smallbusiness.co.uk: Helping your business think big

I am not sure you are on the right tracks here. Large companies import directly from coffee and tea producers in the countries where the crops are grown. Apart from that, there are many commodity brokers which import the products and sell on to businesses in the UK. Perhaps you should consider getting a job with a commodity broker to learn the business and find out who all the contacts are before setting up on your own?

Both the International Coffee Organization (www.ico.org) and The Tea Council (www.teacouncil.co.uk) thought that the best way for someone starting out small in the UK would be to contact a commodity broker or to buy from the bigger importers. You could buy through a commodity broker which represents producers in the country of origin, making purchases on the basis of samples which would be sent to you. You can get a list of coffee brokers from the International Coffee Organisation (0207-580 8591).