World of Cocoa - EUDR at Bohnkaf: Why the Real Work Begins at Origin

With the EUDR, a significant share of responsibility is shifting closer to the origin of the supply chain. For importers and processors in Europe, it is no longer enough to assess only the physical quality of a cocoa shipment. Increasingly, the key question is how reliable the documentation behind a shipment actually is and how clearly its origin can be verified.

In the cocoa sector in particular, it quickly becomes clear that the real challenge does not begin in Europe. Before goods can even be shipped, geodata must be collected, production areas documented, risks assessed, and supporting evidence consolidated across the entire supply chain.

Geodata as the basis for traceability
At Bohnkaf, this process starts before the goods are shipped. Through the Osapiens platform, suppliers receive a so called “Purchase Order Request”. This is a structured request for all geodata that must be linked to a specific shipment. Suppliers can use the platform free of charge and upload the data either through Excel files or formats such as GeoJSON or KML.

The requirements for these datasets are extensive. In addition to trade name, region of origin, and shipment volume, the production areas themselves must be clearly documented.

For smaller farms under four hectares, a single geolocation point with sufficient accuracy is acceptable. Larger areas, however, must be mapped as complete polygons so the actual shape of the cultivation area can be verified.

In the next step, the geodata is analyzed using satellite based systems. The objective is to determine whether there are potential deforestation risks and whether the areas comply with EUDR requirements. In addition, documentation must confirm that the goods were produced in accordance with the legal requirements of the respective country of origin.

 

This includes, among others:
• Land use rights
• Environmental and forestry regulations
• Labour rights and human rights
• Tax and customs regulations
• Requirements regarding the protection of indigenous communities

Important for Buyers
In the future, not only the goods themselves, but also the quality and completeness of the datasets will become part of the risk assessment.

The reality at origin is far more complex
In theory, this process often appears far more straightforward than it is in practice. In cocoa producing regions, data collection frequently involves considerable organizational effort. Many exporters and cooperatives work with hundreds of producers at the same time. Geodata is often collected directly in the field using mobile phones. Especially the initial creation of polygon based farm data can be highly time consuming.

Another challenge is that in many producing countries, only single coordinate points for producers are currently available. For satellite analysis, this creates an additional issue. The system generates a radius around the point, which does not necessarily reflect the actual shape of the plantation. As a result, risks may be flagged outside the real cultivation area.

Cases like these show how closely coordination within the supply chain has become. Follow up questions, additional documentation, and further verification steps are now part of daily operations. At the same time, administrative processes before shipment are becoming significantly longer in many cases.

 

The Biggest Day to Day Challenges:
• Mapping hundreds of producer farms
• Missing polygon based data
• Different technical standards at origin
• Additional training requirements
• Delays before shipment

Why plausibility checks are becoming more important
For importers, the process does not end with simply receiving the data. Increasingly, the focus is also on assessing whether the provided information is plausible and traceable.

At Bohnkaf, the data is therefore reviewed additionally. For example, if only limited geodata is available, checks are carried out to determine whether the reported cultivation area could theoretically support the declared shipment volume. Inconsistencies or open questions are discussed directly with suppliers and documented accordingly.

This additional layer of verification is becoming increasingly important because the quality of available data still varies significantly depending on the origin, exporter, or cooperative. While some partners already work with complete polygons and structured datasets, others are still in the process of building the necessary systems and workflows.

What Is Becoming More Important:
• Plausibility checks of reported volumes
• Closer communication with suppliers
• Traceable documentation
• Consistent datasets across the supply chain

From dataset to Due Diligence Statement
If the satellite analysis of the geodata does not reveal any issues, a Due Diligence Statement can be generated through Osapiens. This is then transmitted directly to the EU TRACES portal via interface connection.

Depending on the size of the company, customers then receive either the DDS reference number or the complete Due Diligence Statement. At the same time, all submitted data remains stored within the system and fully traceable. Additions or changes are only made upon request and in coordination with the respective suppliers.

Step by step, this creates a far more documented and controlled supply chain than was common only a few years ago.

At the End of the Process:
• Satellite based risk assessments
• Documented origin data
• DDS reference numbers or complete DDS documentation
• Traceable datasets throughout the supply chain

The EUDR is changing collaboration across the supply chain
The regulatory requirements of the EUDR are significantly increasing the administrative workload at origin. Many exporters and cooperatives are currently investing substantial resources into data collection, training, and documentation. Especially in regions with smallholder farming structures, this creates additional organizational effort before every shipment.

At the same time, collaboration within the supply chain is also changing. Topics such as traceability, geodata, and risk assessment are now coordinated much more closely between producers, exporters, platform providers, and importers than they were only a few years ago.

For European buyers, one thing is becoming increasingly important: transparency regarding how processes at origin are actually implemented. In the future, the quality of a supply chain will not be judged solely by the product itself, but increasingly by the reliability of the underlying data, processes, and documentation.

The EUDR is therefore changing not only regulatory processes, but also the day to day collaboration across the entire supply chain.