Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire — exporting since 2023
Ivorian cocoa, cashew and agricultural commodities. Traced to the plot, delivered by the container.
7,000 tonnes shipped to 10 countries since 2023. ECOCERT, Fairtrade and GLOBALG.A.P. certified. Full EUDR compliance file supplied with every cocoa shipment.
7,000 t exported · 259 containers shipped · 10 countries served · 3 active certifications
From 30 December 2026, a container without plot geolocation will not clear EU customs.
The EU Deforestation Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 applies to large and medium-sized companies from 30 December 2026, and to micro and small companies from 30 June 2027. For cocoa, coffee and rubber, it requires proof that every lot originates from plots identified by GPS coordinates and not deforested after 31 December 2020.
At BMT AFRICA, this is handled at source, in the sourcing contract. We contractually undertake to supply, for every cocoa lot shipped:
- Geolocation of the plots of origin — GPS points for plots under 4 hectares, full polygons above, in line with Article 9 of the Regulation.
- Deforestation analysis of those plots after 31 December 2020.
- Proof of legality of production under Ivorian law.
- A documented chain of custody, from cooperative to stuffing at the Port of Abidjan.
- Lot certificates — ECOCERT (EU organic, Reg. 2018/848), Fairtrade and GLOBALG.A.P. depending on the commodity.
You receive all of it before shipment, in a format you can use directly for your due diligence statement.
Our other commodities fall outside the Regulation. It covers seven commodities: cocoa, coffee, soy, palm oil, timber, cattle and rubber. Raw cashew nuts and fishery products are not in scope and therefore require no due diligence statement on import.
Contractual specifications, not a catalogue
We only list what we source and have inspected ourselves. Every specification below is the one that will appear in your contract.
Cocoa beans — Côte d’Ivoire
| Grade | Ivorian Grade I — Good Fermented |
| Moisture | ≤ 7.5% |
| Defects (300-bean cut test) | Mouldy ≤ 3% · Slaty ≤ 3% · Other defects ≤ 3% |
| Bean count | ≤ 100 beans / 100 g |
| Fat content | 54 – 56% |
| Packing | 65 kg jute bags · 385 bags = 25 t per 20′ container |
| Minimum lot | One 20′ FCL |
| Season | Main crop October – March · Mid crop May – August |
| Certifications | Fairtrade, ECOCERT organic, Rainforest Alliance on request |
| Incoterms | FOB Abidjan · CFR · CIF · FCA |
| Contract regime | Federation of Cocoa Commerce (FCC) contracts and arbitration, London |
Raw cashew nuts (RCN) — Côte d’Ivoire
| Outturn (KOR) | 46 – 50 lbs per 80 kg bag |
| Nut count | 180 – 200 nuts / kg |
| Moisture | ≤ 8% |
| Foreign matter | ≤ 2% |
| Packing | 80 kg jute bags · 225 bags = 18 t per 20′ container · 1 t big bags on request |
| Minimum lot | One 20′ FCL |
| Season | Harvest February – May · Export campaign February – August |
| Incoterms | FOB Abidjan · CFR · CIF · FCA |
Fishery products
We ship in reefer containers, cold chain held at −18 °C, with temperature logs supplied on arrival. Every shipment travels with its health certificate, its catch certificate under Regulation (EC) 1005/2008 on illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, and the HACCP plan of the establishment of origin.
Products, sizing and packing are defined against the buyer’s specification.
Our offices are located inside the Treichville fishing port in Abidjan. We do not source fish at arm’s length.
Other commodities
Robusta coffee, shea, sesame, ginger and natural rubber available on request, under the same inspection and traceability protocol.
What throughput can we hold? 259 containers shipped since 2023 — an average of 6 to 8 containers per month across all commodities. Firm availability is confirmed lot by lot at quotation stage, within 48 hours. We do not commit a volume before we have secured it.
From your specification to the delivered container, in five steps
1. Specification and quote — within 48 hours
You state commodity, volume, grade, Incoterm and destination port. We confirm feasibility and a firm price, valid for 5 working days.
2. Traced sourcing
We commit to procurement from our partner cooperatives once the contract is signed — never from anonymous stock. That is the precondition for being able to trace back to the plot.
3. Pre-shipment quality inspection
Sampling and analysis by an independent third party — SGS, Cotecna, Bureau Veritas or Intertek, at the buyer’s choice. Quality and weight reports issued before stuffing. A lot that fails specification is not loaded.
4. Stuffing, fumigation and documentation
Container sealed at the Port of Abidjan. Full document set at shipment: Bill of Lading, commercial invoice, packing list, certificate of origin issued by the Côte d’Ivoire Chamber of Commerce and Industry, phytosanitary certificate, fumigation certificate, quality and weight certificates, and for cocoa the EUDR compliance data.
5. Follow-up to discharge
One point of contact, reachable in English, French and German, from Abidjan to delivery. Indicative transit to Antwerp, Rotterdam or Hamburg: 18 to 22 days.
What sets us apart
Present at both ends of the chain. A team in Abidjan for sourcing and quality control, a representation in Switzerland for buyer follow-up. Your time zone, and the farmer’s language.
Twelve years of partnership before the first container. BMT AFRICA S.à r.l. was founded in 2023 out of a collaboration of more than twelve years between Ladji Meité in Côte d’Ivoire and Byriel Group ApS in Denmark. Our partner cooperatives did not discover us when the EU Regulation was announced.
We do not inspect our own quality. Pre-shipment inspection is entrusted to a third party you choose. We have no business being both judge and party on a lot we are selling you.
Tell us what you need. We reply within 48 hours.
Firm price, real availability, confirmed shipment window.
Or write to us directly: info@bmt-africa.com — +225 01 43 72 55 55 · +225 07 08 20 15 30
