What documentation does Cliff's provide with an export consignment?

A commercial invoice and packing list, certificate of origin, phytosanitary certificate where the destination requires one, FSSAI licence copy, Rainforest Alliance certification reference for coffee, and third-party lab analysis when the buyer specifies it. Bill of lading and insurance follow the agreed Incoterm.

What are the minimum order quantities for export?

Green coffee starts at one tonne. Black pepper starts at 500 kg. Cardamom and canopy honey, both smaller crops, start at 100 kg. Mixed consignments are accepted; the minimum applies per product rather than per shipment.

Which Incoterms does the estate work on?

EXW at the estate gate, FOB Chennai or Tuticorin, and CIF to the destination port. FOB is the most common arrangement. The Incoterm is fixed in writing before any consignment is prepared.

How long does an export order take?

Two to four weeks from confirmed order to FOB for stock already graded and in store, and longer if the order falls outside the harvest window for that crop. Cardamom and pepper are seasonal and cannot be conjured out of season — we will say so rather than substitute bought-in material.

Can we buy a sample before committing?

Yes. Sample packs of 250 g to 1 kg per product are sent against courier cost, drawn from what is actually on offer rather than from a showcase batch. The sample is exactly what you would be shipped.

Export desk · Yercaud, Tamil Nadu

——:—— IST

Trade · Export

One counterparty, seed to bill of lading.

Most Indian spice exporters aggregate from growers they have never met. We grow it, process it, grade it and ship it — so when a container is queried there is one estate to ask, one record book to open, and one person answering.

FOB Chennai / Tuticorin

Single-estate origin

Rainforest Alliance certified

Estate

Yercaud

Shevaroy Hills, Tamil Nadu

Port

Chennai / Tuticorin

EXW, FOB or CIF terms

Buyer

15 markets

Gulf, South East Asia, Europe, Americas, Japan

United Arab EmiratesSaudi ArabiaQatarKuwaitOmanBahrainSingaporeMalaysiaUnited KingdomGermanyNetherlandsUnited StatesCanadaAustraliaJapanUnited Arab EmiratesSaudi ArabiaQatarKuwaitOmanBahrainSingaporeMalaysiaUnited KingdomGermanyNetherlandsUnited StatesCanadaAustraliaJapan

Trade terms up front

Cliff’s exports single-estate green coffee, black pepper, green cardamom and unheated canopy honey from Yercaud, Tamil Nadu, on EXW, FOB or CIF terms through Chennai or Tuticorin. Minimums start at one tonne for coffee and 500 kg for pepper.

The documentation set

Five documents · assembled before despatch

Paper travels with the product, not after it.

Nothing on this list is produced on request at the last minute. It is assembled as the crop is graded and stored, which is why a consignment can leave inside a fortnight when the crop is already in store.

Doc 01

Commercial invoice & packing list

Itemised by product, grade and net weight, with HS codes stated. Marks and numbers match what is printed on the bags.
Doc 02

Certificate of origin

Naming Yercaud, Shevaroy Hills, Tamil Nadu. Single-origin in the literal sense: one estate, not a district aggregation.
Doc 03

Phytosanitary certificate

Issued where the destination requires it. Tell us the market at enquiry stage and the requirement is confirmed before you order.
Doc 04

FSSAI licence & certification

Current FSSAI licence copy, and the Rainforest Alliance certification reference for coffee. Both reproduced in full, never paraphrased.
Doc 05

Third-party lab analysis

Where a buyer specifies it — pesticide residue, aflatoxin, volatile oil, microbiology. Arranged at the buyer’s cost through an accredited lab.

Commercial terms

Minimums are per product, not per shipment

Stated here, so nobody has to ask twice.

Green coffee

1,000kg

Minimum order

Packing

60 kg jute, GrainPro liner

Season

Feb onward
Black pepper

500kg

Minimum order

Packing

25 / 50 kg food-grade, lined

Season

Apr onward
Green cardamom

100kg

Minimum order

Packing

5 / 10 kg moisture barrier

Season

Year round
Canopy honey

100kg

Minimum order

Packing

5 kg food-grade tins

Season

Apr & Oct draws

Mixed containers are welcome. Bar length compares each minimum against green coffee.

§01

Incoterms

EXW estate gate · FOB Chennai or Tuticorin · CIF destination port

FOB is the usual arrangement. Whichever is agreed is fixed in writing before anything is prepared.

§02

Lead time

2 – 4 weeks to FOB, in season

Out of season we will tell you the wait rather than substitute bought-in material to fill a container.

§03

Container

20 ft and 40 ft FCL · LCL consolidated

Loading at Chennai or Tuticorin. Part loads are consolidated rather than refused, which is how most first orders move.

§04

Payment

Irrevocable LC at sight, or advance by wire

Terms open up on repeat business. First consignments are handled conservatively on both sides.

§05

Samples

250 g – 1 kg, against courier cost

Drawn from what is actually on offer. The sample is exactly what you would be shipped.

Markets

Loading port — Tuticorin

Where a single-estate story is worth paying for.

We are not competing on price with commodity aggregators and will not pretend otherwise. The buyers we work well with are the ones whose own customers ask where something came from.

Sailing lines run from Tuticorin to every market currently served. Outlines from Natural Earth.

Trace a corridor below

01 Gulf

UAE
Saudi Arabia
Qatar
Kuwait
Oman
Bahrain

Large South Indian communities, established cardamom and pepper demand, and short sailing times from Tuticorin. Our most active corridor.

02 Southeast Asia

Singapore
Malaysia

Speciality grocers and hospitality groups buying provenance rather than tonnage. Small, frequent, well-documented consignments.

03 Europe

UK
Germany
Netherlands

Speciality coffee roasters and single-origin spice houses. Residue documentation matters most here, and is planned for from the enquiry.

04 North America & Australia

North America
Australia

Selective and growing. Longer transit and heavier compliance, so we take fewer, larger relationships rather than many small ones.

Export enquiry

Tell us the market and the volume.

With those two things we can tell you within a working day whether we are the right supplier, what the documentation will require for your destination, and when the crop is available. If we are not the right supplier we will say so.

Export desk

contact@cliffspicezone.com
+91 96004 62040

IST business hours. Written enquiries get a written answer with the numbers in it, which is usually what a buyer actually needs.

Company Contact name

Business email Phone or WhatsApp

Destination country Preferred Incoterm

Indicative volume What you need Send a sample pack with the reply

Enquiry received

Your enquiry is with the export desk and you will have a written answer within a working day.

We will reply to {{ doneEmail }} or call {{ donePhone }}.

Buyer questions

Before the first email.

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Two ways to begin

Written answer within one working day

Buyers who visit tend to become buyers who stay.

01 Domestic wholesale Minimums per product, mixed containers, private label. 02 Come and audit us Processing, grading and packing all sit inside our fences.

One counterparty, seed to bill of lading.

Trade terms up front

Paper travels with the product, not after it.

Commercial invoice & packing list

Certificate of origin

Phytosanitary certificate

FSSAI licence & certification

Third-party lab analysis

Stated here, so nobody has to ask twice.

Where a single-estate story is worth paying for.

Tell us the market and the volume.

{{ doneTitle }}

Before the first email.

Buyers who visit tend to become buyers who stay.