EUDR Coffee Traceability Requirements Explained

EUDR coffee traceability requires every relevant coffee product placed on the European Union market or exported from the EU to remain connected to the production plots where the coffee was grown, the period in which it was produced, the suppliers that handled it and the records showing that it is deforestation-free and legally produced. Traceability is not satisfied by naming only a country, province, cooperative, warehouse or exporter. The responsible operator must be able to follow the coffee through each stage of the supply chain and connect the final commercial lot with all contributing production plots.

The EU Deforestation Regulation, commonly called the EUDR, covers coffee together with cattle, cocoa, oil palm, rubber, soya and wood, as well as specified derived products listed by customs classification in Annex I. For coffee exporters, importers, roasters and private-label suppliers, the practical challenge is to create an uninterrupted and verifiable chain of information from farm registration to customs clearance.

What does EUDR traceability mean for coffee?

EUDR traceability means that a company can identify where the coffee was produced, when it was produced, who supplied it, how it was collected and processed, which lots were combined or divided and which finished shipment contains the resulting product.

A complete traceability chain may include:

1. Farmer registration
2. Production-plot identification
3. Geolocation collection
4. Harvest and production-period records
5. Delivery to a collector or cooperative
6. Cherry, dried-cherry or parchment intake
7. Wet-mill or dry-mill processing
8. Cleaning, grading and sorting
9. Warehouse storage
10. Export-lot formation
11. Container loading
12. EU importer receipt
13. Roasting, blending or further processing
14. Distribution to downstream customers

Each stage should preserve the link with the previous stage. When a lot is processed, divided, combined or repacked, the new records must identify the input lots and the resulting output lots.

Why is plot-level traceability required?

The EUDR assesses whether relevant commodities were produced on land that was not subject to prohibited deforestation after 31 December 2020. This assessment cannot be performed using only the location of a factory, warehouse, exporter or regional office. The responsible operator needs the geographic location of the actual land where the coffee was grown.

Plot-level traceability supports three central requirements:

• Verification that the coffee is deforestation-free
• Verification that production complied with relevant local legislation
• Connection of the commercial product with the evidence used in the due diligence process

If the final coffee lot contains material from twenty farms, the traceability system must identify the production plots from all twenty farms. A sample of selected farms cannot represent undocumented sources included in the same shipment.

EUDR application dates

Under the current regulatory timetable, the main EUDR obligations apply from 30 December 2026 to large and medium-sized operators and to micro and small operators already covered by the former EU Timber Regulation. For most other micro and small operators, the application date is 30 June 2027.

These dates are different from the deforestation cut-off date. The application date determines when the obligations apply to a business, while 31 December 2020 determines whether the production land can qualify as deforestation-free.

Which coffee products require traceability?

The EUDR applies to products identified by customs codes in Annex I. Relevant forms of green and roasted coffee are within the principal coffee scope. Product classification should always be checked using the exact customs code rather than relying on a commercial product name.

Products requiring careful classification include:

• Green coffee beans
• Roasted coffee beans
• Ground roasted coffee
• Decaffeinated coffee
• Soluble or instant coffee
• Coffee extracts and concentrates
• Three-in-one coffee
• Composite beverages containing coffee
• Private-label coffee products
• Samples used for sales, testing or analysis

In July 2026, the European Commission adopted a delegated act intended to update the product list, including the addition of soluble coffee. The act remains subject to the applicable scrutiny process before entering into force, and the newly added products are intended to become subject to the Regulation from 30 December 2027. Businesses should therefore verify the legal status of the relevant product code at the time of shipment.

Who must maintain the traceability system?

The main legal responsibility normally rests with the operator that first places the relevant coffee product on the EU market or exports it from the European Union. In an import transaction, this is commonly the first EU-established company introducing the product into the Union market.

However, traceability cannot be created only by the EU importer. Information must be produced and preserved throughout the origin supply chain. Responsibilities may be divided among:

• Farmers
• Farmer groups
• Collectors
• Cooperatives
• Wet mills
• Dry mills
• Warehouses
• Exporters
• Importers
• Roasters
• Private-label manufacturers
• Downstream traders

An exporter outside the EU may not be the legal EU operator, but it must provide the data needed by the responsible importer. A supplier that cannot deliver reliable plot and lot information may be commercially unsuitable for European-market programmes.

