Trader

The trader is the employee at the exporter responsible for contact with the customers abroad. In a competitive market such as coffee, with many exporters working in the same area, trust is an important factor to conduct sales and retain the customer’s preference. The trader’s contact with the importers should be frequent involving travel to the several consumer countries. This professional visits roasters in a large number of cities to learn the needs of their customers and establish personal contacts. Additionally it is important for a trader to know the type of coffee wanted by each customer to further inform the graders in the composition of specific blends.

The trader is the one who looks for business opportunities and he is also to one who is in contact with the buyers abroad. The function of the trader is permanently in contact with the buyers, exchanging ideas, providing market news, relaying information about the situation in Brazil to the buyers, what can be expected from the harvest, what is happening with others, like transportation, if there has been too much rain and if there are any weather problems or if frost is expected – to sum it up the trader is the permanent contact, taking advantage of the contact to find an opportunity to sell coffee. So then the trader is constantly in a race to be the first to offer and close the deal. Now additionally the trader need to have a contact by traveling abroad and by contacting all these firms to define exactly what kind of coffee they want from Brazil. Then the trader returns and establishes what is the best coffee for a given firm abroad thereby creating a niche that is all your own. Certain companies are known for producing superior quality coffee, others because they have lower quality, but the fact is that it doesn’t matter what the quality is, fine, medium, bad, there will always be a market for this coffee and the trader’s job is find it. The trader makes the contact abroad, travels, visits people, maintains a personal relationship because trust is built on a personal relationship and makes the buyer abroad trust in what you are selling and what you are telling it. You cannot influence the purchaser but you can tell them what the real market situation is. Once the customer trusts what you are saying it will regard you as a friend, then it is a lot easier when the time comes for the customer to call you to buy from you because he/she trusts what you are doing.

Cornelio Lins Ridel Neto has worked as a trader in Europe at several coffee exporters. Testimonial given at the Museu do Café in 2012.

When I sold coffee, I knew what the coffee had and what I could deliver, because I was a trader and I had been a classifier. I had held both positions. Today, I no longer know what it’s like in the cooperatives, but in my day I had to instigate this work. I traveled to at least 25 countries. I traveled throughout just Italy five times, to win over buyers and in Italy there are 700 small family-owned roasters. So then you have to go to each city and show them your work, prove yourself and afterward win over the buyer, right?

Justiniano de Freitas Gonzaga has worked as a coffee classifier and was a manager of a broker. Testimonial granted to the Coffee Museum in 2013.