Coffee Glossary · Trade
Incoterms (FOB, CIF, CFR, EXW, DDP)
The ICC's standardized trade terms defining exactly where seller responsibility ends and buyer responsibility begins — for costs, freight, insurance, and risk. Coffee's workhorses: FOB (free on board — seller delivers aboard ship at origin port; buyer books and pays ocean freight), CFR (seller pays freight to destination; risk still transfers at loading), CIF (CFR plus seller-provided insurance), EXW (buyer collects at the mill), DDP (seller delivers duty-paid to the buyer's door). A Lao contract reading 'FOB Laem Chabang' means Volcana handles trucking, export clearance, and loading; the buyer owns the ocean.
Related terms
FOB (Free On Board)
The most common green-coffee Incoterm: the seller's price covers everything up to and including loading the…
Bill of Lading (B/L)
The ocean shipment's master document, issued by the carrier: simultaneously a receipt for the cargo, evidence…
Letter of Credit (L/C)
A bank's irrevocable payment undertaking: the buyer's bank commits to pay the exporter upon presentation of…
Cash Against Documents (CAD)
A documentary collection payment method lighter than a letter of credit: the exporter ships, then routes the…
Crop Year / Fresh Crop / Past Crop
Coffee's vintage system: each origin's harvest defines its crop year (Laos: roughly October–September), and…
Cup of Excellence (CoE)
The most prestigious origin-country coffee competition: national juries winnow hundreds of farm entries…
Reading up before buying? Volcana Coffee exports SGS-inspected specialty Arabica and Fine Robusta from the Bolaven Plateau, Laos — and we're happy to walk new importers through every term on a real offer sheet.
Talk to Our Export Team