Coffee Glossary · Trade
Phytosanitary Certificate
An official plant-health certificate issued by the exporting country's agriculture authority, declaring the shipment inspected and free of quarantine pests — required by essentially every coffee-importing nation. It travels with the shipping documents; a missing or faulty phyto strands containers at destination customs. Some markets (Australia notably) add fumigation requirements, documented by a separate fumigation certificate. For Lao coffee, the certificate is issued in Laos and covers the lot through its Thai port transit.
Related terms
Bill of Lading (B/L)
The ocean shipment's master document, issued by the carrier: simultaneously a receipt for the cargo, evidence…
ICO Certificate of Origin
The International Coffee Organization's origin certificate, carrying a unique code (origin country / port /…
Container Shipping (Coffee)
Green coffee moves in standard 20-foot dry containers — ~300 bags / 19.2 tonnes — prepared against coffee's…
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.
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