How to find coffee bean buyers and roasters in different countries

A step-by-step LinkedIn and Google X-ray workflow we’ve used to source qualified green coffee buyers by country in under an hour. Includes exact boolean strings, titles to target, verification steps, and first-message templates. Written by the Indonesia-Coffee Team.

I went from $0 to $10,247 in 90 days using this exact system. It was not magic. It was a simple LinkedIn plus Google X-ray workflow that turned conversations into purchase orders fast. We run Indonesia-Coffee, and we use the same approach today to find serious green coffee buyers and roasters in different countries. You can copy it and adapt it to your origin, product, and target market.

The 3 pillars of fast pipeline generation

Precise targeting. You need the right job titles and company types by country. No more guessing.
Qualification before outreach. Verify who is a real buyer vs a general coffee professional. Save your time.
Tight first message. Clear value, a relevant product fit, and a simple next step.

Here’s the thing. Most producers blast generic lists and then wonder why responses are low. In our experience, a targeted 30-contact list per country beats a cold 300-list every time.

Week 1–2: Market research and validation

Your goal is to build a list of 30–60 decision makers in one target country. Do it in under an hour with these exact searches.

What job titles do green coffee buyers use on LinkedIn?

Green Coffee Buyer. Director of Coffee. Head of Coffee. Coffee Buyer.
Coffee Sourcing Manager. Procurement Manager. Purchasing Manager.
Head Roaster. Roastery Manager. Director of Operations. Owner or Founder at small roasters.
Importers. Green Coffee Trader. Green Coffee Sales. Supply Chain Manager. We recommend starting with buyers, heads of coffee, and sourcing managers first. Then include head roasters at 2–50 person roasteries. Three out of five of our wins started with head roasters who also influence buying.

Do I need Sales Navigator to find coffee buyers by country? No. You can do a lot with free LinkedIn plus Google X-ray. Sales Navigator makes it faster and more accurate, especially by country and seniority. We use both. If budget is tight, start free.

LinkedIn boolean search basics Paste these into the LinkedIn search bar, then filter by People and Country.

“green coffee buyer” OR “coffee buyer” OR “coffee sourcing”
("green coffee" AND buyer) OR (coffee AND procurement)
roaster AND (“head of coffee” OR “director of coffee” OR “head roaster”)

Google X-ray search examples by country Use Google when LinkedIn’s free filters feel limited. Replace country terms accordingly.

site:linkedin.com/in ("green coffee" OR "coffee buyer" OR "coffee sourcing") (roaster OR roastery OR "coffee company") Germany OR Berlin OR Hamburg -jobs -job -recruiter
site:linkedin.com/in ("head roaster" OR "director of coffee") (specialty OR "direct trade") Canada OR Toronto OR Vancouver -jobs -recruiter
site:linkedin.com/in ("green coffee" AND buyer) importer OR "green coffee importer" Spain OR Barcelona -jobs -recruiter Open the top 20 results. Add to a spreadsheet.

Sales Navigator filters that separate specialty from commodity

Geography. Country and major cities.
Company headcount. 2–200 for specialty roasters. 11–1,000 for importers. Avoid 10,000+ if you want faster cycles.
Seniority. Manager, Director, VP, Partner, Owner.
Keywords. Specialty, microlot, Q Grader, direct trade, SCA, roastery.
Spotlights. Posted on LinkedIn in the last 30 days. Changed jobs in 90 days. Following your company. These increase reply rates.
Function. Purchasing, Operations, Supply Chain, Quality.

What filters help separate specialty roasters from commodity traders?

Check the company website for a roaster, not just a cafe. Look for a roasting machine, green buying notes, or an “Our sourcing” page.
Look for certifications on site or product pages. Q Grader, SCA membership, Cup of Excellence participation.
Scan their Instagram for roasting content, cupping tables, and green bags. Importers often show port photos and large warehouse content. Takeaway. Combine headcount, keywords, and visual proof. Your list quality will jump.

How can I tell if a roaster actually buys direct from producers?

Do they list origin partners, farm names, or lots? Do they publish roast dates and crop years?
Do they mention importer partners for logistics only, with direct relationships for selection? That still counts as direct-minded.
Do they have a cupping or QC person on staff? A real roaster that buys direct typically does. If you see only blends with no farms, and no mention of origin partners, they likely prefer importer-only sourcing. Still valuable, but manage expectations.

Use your product-market fit to guide outreach Example matches that work for us:

Bright, clean profiles for filter and light espresso. Arabica Bali Kintamani Grade 1 Green Coffee Beans and Arabica Java Ijen Grade 1 Green Coffee Beans.
Fermentation-forward buyers. Bali, Java, Gayo & Mandheling - Wine Green Arabica Coffee Beans.
Chocolatey espresso bases or low-acid blends. Sumatra Mandheling Green Coffee Beans and Robusta Lampung Green Coffee Beans (ELB & Grades 2–4). Linking a buyer’s stated preference to a specific lot is an easy 2x boost to replies.