Core traceability information

The traceability file should identify both the physical product and the supply-chain parties connected with it. Important information includes:

• Product trade name
• Product description
• Customs classification
• Net quantity
• Country of production
• Province, region or district
• Farmer identifier
• Farm identifier
• Production-plot identifier
• Plot geolocation
• Plot area
• Production date or production period
• Supplier name and contact information
• Buyer or downstream customer information where required
• Harvest records
• Lot numbers
• Processing-batch numbers
• Warehouse movements
• Container and seal information
• Evidence of deforestation-free status
• Evidence of legal production

The same names, identifiers and lot codes should be used consistently across spreadsheets, contracts, certificates, warehouse records and shipping documents.

Production-plot geolocation

Geolocation identifies the land on which the coffee was produced. For smaller production plots, latitude and longitude coordinates may be used. For coffee plots larger than four hectares, polygon data is generally required to describe the full boundary.

A useful geolocation record may contain:

• Latitude and longitude
• Polygon coordinates where required
• Coordinate-reference system
• Plot area
• Farm and farmer identifiers
• Date of mapping
• Mapping method
• Name of the person or organisation collecting the data
• Evidence connecting the mapped plot to the farmer

The coordinates should refer to the production plot, not the farmer’s home, the cooperative office or the nearest village.

Point coordinates and polygons

Common geolocation errors

Incorrect geolocation data can invalidate the risk assessment or create delays when preparing a due diligence statement.

Common errors include:

• Latitude and longitude entered in reverse order
• Missing negative coordinate signs
• Coordinates located in another country
• Coordinates placed in the sea
• Warehouse coordinates copied for every farmer
• Identical coordinates used for unrelated farms
• Polygon boundaries that intersect themselves
• Polygons covering an entire village instead of one plot
• Incorrect area units
• Coordinates collected at the farmer’s residence rather than the farm
• No documented connection between the plot and the farmer

Automated validation can identify many obvious errors, but unusual plots should also receive manual review.

Production date and crop-year records

The traceability system must indicate when the coffee was produced. Depending on the supply chain, this may be recorded as a harvest date, harvest range, crop year or another sufficiently precise production period.

The declared period should be consistent with:

• Regional harvest calendars
• Farm harvest records
• Cherry-delivery dates
• Parchment-purchase records
• Drying dates
• Processing dates
• Warehouse intake
• Export dates

An impossible sequence, such as a green coffee lot entering a warehouse before the stated harvest period, should trigger investigation.

Traceability and the 31 December 2020 cut-off

The plot data must allow the operator to assess whether the production land was subject to prohibited deforestation after 31 December 2020. A farm established before the cut-off can continue producing coffee when the other legal conditions are satisfied.

Evidence used in the assessment may include:

• Historical satellite images
• Land-cover datasets
• Official forest maps
• Historical farm registrations
• Planting records
• Previous geolocation surveys
• Dated photographs
• Local agricultural records
• Independent land-use assessments

A strong file does not rely blindly on one map. Data quality, image resolution, cloud cover, shade trees and local landscape conditions should be considered.

Traceability and legal production

EUDR compliance requires coffee to be both deforestation-free and produced according to relevant laws in the country of production. The traceability file must therefore connect each plot and supplier with appropriate legal evidence.

Relevant legal areas may include:

• Land-use rights
• Property or tenancy rights
• Environmental rules
• Forest-protection laws
• Conservation restrictions
• Third-party rights
• Labour legislation
• Human rights protected under local law
• Rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities
• Tax and trade requirements
• Customs legislation
• Anti-corruption rules

The correct document varies by country. A legally recognised land-use right may be sufficient even when the farmer does not hold a Western-style private ownership title.

Examples of supporting legal documents

• Land-use certificate
• Lease agreement
• Farm registration
• Cooperative membership record
• Local production authorisation
• Tax registration
• Environmental permit where required
• Documents recognising customary rights
• Employment records
• Input and pesticide records
• Supplier declarations supported by verifiable evidence

A supplier declaration can support the file, but it should not be treated as sufficient when the underlying claim cannot be verified.

Creating unique farmer, farm and plot identifiers

Each farmer, farm and plot should have a stable identifier. Names alone are often insufficient because several farmers may share the same name, spelling may vary and names may be transliterated differently.

A structured system may use:

• Farmer ID
• Farm ID
• Plot ID
• Cooperative ID
• Collector ID
• Harvest-delivery ID
• Processing-batch ID
• Warehouse-lot ID
• Export-lot ID

Identifiers should remain consistent across seasons. When information changes, the original record should be retained and the update should be documented rather than silently replacing the historical data.

