What is a coffee broker?

A coffee broker is an intermediary who facilitates transactions between buyers and sellers of green coffee without necessarily taking ownership of the coffee itself. Unlike a trader who buys and then resells, a broker acts as an agent - connecting a roaster looking for a specific coffee with an importer or exporter who has it, and earning a commission on the transaction rather than a margin on the goods.

In practice, the distinction between broker, trader, and importer is often blurred. Some companies described as brokers do take title to coffee; others described as importers act in a broker capacity for certain transactions. The key characteristic is the agency relationship: a broker's value is their network and market knowledge, not their inventory.

For roasters, working with a broker can provide access to coffees or origins that their usual importer doesn't carry - a broker with strong relationships at specific origins can source specific lots on request. The trade-off is that broker-facilitated transactions often involve less direct relationship with the supply chain and less of the educational support a good specialty importer provides. Brokers are more common in higher-volume commercial trade than in the micro-lot specialty market, where importer-roaster relationships tend to be more direct.