Sourcing and trading
- Lot identification with collectors and cooperatives across West Africa
- Purchase negotiation within the current crop campaign
- Securing volumes ahead of shipment
Services
From spotting the lot at the collector's to the set of documents handed to the buyer.
What we do
Four disciplines, one chain: we do not subcontract the link that decides quality.
Quality control
- Sampling from collection onwards
- Analysis of contractual parameters: moisture, nut count, defect rate, foreign matter
- SGS inspection before shipment, by an independent third party
Logistics and export
- Packing suited to the product: 80 kg jute bags for raw cashew nuts
- Fumigation by the competent authority of the export country
- Stuffing into 20 or 40 ft containers
- Freight booking and follow-up to the port of destination
Documentation
- Full set of documents with every shipment
- Issued by the competent authorities of the country of export
- A file that meets your bank's and your customs' requirements
Export documents
What travels with the goods, and what gets them through customs.
An incomplete file holds a container at the port and runs up demurrage. Every shipment therefore leaves with its full set, issued by the competent authorities of the country of export.
Bill of Lading
Full set (3/3), clean on board, drawn up according to the incoterm of the contract. It is the title that allows the goods to be taken on arrival.
Packing list
Signed and stamped. Number of bags, gross and net weight, container and seal numbers.
Certificate of origin
Issued by the competent authority of the country of export. It attests the West African origin of the lot and determines the customs treatment on arrival.
Phytosanitary certificate
Issued by the competent authority of the country of export. It attests that the lot is sound and meets the sanitary requirements of the country of destination.
Fumigation certificate
Issued by the competent authority. It proves that the lot was treated before stuffing.
SGS quality certificate
One original, issued in the country of export. Pre-shipment inspection by an independent third party, on the parameters agreed in the contract.
Commercial invoice, insurance certificate under CIF, weight certificate, beneficiary's certificate: we add to the file whatever your bank or your customs require, provided it is agreed in the contract.
Incoterms
What each trade term covers, and where risk passes to the buyer.
| Incoterm | Ocean freight | Insurance | Transfer of risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| EXW (Ex Works) | Buyer | Buyer | On collection of the goods at our premises |
| FOB (Free On Board) | Buyer | Buyer | Once the goods are on board at the port of shipment |
| CIF (Cost, Insurance and Freight) | Seller | Seller (minimum cover) | Once the goods are on board at the port of shipment |
FOB and CIF apply to sea and inland waterway transport only. The applicable incoterm, port of loading and port of destination are set in the contract.
Payment and lead times
The payment method chosen drives the shipment lead time.
We accept bank transfer as well as documentary instruments. The lead time runs from receipt of cleared funds or of a workable instrument — it is not the same in both cases, because an instrument first goes through the banking circuit before logistics can be committed.
| Payment method | What we accept | Shipment lead time |
|---|---|---|
| TT (bank transfer) | Swift transfer, on the schedule set in the contract. | 25 to 30 days |
| Bank instrument | Irrevocable documentary letter of credit at sight, issued or confirmed by a prime international bank, payable against shipping documents. | 45 to 60 days |
The lead time on an instrument is longer because it covers the banking circuit, the logistics set-up, the processing and packing of the lots, then SGS inspection before stuffing. We quote a lead time we can hold, not one that sells. Both are subject to vessel availability and to the campaign calendar of the product.
A question about trade terms?
Tell us the product, the quantity and the destination: we will come back with a priced quotation.