STiR coffee and tea magazine

36 STiR coffee and tea | 2026 Quarter 2 Summer (Jun/July/Aug) By By Fionn Pooler T The Complexities of Inbound Coffee Logistics he global coffee supply chain is long and complex, and moving coffee from farm to roastery and on to a consumer's cup involves many stages. Coffee cherries must be picked, sorted, processed, dried, milled, packed into bags or containers, transported to port, loaded onto a cargo ship, sailed across oceans, unloaded, warehoused, delivered to a roastery, roasted, bagged, ground, and finally brewed. There are two stages to this process: inbound and outbound logistics. Moving coffee from farm to the importer's warehouse in the country of des- tination is the job of inbound logistics; from there to the roastery is outbound. "Inbound logistics is basically getting coffee to the States, in our case," says Amanda Armbrust-Asselin, marketing and education coordinator at Neu- mann Gruppe USA. "And then outbound means the coffee is landed, and we want to release that coffee to a customer." Along the way, a host of skilled workers must ensure that the coffee makes it to its destination in optimal condition. Doing so involves meticulous re- cord-keeping and a focus on quality control at every step. Importers also have to deal with the challenges and vagaries of geopolitics and supply chain dis- ruptions, which have become increasingly complex over the past decade. Stepping back, the sheer scale of the coffee industry puts the job of in- bound logistics into perspective: Between October 2023 and September 2024, global coffee exports totaled 150 million 60-kg bags, according to the Interna- tional Coffee Organization, at a value of more than $50 billion. Although there are exceptions, most shipments make it on time and intact. Doing so takes planning, communication, and a whole lot of paperwork. Open, Afloat, In Store Inbound logistics begin as soon as coffee has been sourced and a purchase con- tract has been drawn up. The contract sets out obvious things like the amount of coffee and its price, but also elements like the delivery timeline, expectations re- garding storage, and who pays for which parts of the coffee's transport. Amanda Armbrust-Asselin, marketing and education coordinator at Neumann Gruppe USA, details the meticulous planning and coordination behind inbound logistics. Photo credit: Neumann Gruppe USA Once the coffee is containerized, inspected, and loaded onto the cargo ship, the process moves from the Open to Afloat stage and requires shipping instructions, collecting documents, preparing for customs entry, and generating the Bill of Lading (BOL). The largest trading companies might control every step of the process, but smaller importers work with exporters and other intermediaries to ensure the coffee reaches its destination smoothly. Some producers and cooperatives handle their own exports, and some have even begun import- ing their coffee.

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