Buyer FAQ
Questions from roasters, cafés, and importers
The verdict
Everything a specialty buyer asks before sourcing Thai coffee — how our direct-trade lots come out of Northern Thailand, the bean specs and processing behind them, how shipments reach your port, and how private-label runs work. If your question isn't here, send it over and we'll answer it straight.
Direct-trade sourcing from Northern Thailand
We buy at the farm and lot level from growers in Thailand's northern highlands, so every bag stays traceable to a place, an altitude, and a processing method.
- Where is your coffee grown?
- All of our specialty coffee comes from the highlands of Northern Thailand — mainly Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, and Mae Hong Son — at elevations between roughly 800 and 1,800 metres. Cooler nights and altitude slow cherry maturation, which builds the sweetness and clarity our lots are known for.
- What does "direct-trade" actually mean for a buyer?
- It means we source directly from the farms and washing stations rather than through anonymous commodity channels. You buy a specific lot from a specific grower, we handle export, and there is no aggregation that blurs where the coffee came from. That keeps traceability intact and lets us reinvest more of the price back at farm level.
- Can you trace a lot back to a single farm?
- Yes. Our green coffee is sold by lot, and each lot carries its origin details: farm or grower group, region, altitude band, varietal, and processing method. Roasters who need farm-level traceability for transparency reports or origin stories can get that documentation with the coffee.
- When is the harvest, and when is green coffee available?
- The Northern Thai Arabica harvest runs roughly November through February. Freshly processed green from the new crop is typically ready to ship in the months that follow, and we hold selected lots through the year so buyers aren't limited to the immediate post-harvest window. Availability of specific micro-lots is limited, so early commitments secure volume.
- How sustainable is the coffee?
- Much of Northern Thailand's specialty Arabica grows under shade using agroforestry practices, on land that was replanted from opium to coffee through the Royal Project. Direct relationships let us prioritise growers who farm this way and pay for quality, which is the practical form sustainability takes in our supply chain.
- Can we visit the farms or arrange an origin trip?
- Yes. We regularly host roasters, importers, and private-label partners at origin during and around harvest. Origin visits are the fastest way to select lots, understand processing, and build a longer-term sourcing relationship — reach out and we'll help plan it around the season.
Bean specifications: Arabica, Robusta, and processing
The technical detail roasters and QC teams ask for first — species, varietals, processing, grade, and cup profile.
- Do you supply Arabica or Robusta?
- Our program is specialty Arabica. Northern Thailand's highlands are Arabica-growing country, and that's where our quality and traceability sit. Thailand does grow lowland Robusta, largely in the south for commercial and instant markets, but it isn't part of our specialty offering. If a blend program needs Robusta we'll say so directly rather than substitute it into a specialty lot.
- What is the difference between Arabica and Robusta for my roast?
- Arabica is grown at higher altitude, has a sweeter, cleaner, more complex cup with lower caffeine, and is what specialty roasting is built around. Robusta grows at lower elevation, has a bolder, more bitter, heavier body with roughly double the caffeine, and is used mainly for instant coffee, commercial blends, and espresso crema. Our lots are Arabica selected for single-origin and specialty use.
- Which varietals do you offer?
- Common Northern Thai varietals include Typica, Catimor, and Chiang Mai / Royal Project selections, with limited Geisha and other specialty varietals available as micro-lots. Availability shifts by season and farm; we'll share the current varietal list against your volume and profile needs.
- What processing methods are available?
- We supply washed, honey, and natural lots, with limited anaerobic and experimental processing from select farms. Thailand is a recognised honey-process origin, and our honey lots are a signature — creamy body with milk chocolate, macadamia, and sweet-citrus notes. Washed lots read cleaner and brighter; naturals lean fruit-forward.
- What are your typical green coffee specifications?
- Specialty lots typically run 80+ on the SCA scale, screen size 15–18, moisture around 10–12%, water activity below 0.6, with a specialty-grade defect count (Grade 1, zero primary defects on the sample). Exact figures are on the spec sheet for each lot, and we send pre-shipment samples so your QC team can verify before committing.