Lot coding requirements

A traceable lot code should identify the coffee throughout collection, processing, storage and export. The code does not need to contain every detail visibly, but the system should be able to retrieve all related records from it.

A lot code may connect to:

• Origin
• Farmer group
• Crop year
• Processing method
• Collection period
• Mill
• Warehouse
• Quality grade
• Export batch

A lot number must not be reused for unrelated coffee. If a lot is divided, the child lots should retain a link to the parent lot. If several lots are combined, the new lot must identify all contributing inputs.

Aggregating coffee from smallholder farms

The EUDR does not prohibit combining coffee from many small farms. Aggregation is possible when every contributing farm and production plot is identified and has passed the required controls.

Before aggregation, the collector, cooperative or processor should confirm:

• The farmer is registered.
• The contributing plot is identified.
• Valid geolocation is available.
• The production period is recorded.
• Deforestation screening has been completed.
• Legal-production evidence is available.
• The farmer is not suspended.
• The delivered volume is plausible.
• The lot code is assigned before mixing.

If undocumented coffee is mixed into a physically inseparable lot, the EUDR status of the whole lot may be compromised.

Physical segregation

Physical segregation is generally the safest approach for coffee intended for EUDR-regulated supply chains. It prevents compliant material from being mixed with coffee that has unknown, incomplete or rejected origin data.

Segregation can be maintained through:

• Clearly labelled bags
• Separate pallets
• Dedicated bins or silos
• Marked warehouse areas
• Separate processing schedules
• Cleaning between production runs
• Controlled stock-transfer procedures
• Restricted access to suspended lots

Digital traceability records are useful only when they match the physical coffee stored and processed.

Can mass balance be used?

Quantity accounting is necessary, but a purely administrative mass-balance claim cannot replace plot-level traceability when the physical product can no longer be connected to its declared compliant sources.

A compliant system should be able to demonstrate that:

• The contributing plots are known.
• The coffee entered through documented deliveries.
• The quantity received was recorded.
• The processing output is plausible.
• The final export lot derives from the documented inputs.
• Unknown coffee was not substituted into the lot.

Bookkeeping should support physical product identity rather than replace it.

Quantity reconciliation

Quantity reconciliation helps detect undeclared mixing and impossible supply claims. A farm or cooperative should not deliver more traceable coffee than it could reasonably produce or receive.

The calculation may compare:

• Mapped coffee area
• Expected yield
• Recorded harvest
• Cherry deliveries
• Dried-cherry or parchment output
• Green coffee recovery
• Processing losses
• Warehouse stock
• Export quantity

For example, if a mapped group could reasonably produce 100 tonnes but records show 170 tonnes of EUDR-ready coffee, the unexplained excess volume should be investigated before shipment.

Traceability through processing

Coffee may undergo pulping, fermentation, washing, drying, hulling, polishing, grading, colour sorting, roasting, grinding, decaffeination, extraction or blending. Every transformation should preserve the connection between inputs and outputs.

Processing records should include:

• Input-lot numbers
• Input quantities
• Processing date
• Processing method
• Equipment or production line
• Output-lot numbers
• Output quantities
• Processing losses
• By-products
• Cleaning records between lots

A blend containing coffee from several regions must retain traceability information for every contributing origin.

Traceability requirements for green coffee

For green coffee, the chain normally begins at the farm and continues through cherry or parchment collection, dry milling, quality preparation, warehousing and export.

A green-coffee traceability file may include:

• Farmer and plot register
• Geolocation files
• Harvest records
• Farmer delivery receipts
• Collector records
• Processing logs
• Dry-mill records
• Warehouse intake and release records
• Quality inspection reports
• Packing list
• Commercial invoice
• Container number
• Seal number

Traceability requirements for roasted coffee

Roasting does not remove the traceability requirement when the roasted product falls within the EUDR scope. The roaster should be able to identify the compliant green coffee used in each roast batch.

Important records include:

• Green coffee input lots
• Roasting date
• Roast-batch code
• Blend formula
• Input and output weights
• Finished-product lot
• Packaging batch
• Customer distribution records

Private-label ownership does not break the chain. The finished retail product should remain connected to the relevant green-coffee sources even when it is sold under a customer’s brand.

Traceability for soluble coffee

Soluble coffee traceability can be more complex because green beans may be blended, roasted, extracted, concentrated, dried and agglomerated before the finished product is packed.

