More major coffee roasters are pushing up their green beans orders in hopes of avoiding an expected import bottleneck.
Nestlè, Jacobs Douwe Egberts and Keurig Dr Pepper all have requested that order contracts be shipped earlier than scheduled, according to a new Bloomberg News report. The moves are part of an emerging trend as roasters guard against supply chain delays resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The industry is watching closely to see if there are disruptions at shipping ports around the world. There’s also concern about a lack of available containers to carry green beans to their destinations.
Brazilian ports are operating at normal levels, the Bloomberg report said, but slowdowns already have been seen in India and other locations. Ports in Spain and Italy, two nations hard hit by the virus, are operating below capacity.
Traders including Volcafe and Sucafina had advised clients in March to place orders as soon as possible.