Tea · importers
Germany reports $6.5B in the chapter that holds tea, coffee, mate and spices, making it the second-largest buyer worldwide and a major European hub for packed tea.
| Market | HS 09 imports |
|---|---|
| United States | $11.7B |
| France | $4.0B |
| Italy | $3.4B |
| Canada | $2.4B |
| Spain | $2.2B |
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.
Only the United States, at $11.7B, reports more. France, at $4.0B, is a long way behind, so Germany holds 9.6% of reported world imports on its own. The chapter is 0.5% of the country’s $1.38T imports and ranks 37th among its import chapters. A tea seller should note that coffee will account for a large slice of the figure.
Germany has a strong tea-packing industry that blends black and green teas, and it is a major market for herbal and fruit infusions, which are handled in the same trade. Packers buy tea in bulk, blend and pack it in bags for retail, gastronomy and export to other countries. Because the tea passes on, recorded imports are higher than domestic drinking would suggest.
Ask the importer whether it packs for its own brand, for retailers’ private labels or for resale to other packers.
European buyers test tea for pesticide residues and other contaminants, and the limits are set by the authorities and can change. Confirm the current rules with them and with your importer, and expect the buyer to retest on arrival. China, the USA, the Netherlands and Poland lead Germany’s overall source list, which spans every product.
The tea heading in customs shipment data isolates tea from coffee and spices and shows who receives each cargo and how much it weighs.
Once you have a shortlist, settle Incoterm, currency, payment terms and port, and use this site’s free marketplace to reach out. Rankings depend on national reporting, and re-exports can shift them.
The whole coffee, tea, mate and spices chapter, not tea alone. It is 9.6% of reported world imports.
Packers blend and repack tea for retail and for other countries, so much of it is re-exported.
Herbal and fruit infusions are handled by many of the same importers, but check the heading a given product falls under.
Use shipment data for the tea heading and compare consignees by cargo weight.
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