A manufacturer should connect:

• Green coffee origin lots
• Roast batches
• Extraction batches
• Extraction yields
• Concentration records
• Drying or freeze-drying batches
• Agglomeration batches
• Finished soluble-coffee lots
• Packaging batches

For three-in-one coffee, the coffee component should remain traceable through the finished formulation despite the presence of sugar, creamer or other ingredients.

Supplier onboarding requirements

Traceability should be evaluated before a supplier is approved. A supplier questionnaire alone is not sufficient when the company cannot demonstrate how its system works.

Supplier onboarding may examine:

• Farmer-registration procedures
• Plot-mapping methodology
• Geolocation validation
• Deforestation screening
• Legal-document collection
• Lot coding
• Physical segregation
• Quantity controls
• Warehouse management
• Internal audits
• Corrective-action procedures
• Data-security controls

Companies sourcing from several Vietnamese regions can use an understanding of Vietnam’s coffee origins and production structures to design region-specific supplier controls.

Supplier contracts

Supply agreements should clearly define the responsibilities of farmers, cooperatives, processors and exporters.

Useful clauses include:

• Accuracy of farm and plot information
• Accurate geolocation
• Prohibition of undocumented mixing
• Deforestation-free warranty
• Legal-production warranty
• Notification of land-use changes
• Notification of supplier changes
• Access to records
• Audit rights
• Quantity reconciliation
• Data-retention period
• Corrective actions
• Lot rejection or replacement
• Liability for false information

Contract clauses cannot replace due diligence, but they can define responsibilities and remedies when information proves inaccurate.

Data validation before shipment

Traceability data should be validated before the final due diligence file is prepared.

Validation rules may include:

• Coordinates are located inside the declared country.
• Coordinates match the declared province or district.
• Polygon geometry is valid.
• Plot area is plausible.
• Farmer identifiers are unique.
• Farm names match across documents.
• Harvest dates match the regional season.
• Delivered quantities match expected capacity.
• Input and output lots reconcile.
• Suspended farms are excluded.
• Legal documents relate to the stated farmer or land user.

Validation should occur before aggregation, not only when customs documents are being prepared.

Country risk classification

The European Commission classifies countries or parts of countries as low risk, standard risk or high risk. The classification affects the due diligence procedure and inspection intensity, but it does not remove the basic traceability requirement.

Vietnam’s EUDR risk classification

Vietnam is currently classified as a low-risk country under the European Commission’s EUDR benchmarking system. This may allow simplified due diligence for qualifying Vietnamese coffee supply chains, but it does not eliminate the need to identify production plots, collect geolocation, record the production period, verify legal production and maintain product-level traceability.

If warning information indicates document falsification, unknown mixing, illegal land use or possible deforestation, the operator must investigate the concern rather than relying only on the country classification.

Risk assessment and traceability

Where full due diligence is required, traceability data becomes the foundation of the risk assessment.

The operator may evaluate:

• Reliability of the geolocation
• Presence of forests near the plots
• Regional deforestation patterns
• Land-right disputes
• Legal-document consistency
• Supply-chain complexity
• Risk of mixing
• Supplier history
• Quantity anomalies
• Third-party concerns
• Previous compliance failures

The assessment should explain why the evidence supports a finding of no risk or only negligible risk.

Risk mitigation

When traceability gaps or other concerns create more than negligible risk, the company must resolve them before placing the coffee on the market.

Possible actions include:

• Requesting missing records
• Correcting coordinates
• Remapping plots
• Obtaining better satellite imagery
• Conducting field inspections
• Using independent audits
• Separating uncertain farms
• Rechecking production capacity
• Suspending the supplier
• Rejecting the affected lot

A general sustainability certificate does not resolve a specific traceability failure unless it supplies the missing and verifiable information.

The EUDR Information System

The responsible operator must use the EUDR Information System to submit the required due diligence statement before placing the relevant product on the EU market or exporting it from the Union.

The statement connects information such as:

• Operator identity
• Product classification
• Quantity
• Country of production
• Geolocation
• Production period
• Completion of due diligence

The resulting reference number should remain connected to the correct shipment, quantity, product and supporting traceability file.

Due diligence reference numbers

A due diligence reference number does not create compliance by itself. It must refer to the correct coffee and the correct evidence.

The reference should be connected with:

• The responsible operator
• The relevant product code
• The covered quantity
• The shipment or batch
• The contributing production plots
• The customs declaration
• The underlying due diligence records

Using a reference from another shipment, supplier or product can indicate incorrect reporting or circumvention.