Week 3–6: MVP creation and testing

Build an outreach MVP. Keep it lightweight.

A one-page product sheet or page that shows 2–3 lots max. Include cup notes, processing, moisture, screens, and typical applications. If you need a quick reference, you can point to our catalog. View our products.
A trackable spreadsheet. Columns: Company, Country, Title, LinkedIn URL, Email, Source (LI, X-ray), Fit notes, Message variant A/B, Last action, Next action, Stage, Sample need, Product interest.
Two message templates. One for connection notes. One for InMail or email.

What should my first LinkedIn message to a roaster buyer say?

Connection note. 280–300 characters max. “Hi Maria. We work with Indonesian producers on clean Bali and chocolatey Sumatra profiles. Saw your Ethiopia and Sumatra releases. If you evaluate new origins quarterly, could I share 2 lots that match your filter and espresso lines?”

InMail or follow-up after acceptance. “Thanks for connecting, Maria. Quick context. We export smallholder Indonesian lots with QA on moisture and screen uniformity. Based on your menu, two relevant options: Bali Kintamani G1 for filter. Mandheling G1 for chocolate-forward espresso. If helpful, I can send a concise spec and cupping notes.”

How do I find a buyer’s email if they don’t accept my connection?

Check their company site for a team page or press contacts. Look for pattern clues like firstname.lastname@domain.com.
Use Google. site:theircompany.com “@theircompany.com” to reveal email formats exposed on PDFs or press pages.
Use tools that respect privacy and compliance. Ask for opt-in before sending marketing. Keep it relevant and low frequency.

How many connection requests can I send safely per week?

We stay in the 50–80 range per week with 10–15 per day. Ramp up over 2 weeks. Keep acceptance above 35–40 percent. Low acceptance or too many identical notes can trigger limits. Lately, LinkedIn has been stricter on low-relevance outreach, so personalize.

Importer buyer vs roaster buyer. What’s the difference?

Importers want consistency, volumes, and logistics reliability. They care about moisture, screens, and blend stability. They may ask for multiple grades, including past crop or aged options.
Roasters want a story and a cup that fits their menu. They value samples and QC very early. They are fine with smaller lots if the cup sings. You can pitch the same origin differently. For example, importers love Past Crop Green Coffee Beans or Musty Cup Green Coffee Beans (Aged Arabica) as blend components. Specialty roasters lean into Blue Batak Green Coffee Beans or Sumatra Lintong Green Coffee Beans (Lintong Grade 1) for single-origin releases.

Week 7–12: Scale and optimize

A/B test your first line. Reference a recent roast release vs a process preference. Keep the rest of the message identical.
Build country pods. Germany this month. Canada next. Australia after. Each pod gets its own boolean strings, language tweaks, and product fits.
Add light-touch content. Post one helpful insight per week. For example, a side-by-side cupping of Bali Natural Green Coffee Beans vs Jumbo Eighteen Plus Green Coffee Beans with brew parameters. Buyers check your feed before replying.
Track timing. For many markets, new menu planning is quarterly. Your follow-up cadence should mirror that.

Verify roaster legitimacy before you invest time

Check for a physical roaster on their site or socials. No machine often means no buying power.
Look at SKU turnover. Frequent single-origin releases signal active buying.
Cross-check the buyer’s activity. Do they comment on cupping posts, SCA threads, or origin content in the last 30 days? If not, deprioritize.

Need help crafting country-specific boolean strings or a 30-contact list for a target market? We’re happy to share patterns we use. Contact us on whatsapp.

The 5 biggest mistakes that kill outreach to roasters

Pushing a full catalog in the first message. Offer one or two fits max.
Ignoring process preferences. If they post washed-only profiles, do not lead with a wine-fermented coffee.
Skipping legitimacy checks. You waste time on influencers and consultants.
Sending on Mondays. Our reply rates are better Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
No clear next step. Always suggest a spec sheet or a short call. One small ask.

Resources and next steps

Copy the boolean strings above and adapt the city and language to your target country. Build a 30-contact list and score each lead from 1–3 based on fit.
Choose two lots per country. If you want examples that buyers often request from Indonesia, start with Sumatra Mandheling Green Coffee Beans and Arabica Bali Kintamani Grade 1 Green Coffee Beans. Add a fermentation-forward option like Bali, Java, Gayo & Mandheling - Wine Green Arabica Coffee Beans if the market leans experimental.
Run 3 days of outreach. Track responses. Iterate your opener. The reality is that small improvements in targeting and message fit compound fast.

We’ve used this system with buyers in 15+ countries. It works because it respects how roasters actually evaluate new suppliers. If you want a second set of eyes on your search strings or want to compare cup profiles for a specific market, send us a quick note. We’ll point you to the most relevant Indonesian lots and share what we’re seeing this quarter in buyer preferences.