1
Grower & mill selection
Every supply line starts with a visit. We look at drying yards, storage, moisture control and how the previous season’s crop was handled. Suppliers who cannot show us their process do not enter the panel.
Quality is a process, not a certificate on a wall.
Anyone can send you a laboratory report. The question is whether it belongs to the lot in your container. Here is exactly how we make sure it does.
NABL-accredited testingRetained samples, 12 monthsCold-chain loggingThird-party inspection on request
Six control points
What happens between the field and your warehouse
Each stage exists because that is where lots typically fail. None of it is exotic; it is simply done every time rather than when convenient.
2
Incoming lot inspection
Each lot is sampled on arrival and checked for moisture, foreign matter, damage, colour and odour before it is accepted into our account. Rejected lots go back — they do not get blended down into a shipment.
3
Accredited laboratory testing
Depending on the product, we run pesticide residue panels, aflatoxin, heavy metals, microbiological screens, curcumin or volatile-oil assay, and physical grade analysis at NABL-accredited laboratories.
4
Processing & packing control
Grading, sieving, cleaning, blanching, freezing, sterilising and packing are supervised against a written specification. Packing material is food-grade and matched to the transit time and climate the cargo will actually see.
5
Pre-shipment sample & approval
A representative sample from the finished lot goes to you before the container is booked. Nothing sails on a sample drawn from a different batch.
6
Container stuffing under supervision
Stuffing is photographed, the seal number is recorded, and desiccant, liners, dunnage or pre-cooled reefer settings are applied according to the cargo. You get the photographs and the packing list the same day.
Testing
What we test, and why
Test panels are matched to the commodity and the destination market’s regulatory profile — there is no point running a spice panel on coir, or a European MRL screen on a cargo bound for a market with different limits.
| Parameter | Applies to | Method |
|---|---|---|
| Pesticide residue (multi-residue MRL panel) | Spices, tea, coffee, botanicals, vegetables | GC-MS/MS & LC-MS/MS |
| Aflatoxin B1 & total | Cashew, spices, dried fruit | HPLC-FLD |
| Heavy metals (Pb, Cd, As, Hg) | Botanicals, spices, powders | ICP-MS |
| Microbiology (TPC, yeast & mould, Salmonella, E. coli, Listeria) | All food lines, frozen in particular | ISO reference methods |
| Core temperature & freeze curve | All IQF frozen lines | Probe log at blast freezer |
| Curcumin content | Turmeric | HPLC |
| Volatile oil & piperine | Pepper, ginger, cardamom | Distillation / HPLC |
| FFA, peroxide value, moisture | Coconut & specialty oils | AOCS titration |
| EC, pH, sodium | Coco peat & substrates | 1:1.5 water extract |
| Iodine value, ash, hardness | Activated carbon | ASTM methods |
Documentation
The paperwork that travels with your cargo
A detained container almost never fails on the goods. It fails on a document that was prepared late, in the wrong name, or against the wrong HS code.
- Commercial invoice and detailed packing list
- Bill of lading or airway bill
- Certificate of origin — ordinary or preferential, as your tariff position requires
- Phytosanitary certificate for plant-origin cargo
- Certificate of analysis for the exact lot shipped
- Health certificate and FSSAI declaration for food lines
- Temperature logger download for frozen consignments
- Fumigation certificate where the destination requires it
- Organic transaction certificate for certified lots
- Halal, Kosher or Fair Trade certification where nominated
- Insurance certificate on CIF contracts
Scanned documents are sent by email as soon as they are issued; originals follow by courier or through the negotiating bank, whichever your terms specify.
Common questions
What buyers usually ask first
Can you supply certified organic material?
Yes, on nominated lines. We work with certified operators for EU 2018/848 and USDA NOP, and transaction certificates are issued against the shipment. Because organic certification travels with the operator rather than with us alone, we confirm availability per lot rather than claiming blanket coverage.
How do you protect frozen cargo in transit?
Product is blast frozen to a −35 °C core, held at −18 °C or colder, and loaded into a pre-cooled reefer rather than one chilled down after stuffing. A calibrated temperature logger travels inside every container, and we book only with lines that can evidence plug-in continuity through transhipment. The logger download is part of the arrival document set.
Who pays for laboratory testing?
Standard testing against the agreed specification is included in our price. If you require additional panels, a specific nominated laboratory, or third-party inspection by SGS, Bureau Veritas or Intertek, that is quoted separately and arranged on your behalf.
What happens if a shipment does not meet specification?
We would rather find it before the vessel sails, which is what the pre-shipment sample is for. If a discrepancy is confirmed on arrival, we ask for the analysis and the retained sample, investigate against our own retained sample, and settle by replacement, credit or discount — agreed in writing, not argued about.
Do you hold retained samples?
Yes. A sealed retained sample from every export lot is held for twelve months, which is what makes an arrival dispute resolvable rather than a matter of opinion.
Can you produce to our private-label specification?
Yes. Buyer artwork, retail-ready packing, custom mesh, custom cut sizes and dedicated production runs are all standard. For areca tableware we will cut a new die to your own drawing. Minimums depend on the line and the tooling or packaging lead time.
Which certifications does the company hold?
Coast India Agro LLP operates under IEC registration with APEDA and Spices Board registration as applicable to the commodity, and FSSAI licensing for food lines. Product-level certifications — HACCP, BRCGS, Halal, Kosher, organic — sit with the nominated processing facility and are confirmed per programme.
Start a conversation
Send us a specification. We will send back a price, a sample and a timeline.
Tell us the product, the grade, the volume and the destination port. Most inquiries are answered within one business day, and every quotation we issue is one we can actually ship.