Simplified declarations

The updated framework provides simplified declarations for certain qualifying micro or small primary operators in low-risk countries when they place on the market or export products that they have grown or harvested themselves on identified plots.

This simplification reduces repeated administrative work but does not allow anonymous production. The operator and production plots must still be identified, and the relevant declaration identifier should be transmitted through the supply chain where required.

Downstream traceability

Downstream businesses may rely on information and references supplied by responsible upstream operators under the conditions applicable to their position and company size. They should nevertheless maintain a clear link between the coffee they purchase and the upstream reference information.

Downstream records may include:

• Supplier name
• Purchase invoice
• Input-lot code
• Upstream due diligence reference
• Quantity received
• Processing or resale records
• Customer information
• Output-lot code

A downstream company should not attach one reference number to unrelated products or quantities.

Traceability and customs clearance

The required EUDR reference information must be available in connection with the customs process. The customs declaration, commercial invoice, packing list and due diligence reference should all describe the same product and quantity.

Differences that may create delays include:

• Different company names
• Different product codes
• Different lot numbers
• Different quantities
• Different country-of-production statements
• Reference numbers covering another shipment
• Changes made after the due diligence statement was submitted

Warehouse traceability controls

A warehouse should be able to identify where each EUDR-ready lot is stored and record every stock movement.

Good practice includes:

• Unique lot labels
• Clearly marked storage areas
• Pallet or silo identification
• Controlled transfers
• Documented bag replacement
• Cleaning between lots
• Inventory reconciliation
• Restricted access to rejected coffee
• Regular physical stock checks

A digital inventory showing compliant stock is unreliable if the physical warehouse does not maintain the same separation.

Container-loading traceability

The exporter must confirm that the correct coffee lot is loaded into the correct container.

Loading records may include:

• Export-lot code
• Bag count
• Net and gross weight
• Container number
• Seal number
• Loading date
• Loading photographs
• Container inspection
• Authorised employee approval
• Packing-list reconciliation

If the export lot changes after the due diligence statement has been prepared, the operator should determine whether the statement must be reviewed or replaced.

Quality and EUDR traceability

Traceability compliance and coffee quality are separate requirements. A coffee lot may be fully traceable but fail moisture, defect or cup-profile specifications. Another lot may have excellent sensory quality but lack acceptable plot documentation.

Buyers should connect EUDR data with:

• Species
• Origin
• Crop year
• Processing method
• Moisture
• Water activity
• Screen distribution
• Defect count
• Cupping profile
• Packaging

These controls can be integrated through documented coffee quality, traceability and compliance procedures.

Certification and traceability

Organic, sustainability, fair-trade and responsible-sourcing certification can support EUDR preparation, but certification does not automatically establish compliance.

A certification programme may provide:

• Farmer lists
• Internal-control records
• Audit reports
• Chain-of-custody information
• Training records
• Environmental controls

The responsible operator must still verify that plot geolocation, production period, post-2020 land status, legal production and product-level traceability meet the EUDR requirements.

Data confidentiality

Farm coordinates, land documents and personal supplier information may be sensitive. Companies should protect the data through controlled access, secure storage, user permissions, confidentiality agreements and documented data-sharing procedures.

Confidentiality should not be used to withhold information legally required by the responsible operator or competent authority. Controlled access is preferable to deleting critical traceability data.

Record retention

Due diligence and traceability records must generally be retained for at least five years. The data should remain accessible even when employees, software providers, exporters or suppliers change.

Records may include:

• Due diligence statements
• Geolocation files
• Farm and plot registers
• Risk assessments
• Risk-mitigation records
• Supplier contracts
• Legal-production evidence
• Satellite assessments
• Audit reports
• Lot records
• Quantity reconciliations
• Customer and shipment records

Version control is important because plot boundaries, supplier approval and risk conclusions can change.

Internal audits and mock traceability tests

Businesses should periodically test whether they can trace a finished lot back to every contributing production plot and trace each plot forward to the relevant shipments.

A mock traceability test may measure:

• Time required to retrieve records
• Completeness of plot data
• Consistency of farmer information
• Quantity reconciliation
• Processing links
• Warehouse accuracy
• Customer distribution records
• Ability to isolate affected stock

Failures should lead to corrective actions, assigned responsibilities and completion deadlines.

