I need to represent them in my country?
3.For the shipping, do I have to make an arrangment between the producers and the shipping company or they take care of this by themselves?
4. Is there any taxes related to coffee buying?

I am a total newbie to all of this, so if you have some guidelines to share, feel free. And sorry for my english, I am french canadian. Thanks in advance.

 

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[JasonR]

Do you know if there is a need for your business, or a new ethiopian coffee brand?

 

[PatrickP]

Right or wrong first thing that comes to mind ethiopia is starving skinny people.

Maybe take the tact of helping them by buying your coffee?

 

[jilla82]

Have you read any of the threads on here?

 

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[biophase]

Hi guys, I want to import coffee from Ethiopia to Canada to start my own coffee brand. I don't know anything about import/export so I figured I would ask for some advice of yours. I would really appreciate your help.

Here are my questions :

1.How the hell do I import the coffee beans?
2.Once I contact the producers, do I need to represent them in my country?
3.For the shipping, do I have to make an arrangment between the producers and the shipping company or they take care of this by themselves?
4. Is there any taxes related to coffee buying?

I am a total newbie to all of this, so if you have some guidelines to share, feel free. And sorry for my english, I am french canadian. Thanks in advance.

Based on the questions you asked, it sounds like you have not done any research yourself. Who do you expect to answer these questions? Another coffee importer on the forums?

Btw, I was in ethiopia 7 days ago and it's not full of skinny people.

 

[kraze]

Right or wrong first thing that comes to mind ethiopia is starving skinny people.

Wow...I implore you to visit Africa sometime, we're not as hungry and ski as the media portrays us to be.

@Omerta Good choice with the Ethiopian coffee, might also want to try Kenya if you can't find any producers willing to supply you. Google is a great tool, use it next time before asking for help...try searching "importing coffee+forum" or "importing coffee+blog"

 

[JAJT]

Omerta - I wish you luck and look forward to (hopefully) many future posts on this.

If I were to give my 2 cents: your questions are "basic legwork" questions that I imagine could have been answered with a few 5 minutes phone calls. These questions would be the first questions coming to anyone's mind looking to do this which means almost anyone you call will likely have already been asked a dozen times the same thing and SHOULD be able to answer them at the drop of a hat.

Call up an Ethiopian coffee producer and ask "Do you have clients in Canada?" and then "Do you know how they get your product here?". If they don't know the answer they will likely say "I don't know, I recommend you call Canada's Customs Office (or whatever) and ask them". Then you call them up and ask the question again. You keep doing this until you get someone who goes "Oh, absolutely, you need to X the Y then sign the Z, setup an A/B and fax back the C"

Whenever you are dealing with laws, rules, and "one correct answer" type questions - the answers are pretty easy to find, usually.

I think the value of this forum comes from the wishy-washy, soft advice that comes from leveraging everyone's experience. Stuff like "I'm thinking of branding like X, thoughts?" and "I have a product, B2B or B2C or both?" or "My conversation rate is pretty low, here are the facts, suggestions?" Things that aren't so straight forward that has layers upon layers of "correct" answers.

 

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[PatrickP]

Wow...I implore you to visit Africa sometime, we're not as hungry and ski as the media portrays us to be.

@Omerta Good choice with the Ethiopian coffee, might also want to try Kenya if you can't find any producers willing to supply you. Google is a great tool, use it next time before asking for help...try searching "importing coffee+forum" or "importing coffee+blog"

That is why I said right or wrong.

BUT in the USA that is a perception by a large percentage of the population.

It is the same as many people outside the USA who have never been to the USA thinking that most people in USA are well off.

There are perceptions that are held. Me as a business person, it is not my job nor within my capacity to change these perception. Only to be aware of them and possibly to change things so they are taken into consideration.

In this example if he were to say 5% of the profits will be put back into the Ethiopean community for fresh water wells, medical equipment and food for the needy it shows the potential buyer that the company has compassion and is not just going into their country and taking their resources without caring about them.

 

[GuestUser8117]

Okay , I think I've found a supplier, I'm waiting them to write me back. Still a lot of research to do. My main problem is finding reputable producers/growers from Ethiopia. If I want to pay less I have to import a big amount of coffee beans(practically a full container) so I can get a special price and cut down on shipping prices. Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of money so I will have to be creative. I have to import green beans,not roasted otherwise the beans lose their freshness.

Steps I have to take:

1. Contact a good producer and find a supplier
2. Contact a importer
3. Find a local roaster
4. Set my ecommerce store via Volusion

 

[YeabsiraHaile101]

Based on the questions you asked, it sounds like you have not done any research yourself. Who do you expect to answer these questions? Another coffee importer on the forums?

Btw, I was in ethiopia 7 days ago and it's not full of skinny people.

LOL. Im from Ethiopia where do you located btw..

 

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