Sehr geehrte Mitglieder,
ich möchte um Klarstellung zu einem Punkt bitten:
Gemäß den deutschen Sorgfaltspflichten gelten Röster, die bereits auf dem EU-Markt befindliche grüne Bohnen kaufen, als Händler, da sich die HS 0901 auf der 4-stelligen Ebene nicht ändert.
In einigen EU-FAQ (April 2025) und EUDR-Leitlinien, die ich gesehen habe, wird jedoch dasselbe Beispiel (Kauf von grünen Bohnen von EU-Lieferanten, Röstung und Verkauf von geröstetem Kaffee) beschrieben, wodurch das Unternehmen zu einem Betreiber wird.
Dies scheint widersprüchlich zu sein. Welche Interpretation ist in der Praxis für Röster wie uns, die grüne Bohnen in der EU Lieferant kaufen und rösten, richtig?
Vielen Dank im Voraus für Ihre Erkenntnisse.
……………………………………………………………………………………………….
Dear Members,
I would like to ask for clarification on one point:
According to the German due diligence guidance, roasters who buy green beans already placed on the EU market are considered Traders, since HS 0901 does not change at the 4-digit level.
However, in some EU FAQ (April 2025) and EUDR guidance I have seen, the same example (buying green beans from EU suppliers, roasting, and selling roasted coffee is described as making the company an Operator.
This seems contradictory. Which interpretation is correct in practice for roasters like us who buy green beans in the EU Suppliers and roast them?
Thank you in advance for your insights.
1 Answer
Anonymous User
Dear Shunmathi,
I already forwarded your question to our EUDR experts in the osapeers community so they can complete and correct my suggestion:
As far as I understood many companies currently treat roasting as an operator activity, because:
-
The EU-level guidance is likely to be decisive when it comes to enforcement.
-
Roasting changes the product from “green beans” to “roasted coffee” with a different commercial use, even if the HS code stays the same.
-
Acting as an Operator ensures that due diligence obligations are covered and avoids compliance risks later.
That said, this is still an evolving area — and national guidance documents (like the German one) don’t always align fully with EU-level clarifications yet. Most compliance advisors recommend following the stricter interpretation until a final harmonized approach is confirmed.
We would also be very interested to hear how other members of the community are approaching this in practice. So please feel free to share your thoughts!