Sourcing guide from the Sunex Commodities origin desk.
Planning sourcing against the harvest is what separates a buyer who gets the right lot from one who takes what is left. This calendar maps the main and light crops across the West and Central African origins where we operate.
The principle
Soft commodities are seasonal. Cocoa and coffee are available when they are harvested, dried and ready to ship, not on demand. A buyer who enquires at the peak of the main crop gets the best selection and the best price. A buyer who enquires in the thin months takes what stored stock allows, often at a premium.
Cocoa: West and Central Africa
- Main crop: October–March. The dominant harvest. Best fermented and dried, best value.
- Light crop: April–June (varies). Smaller beans, useful for screen-size buyers, more limited volume.
- Thin season: July–September. Stored stock, premiums, limited selection.
Coffee: Central and East Africa
- Cameroon Robusta: main harvest around May–August.
- Uganda Robusta: main harvest around June–August, with a fly crop in some zones.
- Ethiopia Arabica: main harvest October–December (varies by region; Yirgacheffe later than Harrar).
- Tanzania Arabica: main harvest May–August, with a fly crop in some areas.
How to use this calendar
- Contract shipment windows against the relevant main crop so the lot is freshly harvested and graded.
- Build buffer stock from main-crop volume if your demand runs into the thin season.
- Combine origins across Africa and South America so a gap in one region is covered by another.
South America as cover
Brazil's main Arabica harvest runs May–September; Colombia has two harvests. These windows help cover African thin seasons and give buyers year-round availability.
Plan with us
If you share your annual volume and destination, our origin desk will map a shipment calendar across origins so you are never sourcing in the thin months.