How to Import Organic Japanese Tea to Germany

In the past, the people of Germany seemed to be more drawn towards coffee than tea. However, since 2016, tea drinking has hit an all-time high record, with people preferring fruit tea and black tea over other hot beverages. In Germany, tea is usually called and spelled as “tee”, and no matter where you go, you’ll always find local enthusiasts briefing the importance of organic “tee”. As time passes, Germans demand more and more organic tea. So, what can the country do to meet the growing needs of the people? The best thing Germany can do is to start importing organic Japanese tea into the country. But, how?

What is Organic Japanese Tea?

Organic Japanese tea is quite renowned because of its exotic taste and flavors. In Japan, over 70% of the people consume organic tea on a daily basis while over 85% of people need organic Japanese tea once a week to keep up with everything. Now, you know why organic tea is one of the most consumed beverages in the world.

The reason behind this glorious success of organic Japanese tea is the process through which this tea is produced. The process is extremely out-of-the-box where the organic Japanese tea is steamed to preserve the herbaceous and vegetal flavors. This is the prime difference between all the other regular teas and organic Japanese tea. The steaming process helps to prevent the oxidation of the leaves and preserves their natural beauty as well as quality. In this way, you not only treat yourself with the high-quality flavor of organic Japanese tea but you also get to perceive the actual beauty of the leaves.

How to import organic Japanese tea to Germany?

Germany is a European country, thus, if anyone wants to import an organic product, it must be equivalent to the standards of EU-produced goods. To do this, every German importer has to go through a certain process to import organic products to the country.

What is the role of Japan’s control body and authorities?

The process of inspection and certification will be carried out by the national authorities present in the originating country. Therefore, in this case, the national authorities present in Japan will carry out the necessary processes to export organic Japanese tea to Germany. This is primarily done because certain agreements are put in place between the European and non-European countries. Such agreements assess the quality and standards of the organic products to count them equivalent to the organic products produced within European countries. Such countries are known as equivalent countries and Japan is one of them.

As you can see, there are different quality standards for labeling organic for different countries. Now, the role of Japan’s control body and authorities is that they need to provide the necessary certification to confirm that the product is organic and is equivalent to the German-produced goods.

What is the role of Japanese Agricultural Standards (JAS)?

In European countries, Japanese products, especially organic tea, need to be certified under Japanese Agricultural Standards (JAS) by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Japan. Once the products are certified by JAS, a third-party certification – TRACES – jumps in.

Click here to learn more about JAS in detail.

TRACES and e-COI – The two most vital parts of the Japan-Germany Trade

The Trade Control and Expert System or TRACES is a system that helps European countries in monitoring imports. It is also responsible for issuing certificates of imports to verify if the imported products are of equivalent standards to the EU-produced goods or not. TRACES is not only helpful in speeding up the information exchange between the importer and the exporter but it also helps in detecting fake certificates.

TRACES issue the electronic certificate of inspection (e-COI). This certification is your gateway to importing as many products in Germany as you can. No matter how much organic Japanese tea you import, if you have this certification, you’ll be good to go. But, there are three things that you need to keep in mind while you apply for an electronic certificate of inspection.

The exporters as well as the importers must be registered with a regulatory body.
The exporters, importers, and the regulatory must all apply for e-COI.
The certification must be put along with all the consignments.

Customs Clearance

To clear all kinds of customs charges, you need to first register yourself on the TRACES database. In order to do that, you must log in to the EU. Once you’ve registered yourself with TRACES, you have to inform your respective regulatory body that will validate your registration. Digital COI with electronic signatures may or may not be accepted in Germany. Therefore, you must keep a printed and manually signed certificate with you whenever you want to import goods to Germany.

In the case of organic Japanese tea, you have to notify your concerned regulatory body about your imports through TRACES. Once they are within the premises of the country, you’ll have to submit the certificate of inspection to the customs authority of the EU. Such authorities will examine the COI. Once the authority checks all the information and all the data present in the COI is correct, you’ll get customs clearance. The customs clearance will enable you to trade organic Japanese tea freely in Germany.

Business Number

Each country is given a specific business number to fully function in the country and acquire deductions in customs taxes and payments. However, in Germany, each business is given Handelsregisternummer or just registernummer. Once the company has this number, it will appear on the German Trade Register. Now, you can freely import your favorite organic products to Germany without any other regulation or restriction. Your registernummer will have the format like HR_12345. This figure is followed by the name of the district court where you registered your number. For example:

SAP: HRA 350654, Mannheim
N26 bank: HRB 151080 B, Charlottenburg

FAQs

Is there a control body, other than TRACES, that can certify organic Japanese tea?

Yes, there is another regulatory body that can label your product “organic” and make it equivalent to the standards of the EU. This control body is known as Ecocert. Since Ecocert Organic Standard (EOS) is equivalent to the EU-produced goods, you can use its certification to import goods from any non-European country.

How can you create an account on TRACES?

You’ll create an account on TRACES in just four simple steps.

Visit the website of TRACES.
On the website, you’ll see an option of “create account”. Click on it.
Fill out all the necessary details.
To verify the account, you’ll receive a code on your email. Add that code into the required box, and you’ll have yourself an account.

How can you get a registernummer for your business?

In order for your business to appear on the German Trade Register, you’ll need a registernummer. You can request this number when you file for the Fragebogen zur steuerlichen Erfassung. However, this comes with a lot of responsibilities, so you better be prepared.

Conclusion

Germans may have loved coffee in the past but they are now all up for tea. Not just one tea but all kinds of teas. Organic Japanese tea is one of the finest quality teas, and if you really want exotic taste and flavor, organic Japanese tea should be your ultimate choice. Japan is one of the countries that can provide you with the best organic tea. However, there is a certain process that you need to follow in order to import organic Japanese tea to Germany.

Need Assistance on Japanese Tea Importation?

This shipping and importation of Japanese tea in your country have been a long-standing service that we offer. Therefore, if you are interested in Japanese Tea importation either as a business or you simply want to have a taste of quality, authentic Japanese tea, you may contact us through this website, and we are more than happy to assist you. Click here to contact Green Tea Merchant.

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