Tea · importers
Belgium reports $1.1B in the chapter that holds tea, coffee, mate and spices, sixteenth in the world, and its position between larger neighbours shapes how tea reaches it.
| Market | HS 09 imports |
|---|---|
| United States | $11.7B |
| Germany | $6.5B |
| France | $4.0B |
| Italy | $3.4B |
| Canada | $2.4B |
Figures are for the whole of HS chapter 09 (coffee, tea, mate and spices); tea is only part of it. Source: UN Comtrade, as reported by national authorities; latest available year per market.
Belgium holds 1.7% of reported world imports of the chapter and the chapter is 0.3% of its $356.5B imports, ranking 45th among import chapters. It sits close to large packing and distribution centres in the Netherlands, Germany and France, so tea may be landed in one country and sold in another. Belgian records alone show only part of the picture.
Belgian buyers include tea and coffee specialists, hotels, restaurants and supermarkets. Many are small or medium companies that buy through larger merchants in neighbouring countries. A supplier should ask whether a prospect buys direct from origin or through a regional merchant, and adapt lot sizes accordingly.
Bilingual or trilingual labelling can matter for retail packs. Ask also whether the buyer supplies hotels and restaurants, since those customers often want portion-packed or premium tea and can be a reliable source of repeat orders for a supplier who can meet the pack specification.
Residue and labelling rules are set by the authorities and change over time, so confirm the present position with them and with your buyer. The Netherlands, Germany, France and the USA lead Belgium’s overall source list, which covers all goods and confirms the weight of neighbours.
Shipment records for the tea heading name receivers and weights, apart from coffee and spices. Ask where the goods clear customs, since cargo bound for Belgium may clear elsewhere.
Records of tea shipments list receivers and cargo weights. Ask where the goods clear customs, since cargo for Belgium may clear elsewhere, then agree Incoterm, currency, payment terms and port, and reach out via this site’s free marketplace.
The whole coffee, tea, mate and spices chapter, 1.7% of reported world imports.
Cargo for Belgian buyers may clear in a neighbouring port.
Some do; many buy through merchants in neighbouring countries.
Look at the tea lines in shipment data and separate merchants from packers by receiver.
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