For buyers

Bulk Green Coffee

This page is for buyers whose unit of purchase is the container, not the bag — soluble manufacturers, large blenders and traders. The specification discipline is different and so is the logistics conversation.

Last reviewed August 20262 min read

Quick answer

Bulk supply means single-grade volume shipped in bagged or bulk-lined containers, contracted on specification rather than lot identity. Ugandan Robusta and Tanzanian and Ethiopian commercial Arabica are the main bulk categories from this region.

What is available in bulk

Bulk categories
Category	Origin	Typical presentation
Robusta screen 15	Uganda	60 kg jute or bulk liner
Robusta screen 18	Uganda	60 kg jute
Robusta FAQ	Uganda	Bulk liner or jute
Robusta screen 15+	Tanzania (Kagera)	60 kg jute
Arabica AB / C	Tanzania, Kenya	60 kg jute
Arabica Grade 4/5 natural	Ethiopia	60 kg jute

Bagged or bulk-lined

Presentation trade-off
	60 kg jute	Bulk container liner
Coffee per container	Slightly less — bag tare	Slightly more
Lot separation	Full — bags remain identifiable	None within the container
Discharge at destination	Manual or mechanical, slower	Tipping or vacuum discharge
Equipment required	Standard	Tipping chassis or vacuum system
Packaging cost	Higher	Lower
Suits	Anything needing lot identity	Single-grade volume with bulk handling at destination

The decisive question is usually what discharge equipment the destination has. Bulk is cheaper per kilo and useless without the equipment to unload it.

The specification does more work in bulk

With no lot identity to fall back on, the contract terms are the entire quality control. See container loading for the loading side.

Screen: Retention screen plus permitted percentage passing
Defects: Maximum total, with black and broken capped separately
Moisture: Ceiling plus method and instrument
Foreign matter: Maximum, with stones counted separately
Crop year and cycle: Explicit — main crop or fly crop
Sampling: How the pre-shipment sample is drawn from a bulk parcel
Weight terms: Shipped or landed weight — decides who carries transit loss
Point of determination: Where quality and weight are finally determined

Sampling a bulk container

A bulk-lined container cannot be probe-sampled bag by bag. The sampling method has to be agreed for the presentation being used — typically at the filling stage, from a defined proportion of the flow. Agree it before contracting, not at loading.

Bulk enquiries

Tell us the specification, annual volume, presentation and destination discharge capability.

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Frequently asked questions

How much coffee is in a bulk container?

It depends on the binding weight limit — the lowest of the container’s payload plate, the shipping line’s maximum and the road weight limits on the origin and destination legs. Use the container loading calculator with your own figures.

Is bulk cheaper than bagged?

Per kilo, usually yes — lower packaging cost and slightly more coffee per container. It is only cheaper in practice if the destination has the equipment to discharge it, and it removes lot separation entirely.

Can bulk shipments be certified?

Yes, subject to the scheme’s chain-of-custody rules. Mass balance models are common at bulk scale; segregated flows are possible where the supply chain supports them. State which model applies in the contract.

How is a bulk container sampled?

Not bag by bag — typically at the filling stage, from a defined proportion of the flow, to a method agreed in advance. This needs to be settled before contracting rather than improvised at loading.

Tell us the coffee you need

Lots can be specified by origin, region, process, grade, screen, moisture, defect tolerance, crop year and packaging. Send what you know and we will confirm what each origin realistically supports.