Common EUDR coffee traceability failures

• Providing only cooperative coordinates
• Using one coordinate for many farms
• Failing to identify all contributing plots
• Missing production periods
• Combining mapped and unmapped coffee
• Using inconsistent farmer names
• Using different lot numbers across documents
• Failing to reconcile quantities
• Relying entirely on certification
• Preparing records only after shipment
• Failing to block suspended suppliers
• Losing traceability during processing
• Using a due diligence reference for unrelated coffee
• Assuming low-risk classification removes plot-level obligations

Warning signs for buyers

A European buyer should investigate when:

• The exporter cannot provide production-plot geolocation.
• The same coordinates appear for unrelated farms.
• The mapped area is inconsistent with supplied volume.
• The farmer list changes without explanation.
• The production dates do not match the harvest season.
• The exporter cannot explain how lots are separated.
• Land documents do not identify the producer.
• The lot was aggregated before farms were verified.
• Traceability ends at the cooperative or warehouse.
• The reference number cannot be matched to the shipment.

Questions to ask a coffee supplier

• Which farms and plots produced this lot?
• Are the geolocation records points or polygons?
• How were the coordinates collected?
• How were the coordinates validated?
• Which production period is connected with the lot?
• How was deforestation after 31 December 2020 assessed?
• Which legal-production documents are available?
• How are farmers and plots identified?
• How are lots coded?
• Is the coffee physically segregated?
• How are processing inputs and outputs connected?
• How are quantities reconciled?
• Can the export lot be traced to every plot?
• Which EUDR reference will accompany the shipment?

EUDR coffee traceability checklist

• Product customs code confirmed
• Application date confirmed
• Responsible EU operator identified
• Country of production confirmed
• All farmers registered
• All production plots identified
• Geolocation validated
• Plot area recorded
• Production period recorded
• Deforestation assessment completed
• Legal-production evidence reviewed
• Farmer, farm and plot IDs assigned
• Lot coding established
• Unknown mixing prevented
• Quantities reconciled
• Processing links documented
• Warehouse movements recorded
• Export-lot composition confirmed
• Due diligence statement submitted
• Reference connected to customs documents
• Records retained for at least five years

Recommended implementation workflow

1. Confirm that the coffee product falls within the applicable EUDR scope.
2. Identify the responsible EU operator.
3. Map the origin supply chain.
4. Register all farmers, farms and production plots.
5. Collect and validate geolocation data.
6. Record the production period.
7. Assess land status against the 31 December 2020 cut-off.
8. Collect evidence of legal production.
9. Create unique farmer, plot and lot identifiers.
10. Approve suppliers before aggregation.
11. Physically separate verified coffee.
12. Record every processing transformation.
13. Reconcile quantities through the supply chain.
14. Complete the required risk assessment.
15. Mitigate all non-negligible risks.
16. Form the final export lot.
17. Prepare the complete due diligence file.
18. Submit the required statement or declaration.
19. Connect the reference with customs and shipment records.
20. Retain the complete evidence package.

Commercial benefits of strong traceability

A reliable traceability system is not only a compliance cost. It can create commercial value by improving origin transparency, reducing documentation delays and helping buyers manage regulatory risk.

A prepared exporter may offer:

• Traceable commercial Robusta
• Farm-level Arabica
• Fine Robusta microlots
• Segregated regional coffee
• Certified coffee with supporting EUDR data
• Private-label roasted coffee
• Documented espresso blends
• Traceable soluble-coffee supply chains

Exporters preparing products for European customers can review structured coffee export, traceability and documentation services.

Final assessment

EUDR coffee traceability requires an uninterrupted and verifiable connection between the coffee sold in Europe and every production plot that contributed to it. The system must preserve geolocation, production period, supplier identity, legal-production evidence, deforestation assessment, lot movements, processing records, quantities and due diligence references.

Country-level or cooperative-level origin information is not sufficient when the actual production plots cannot be identified. A low-risk country classification can simplify part of the due diligence process, but it does not remove plot mapping, legal-production evidence or product-level traceability.

Companies should establish traceability before collection and processing begin. Attempting to reconstruct the chain only after the export lot has been formed increases the risk of incomplete data, undocumented mixing, delayed customs clearance and buyer rejection.

Businesses seeking Vietnamese green, roasted or processed coffee with clearly defined traceability requirements can submit a customised wholesale coffee inquiry specifying the product, origin, quantity, processing method, destination, packaging and EUDR information required.