A coffee export offer sheet is a one-page spec that lets a roaster price your lot without a phone call. List origin and GI, process, grade and screen size, cupping score, moisture and defect count, harvest date, packaging, quantity or MOQ, price with the Incoterm, and validity. Attach the cupping report or COA.
Roasters and importers ask for an offer sheet because it replaces a dozen back-and-forth emails. Get the fields right and you read as an exporter who has shipped before. Get them wrong — vague grade, no Incoterm, a price with no expiry — and the buyer quietly moves on to a supplier who did the homework.
What is a coffee export offer sheet, and why does it decide the deal?
An offer sheet (also called an offer list or offering) is the single document a green-coffee buyer scans to decide whether to request a sample. It compresses everything a roaster needs — origin, processing, grade, cup quality, quantity, price, and terms — into a form they can compare side by side against other origins the same morning.
Two distinctions matter before you type a word. First, is this a firm offer (price and lot reserved for a stated period) or an indication (subject to prior sale)? Second, is the coffee spot (in a warehouse, ready now) or forward (contracted against the coming harvest)? Before you send anything, decide which one it is; a roaster reading a firm coffee export quote expects the price to hold through the stated validity window, while an indication buys you room to reprice as the crop lands.
Which fields belong on a Kintamani coffee offer sheet?
Every serious specialty offer sheet carries the same core rows. Here is the working template, filled with Kintamani-appropriate examples.
| Field | What it tells the buyer | Kintamani example |
|---|---|---|
| Origin & region | Country, region, GI status | Kintamani Highlands, Bangli Regency, Bali, Indonesia — GI-registered |
| Producer group | Cooperative or subak, if named | Subak Abian group, Ulian Village / Catur Village |
| Altitude | Elevation band | 1,200–1,600 m a.s.l. |
| Varietal | Cultivar (confirm per lot) | Arabica, regional selections |
| Process | How it was prepared | Fully washed / natural / honey / semi-washed (wet-hulled) |
| Grade | Export grade | Grade 1 (defect value max 11) |
| Screen size | Bean size | Screen 16+, high proportion on 17–18 |
| Moisture | Water content | 13% max |
| Cupping score | SCA score from the lot report | e.g. 83.5 washed — from cupping report only |
| Harvest | Crop year and month | 2026 crop, May–October harvest |
| Quantity / MOQ | Bags available, minimum order | GrainPro-lined bags; MOQ on request |
| Packaging | Bag type | GrainPro inner + jute outer |
| Price & Incoterm | Number plus term and port | USD / kg FOB Surabaya (see below) |
| Validity | How long the price holds | Valid 14 days, subject to prior sale |
How do you state grade, screen, and cupping score without over-claiming?
This is where offer sheets earn or lose trust. Kintamani export listings in 2026 commonly state Grade 1, with screen sizes running 15–19 and specialty suitability at screen 16 and above — buyers value a high proportion retained on screen 17–18. Standard specs to quote are moisture 13% maximum and defect value 11 maximum. The regional cup is usually described as bright and citrus-forward.
The rule that protects you: a cupping score belongs on the sheet only if it comes from that lot’s cupping report or COA. Never borrow a score from last season, and never attach a number to a cooperative’s name as if it were a fixed attribute — score moves lot by lot. As a rough map for 2026, washed Grade 1 Kintamani tends to cup around SCA 82–84, while standout naturals and micro-lots reach 84–87 and higher. Put the exact figure only once a licensed cupper has scored the sample.
How should you write the price and Incoterm line?
A price without an Incoterm is meaningless — the buyer cannot tell what is included. Green coffee is most often offered FOB (Free On Board) a named port, meaning your price covers the coffee loaded onto the vessel at Surabaya or a Bali port; the buyer arranges ocean freight and import. You can also quote EXW (ex-warehouse), CFR, or CIF if the buyer asks.
Anchor the number to an indicative band and always date it. These are indicative FOB 2026 reference points; they move with harvest, quality, and score, and a firm number follows sample approval.
| Tier | Spec | Indicative FOB 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Commodity | Below specialty grade | ~USD 3.5–6 / kg |
| Washed Grade 1 specialty | Screen 16+, SCA ~82–84 | USD 8–11 / kg |
| Micro-lot / natural | SCA 84–87+ | USD 10–15+ / kg |
Write the line as, for example: “USD 9.20 / kg FOB Surabaya, valid 14 days, subject to prior sale.” One price, one term, one port, one expiry.
What documents and packaging should the offer reference?
The offer sheet is not the export paperwork, but pointing to the documents you can supply signals that you have moved green coffee before. Reference the standard set:
- Certificate of origin
- Phytosanitary certificate
- Commercial invoice and packing list
- HS code for green (unroasted) coffee
- Bags: GrainPro (or an equivalent hermetic liner) inside jute, shipped from Bali/Surabaya to EU and US ports
Because coffee is in-scope of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), EU buyers increasingly want to see that you can provide plot geolocation and due-diligence documentation. Say you can help prepare EUDR-ready traceability — bags specifying Bangli Regency, the GI designation, and the named subak or cooperative — but do not promise a customs or EUDR outcome. Logistics themselves are arranged via vetted licensed partners.
How do you time the offer to the harvest?
Kintamani’s main harvest runs May–October per export factsheets, so forward offers against the new crop make most sense from mid-year, with spot lots from the previous crop available earlier. If you are selling forward, label the sheet clearly (“2026 crop, shipment Q3”) and pre-book container space and sampling around the harvest window so a roaster’s approval does not stall on logistics.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is an offer sheet different from a proforma invoice?
An offer sheet invites the buyer to request a sample: it lists origin, grade, score, quantity, and an indicative price with validity. A proforma invoice comes later, once the buyer commits — it fixes the exact quantity, agreed price, Incoterm, payment terms, and bank details for one specific shipment. The offer opens the conversation; the proforma closes it.
Should I put a cupping score on the offer if the lot has not been scored yet?
No. Leave the score field marked “pending sample” rather than estimating. Attaching an invented or last-season number is the fastest way to lose a specialty buyer, because they will re-cup on arrival and hold you to it. State process, grade, and screen honestly, offer a sample, and add the SCA figure only from that lot’s cupping report or COA.
What validity period should a green coffee offer use?
Most specialty green offers hold for 7–14 days, marked “subject to prior sale,” because farmgate prices and available bags shift with the harvest. A short window protects you from repricing risk while still giving the roaster time to cup a sample. For forward crop, tie validity to a shipment month instead and note that the firm price confirms on sample approval.