Insights
Spice buying guides
Grades, specifications and import steps explained by an Indonesian spice exporter, so you can buy with confidence.
Aflatoxin in Spices: What Importers Should Know
What aflatoxins are, why they show up in spices like nutmeg, mace, ginger and long pepper, the EU and US limits, and how sampling and pre-shipment lab tests protect a spice import.
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Buying Indonesian Spices for the Middle East
A guide for importers in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the Gulf buying Indonesian spices: which spices fit the market, Java vs green cardamom, the documents usually requested, labelling and checking local rules.
Read guide → Buying Indonesian Spices in Southeast Asia
A guide for importers and traders in Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines buying spices from Indonesia: which spices fit, the ATIGA Form D certificate of origin, Singapore as a re-export hub and short transit from Surabaya.
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Elephant Ginger from Indonesia: Fresh or Dried?
What elephant ginger (jahe gajah) is, how it differs from small and red ginger, and how fresh rhizomes and dried ginger slices are specified, packed and shipped from Indonesia.
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FOB vs CFR vs CIF: Which Terms Make Sense for Spice Imports?
What FOB, CFR and CIF mean under Incoterms 2020 when you buy spices from Indonesia, who pays for freight and insurance, where the risk passes, and why we quote FOB Surabaya.
Read guide → How Many Tons of Spices Fit in a 20ft or 40ft Container?
Planning figures for loading cloves, nutmeg, mace, cardamom, cinnamon, dried ginger and Java long pepper into 20ft, 40ft and 40ft high cube containers, with a simple calculator and the method behind it.
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How to Check a Spice Sample Before You Order
A practical guide to evaluating a spice sample before ordering: appearance, aroma, snap and break tests, a simple moisture check, counting foreign matter, when to use a lab, and keeping a sealed reference sample.
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Importing Indonesian Spices into China
A guide for Chinese importers buying spices from Indonesia: nutmeg, white Java cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and ginger, the ASEAN–China Form E certificate of origin, and GACC registration and labelling to check.
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Importing Indonesian Spices into Egypt and North Africa
A guide for importers in Egypt, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia buying spices from Indonesia: cloves, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg for Ramadan sweets, ras el hanout and spiced drinks, plus documents and planning.
Read guide → Importing Indonesian Spices into India
A guide for Indian importers buying spices from Indonesia: cloves, nutmeg and mace, Java long pepper for Ayurveda, why Java cardamom is not green cardamom, the AIFTA certificate of origin and FSSAI clearance.
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Importing Indonesian Spices into Pakistan and Bangladesh
A guide for importers in Pakistan and Bangladesh buying spices from Indonesia: cloves, Java cardamom (and how it differs from green), cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg for biryani and garam masala, plus duty and documents.
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Importing Indonesian Spices into Turkey
A guide for Turkish importers, spice packers and food manufacturers buying from Indonesia: cloves, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and mace for sweets, salep, coffee and meat products, plus documents and planning.
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Indonesian Cinnamon vs Ceylon Cinnamon: What Importers Should Know
Indonesian cinnamon (Cinnamomum burmannii, korintje cassia) compared with Ceylon cinnamon: flavour, appearance, coumarin, forms (sticks, cut, broken, powder) and how to specify an export order.
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Indonesian Cloves: Grades, Specifications and How to Buy
How Indonesian cloves are graded and specified for export: hand picked vs mixed lots, moisture, volatile oil, headed and headless buds, stems, and what to put in your clove inquiry.
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Indonesian Mace: Whole vs Broken, Colour and How to Buy
What mace is, how Indonesian mace is dried and graded (whole blades vs broken), how colour and moisture affect quality, mace vs nutmeg, and what to include in a mace inquiry.
Read guide → Indonesian Spice Names: A Glossary for Buyers
Indonesian names for spices and the trade words you will meet when buying from Indonesia: cabe jamu, kapulaga, cengkeh, jahe gajah, kayu manis, pala, bunga pala, vanili, kadar air, karung and more.
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Java Cardamom vs Green Cardamom: What Buyers Should Know
Java cardamom (kapulaga, Amomum compactum) compared with green cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum): flavour, appearance, uses, export specifications and how to buy round cardamom from Indonesia.
Read guide → How to Import Spices from Indonesia on FOB Terms: A Buyer's Checklist
Step by step guide to importing spices from Indonesia on FOB terms: choosing a supplier, samples, contracts, payment, export documents, HS codes and shipping from Surabaya.
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Java Long Pepper vs Black Pepper: A Buyer's Guide to Piper retrofractum
What Java long pepper (cabe jamu, Piper retrofractum) is, how it differs from black pepper and Indian long pepper, its uses in herbal and food industries, and what to specify when importing it from Indonesia.
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Nutmeg Grades Explained: AB, ABCD, SS and BWP
What the Indonesian nutmeg grades AB, ABCD, SS and BWP mean, how nutmeg is sorted by count per kilogram, and how to choose the right grade for food, grinding or oil distillation.
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Vanilla Bean Grades Explained: Grade A (Gourmet) vs Grade B (Extraction)
How vanilla beans are graded for export: Grade A (gourmet) vs Grade B (extraction), moisture, length, appearance and how to specify Indonesian Vanilla planifolia when you buy.
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