BUYING CACAO BEANS

Our cacao beans are shipped in new food-grade jute bags (62.5 kg net weight) from our warehouse in Amsterdam.

For any specific requirements or bulk orders please contact us directly so we can help tailor your request.

For smaller orders or hobbyists looking to test our beans, we offer cacao samples by the kilo which are dispatched from our offices in Indonesia and the Netherlands.

We regularly update our website to reflect current stock availability. Please call or email for the most updated information.

Bean availability is ultimately dependent on harvest cycles. We try and retain some stock until the next harvest, however, our cacao beans are offered on a first-come first-served basis and may sell out before new beans arrive in stock.

This depends entirely on the cacao origin.

The majority of the Indonesian growing areas see their peak harvest between June and September.

Some growing regions harvest between November and January.

However, these periods can vary due to changing climate patterns.

For that reason it is always best to contact us first before placing an order.

Our cacao samples come in 1kg vacuum-sealed bags and can be purchased via our sample order form.

Once we receive your order form, we will send you an invoice incl. shipping costs by email. We can ship samples internationally.

Sample orders will be dispatched within 2 working days after payment.

All of our samples are part of a large composite of each imported lot. This way we ensure that any large jute bag will match the sample provided.

Bean prices vary by origin and by volume purchased.

We offer bulk discounts from 4+ bags (250kg).

Please contact us for our most updated price list.

The price quoted is for cacao beans only, EXW (Ex Works).

The price does not include insurance or any warehousing preparation charges such as picking, palletisation, ‘wrapping and strapping’, etc.

The price includes storage in the warehouse for up to 30 calendar days from date of invoice. After that, storage costs will be passed to you.

Your order will usually be dispatched within 2 working days from our Amsterdam.

Please allow 5-7 working days for deliveries within the EU and UK.

Please enquire for international shipments outside the EU.

We ask new customers for upfront payment. Following your second order we accept payment within 14 days from invoice date.

We accept payment by bank transfer (USD, GBP and EUR), credit card or PayPal.

Please be aware that for credit card or PayPal payments we will charge an additional 2.9% transaction fee.

The safety of our customers and their end consumers is our main priority. As a result we undertake microbial testing for each lot that we sell. In addition, we do annual heavy metal testing on all of the beans that we source.

We recommend each maker getting their own tests before sending a final chocolate product to a consumer, since we cannot guarantee our cacao to be 100% free from pathogens.

SHIPPING & STORAGE

We operate from two warehouses. Our main warehouse is based in Surabaya in East Java. From here we are able to deliver across Asia and the US West Coast. Our Amsterdam warehouse stores our beans shipping across Europe incl. UK.

Most buyers will probably not have a designated warehouse, but it pays off to apply good storage practices in order to keep the cacao safe for consumption.

In long term storage conditions, humidity should be kept below 70% RH and the moisture content of the stored cocoa beans should be periodically checked and kept below 8% by re-drying. 

The storage temperature should ideally not exceed 20°C as rancidity and over-fermentation readily occur at temperatures of over 25°C.

The floor level should be higher than the surrounding land to prevent flooding and to allow water to flow away.

Walls should be of non-flammable material without cracks and crevices. Adequate ventilation is necessary to prevent an increase in mould.

Bags should ideally be stowed on pallets allowing an air space of 5-10cm and the top layer should be at least 1m away from the roof.

The stacks should also be positioned away from outside and especially east-facing walls. 

The cocoa should be regularly inspected for infestation and mould.

No other products should be stored with the cocoa to prevent contamination.

Full bags (62.5 kg net) of cacao are stacked on a wooden pallet, then wrapped with stretch wrap and strapped down.

A pallet fits up to 8 full bags (500 kg net) of cacao beans. Purchasing and shipping cacao in full-pallet increments will get you the lowest price per kilo in shipping and handling cost.

Our warehouse team will advise on shipment costs to your delivery address.

Please inform us in advance if you prefer to arrange this yourself.

Absolutely! Our experienced team in Amsterdam and Surabaya are able to ship beans internationally via ocean or air freight.

We can arrange all required export/import documentation, including phytosanitary certificates and certificates of origin.

If you would like to arrange shipping yourself, we can provide pickup and shipment information for your freight forwarder.

Absolutely. Our warehouse team in Amsterdam can prepare the bags with or without a pallet.

Just let us know at least 2 working days prior to your desired collection date.

We strive to work with professional partners across the entire supply chain in order to deliver our clients the best product possible.

In the unlikely event that beans are damaged in transit we kindly ask you to follow a few easy steps to help rectify any issues.

  1. Please take photos of the delivery and any visible damage.
  2. Please indicate on the driver’s receipt the extent of any damage that has taken place.
  3. Please notify us immediately of the situation so we can start the insurance claims process.

In case any damaged bags are returned to the driver, we will aim to ship a replacement within 2-3 working days.