Spices · ranking
Ten markets that buy the most in the coffee, tea, mate and spices chapter, and what that means for a spice seller looking for importers, packers and food processors.
| # | Market | Value | Volume | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | $11.7B | — | 2024 |
| 2 | Germany | $6.5B | — | 2024 |
| 3 | France | $4.0B | — | 2024 |
| 4 | Italy | $3.4B | — | 2024 |
| 5 | Canada | $2.4B | — | 2024 |
| 6 | Spain | $2.2B | — | 2024 |
| 7 | Japan | $2.2B | — | 2024 |
| 8 | United Kingdom | $2.2B | — | 2024 |
| 9 | Netherlands | $2.2B | — | 2024 |
| 10 | China | $2.1B | — | 2024 |
Ranking is for the whole of HS chapter 09 (coffee, tea, mate and spices), reporter-declared, latest year available per market. Source: UN Comtrade.
The United States is first at $11.7B, well ahead of Germany at $6.5B. France records $4.0B, Italy $3.4B, and then a bunch of markets close to each other: Canada at $2.4B, Spain, Japan, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands all at $2.2B, and China at $2.1B.
All ten are 2024 declarations, and together they hold 57.6% of the ranked markets among 96. Nearly every country here has a large packaged-food, catering or seasoning industry, which is the usual reason spice demand concentrates in such places.
The values combine coffee, tea, mate and spices. Heading 0904 to 0910 are the spice headings, and a market that imports mostly coffee could top this list without buying much pepper or cumin. Spice sellers should therefore not treat the total as a size estimate for their product.
In practice, use the list to pick markets, then look at spice headings only to gauge how much of the demand is actually yours.
Importers in such markets tend to be spice packers, ingredient distributors and food manufacturers, and they normally care about cleanliness, moisture, foreign matter and traceability. Confirm current import requirements, testing expectations and labelling with the destination customs authority, and be ready to supply quality documents with your offer.
Buyers in the Netherlands, Germany and similar hubs may buy in order to redistribute, so an importer there could be a stepping stone to several further countries.
Choose a market, then search shipment records by the exact spice heading. You will see named consignees, the origins they already use, quantities and declared values. Look for buyers who take regular consignments, as they are more likely to consider a new supplier.
You can also publish an offer on the free marketplace so that buyers looking for a particular spice can contact you.
The United States, at $11.7B. The figure covers all of HS chapter 09, so it includes coffee, tea and mate, not only spices.
They hold 57.6% of the ranked markets in a dataset of 96 markets, so demand is noticeably concentrated in wealthy, food-manufacturing economies.
Only loosely. Spain, Japan, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands all show $2.2B, so their positions are effectively tied at the rounding shown.
Quality documents, a clear specification, packaging details and current import requirements confirmed with the destination customs authority, plus a stated Incoterm, currency and payment method.
Keep exploring