- How is the green coffee packed?
- Green coffee ships in GrainPro or equivalent hermetic liners inside jute or PP bags — standard 30 or 60 kg — to hold moisture and protect cup quality in transit. Vacuum-packed boxes are available for smaller specialty and micro-lot volumes where extra freshness protection matters.
International shipping & logistics for importers
How coffee moves from Northern Thailand to your warehouse — Incoterms, documentation, lead times, and sampling.
- Which countries do you export to?
- We export worldwide and regularly ship to roasters, importers, and distributors across Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, Europe, and North America. If you're in a market we haven't shipped to yet, we'll work through the routing and documentation with you.
- What Incoterms and shipping options do you offer?
- We commonly work FOB (Bangkok / Laem Chabang) and CIF to your destination port, with EXW available for buyers who prefer to control freight from origin. We ship full containers (FCL) as well as smaller volumes by LCL or air freight for samples and micro-lots. We'll recommend the option that fits your volume and cadence.
- Is there a minimum order for export?
- For sea freight we generally start around one pallet and scale to full-container loads; smaller specialty volumes can move by LCL or air. Private-label and roasted orders have their own minimums (see the private-label section). We'll confirm the exact minimum against your chosen lot, Incoterm, and destination.
- What lead times should we plan for?
- Once a lot and terms are confirmed, green coffee is typically prepared and dispatched within a couple of weeks, plus ocean transit to your port — commonly 2–6 weeks depending on destination and routing. Air freight for samples is a few days. Lead times lengthen during peak post-harvest demand, so early orders help.
- What export documentation do you provide?
- Standard export paperwork travels with every shipment: commercial invoice, packing list, certificate of origin, phytosanitary certificate, bill of lading, and ICO marks. We can also provide lot-level traceability and processing documentation for buyers with transparency or import-compliance requirements.
- Can we get samples before committing to a shipment?
- Yes, and we recommend it. We send pre-shipment and offer samples by courier so your team can cup and run QC before you place an order. For larger or repeating programs we'll build a sample set across lots and processing methods so you can select what fits your roast.
Private-label & OEM: MOQs, packaging, and roasting
Roasted, packaged, and ready to sell under your brand — profiles, minimums, and packaging for cafés, hotels, and retail lines.
- Do you offer private-label and OEM production?
- Yes. Alongside green coffee, we roast and package finished product under your brand for cafés, hotel groups, distributors, and retail lines. You choose the origin lot and roast profile; we handle roasting, bagging, and labelling so the coffee arrives ready to sell or serve.
- What roast profiles can you produce?
- We develop espresso, filter, and omni-roast profiles with our roast master, dialled to your brand. You can match an existing profile, co-develop a new one from samples, or specify a house style; we lock the profile before a production run so every batch is consistent.
- What is the minimum order quantity for private label?
- Private-label roasted production typically starts around 100–300 kg per profile for a first run, with lower trial quantities possible while you finalise blend and packaging. MOQs depend on roast profile, bag format, and whether packaging is stock or custom-printed — we'll quote the exact minimum against your spec.
- What packaging options are available?
- Standard formats include 250 g and 1 kg valve-sealed bags — kraft, matte, or foil stand-up pouches — with degassing valves to protect freshness. We offer stock packaging with your applied label for faster launches, or fully custom-printed bags for established brands. Bulk formats for wholesale and HORECA accounts are available too.
- Can you print our own branding and design?
- Yes. Send print-ready artwork and we'll produce custom-printed bags, or apply your labels to stock packaging if you want to move quickly. We can advise on formats, valve placement, and required legal/roast-date marking so the finished product is retail- and export-ready.
- What are the lead times for a private-label run?
- Once the profile is approved and packaging is confirmed, a roasted production run generally takes a few weeks, plus shipping. Custom-printed packaging adds lead time on the first order because of print production, so we plan the first run with that buffer and shorten reorders once artwork is on file.
Still have a question?
Tell us what you're sourcing and roughly how much you need. We'll come back with traceable Northern Thai coffee that fits — and samples if you'd like to cup it first.