Question 1

What is xchange.coffee?

Accepted Answer

xchange.coffee is a digital marketplace for the global green coffee trade. Producers and exporters list verified lots, roasters and importers buy them, and payment and ownership change hands in the same instant - but only once the warehouse confirms the coffee. No paper, no 30-to-90 day settlement, no counterparty risk. From Seed to Settlement.

Question 2

Do I need an account to look around?

Accepted Answer

No. You can browse the marketplace, open any lot's digital passport, view the activity ledger and the network map without signing in. You only need an account to buy, sell, or act on a trade. Create one from the Sign in page - it takes a moment and comes with a funded demo wallet.

Question 3

What are the demo accounts?

Accepted Answer

On the Sign in page there is a 'Demo accounts' panel with one-click logins for each role - Producer, Exporter, a Roaster/Buyer, the DMCC Coffee Centre (Custodian), a Financier and an Admin. They let you walk the whole journey (buy, warehouse confirmation, settlement) without registering each role. They also accept the password 'demo1234' if you prefer to sign in manually.

Question 4

What is a digital passport?

Accepted Answer

Every lot has a digital passport - a tamper-proof record of its origin, varietal, process, quality score, certifications, plot location and warehouse. Open any lot in the marketplace to see it, including a provenance timeline from harvest to listing, the producer's verified identity, and a deforestation-free compliance panel.

Question 5

How do I buy a lot?

Accepted Answer

Sign in as a buyer, open a lot's passport, and choose 'Buy now' (or 'Place an offer' to propose a price). That starts a trade. You then fund the safe settlement - your payment is held, not sent. Once the DMCC Coffee Centre confirms the coffee is received and the quality matches, settlement fires automatically: the seller is paid and ownership transfers to you in the same instant.

Question 6

Can I buy part of a lot?

Accepted Answer

Yes. On a listed lot you can choose how many bags to buy, up to the full lot. The remainder stays listed for other buyers. The price per kilogram is the same; the total adjusts to the quantity you pick.

Question 7

How does safe settlement work? Can I be cheated?

Accepted Answer

When you buy, your payment is held safely - it leaves your wallet but is not released. It can only be released once the DMCC Coffee Centre confirms two things: the lot is received at the warehouse, and its quality matches the passport. At that moment, in a single step, the seller is paid and ownership transfers to you. If the warehouse has not confirmed, settlement is blocked with a clear reason. Neither side can be cheated.

Question 8

How long does settlement take?

Accepted Answer

On confirmation, not months later. Traditional coffee trades can take 30 to 90 days to settle on paper. Here, once the warehouse confirms the coffee and the warrant transfers, payment and ownership change hands together - a short operational window, not a waiting game.

Question 9

What is the activity ledger?

Accepted Answer

The activity ledger is the exchange's tamper-proof record of every event - passports issued, offers placed, warehouse confirmations, settlements and ownership transfers - in order, each with a settlement reference. It is what makes provenance and settlement auditable. Open it from the top navigation, or follow a lot's 'settlement record' link from its passport.

Question 10

How do I list a lot to sell?

Accepted Answer

Sign in as a producer or exporter and choose 'List a lot' in the top navigation. Fill in the origin, quality and price. On submit, the lot is verified, given its digital passport, and listed for sale in one step - it appears in the marketplace immediately.

Question 11

What is EUDR / the due diligence statement?

Accepted Answer

The EU Deforestation Regulation requires importers to prove exactly where coffee was grown and that no forest was cleared for it. Every lot here captures its plot coordinates and a satellite check. From the Compliance centre (or a lot's passport) you can generate and download a ready due diligence statement as a PDF, with the risk level and geo-verification on record.

Question 12

What is trade finance / a working-capital advance?

Accepted Answer

Coffee can sit in a bonded warehouse for weeks before it sells. Because every lot is verified and its custody is visible, a financier can safely advance cash against it now. A producer requests an advance against a warehoused, verified lot from the Finance page; a financier approves it and the funds move; the advance plus a small fee is repaid when the lot sells.

Question 13

How does the wallet work? Is this real money?

Accepted Answer

Your digital wallet holds a US-dollar balance you spend on the exchange. This is a demonstration, so the balance is demo funds, not real money - you can top up any time with 'Add demo funds'. Your wallet page shows your balance and full activity: payments held for purchases, releases on settlement, and any finance advances.

Question 14

What is the network map?

Accepted Answer

The network map plots coffee roasters and importers across the GCC (UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain) against coffee origins around the world - the demand this exchange connects to supply. Click an origin to see its detail and jump to the lot; click a business to see its city and website. Settlement journeys shown on the map are illustrative, on sample data ahead of launch.

Question 15

What is the difference between species and varietal?

Accepted Answer

Species is the botanical type - Arabica or Robusta. Varietal is a variety within a species (Geisha, Bourbon, SL28 and Heirloom are all Arabica varietals). You can filter the marketplace by both: pick a species (Arabica/Robusta), then narrow by process, score, origin and price.

Question 16

What is the price ticker at the top?

Accepted Answer

The bar at the very top shows the live coffee futures market: the Arabica 'C' price (a live ICE quote) and Robusta (shown as indicative). Green means up, red means down, with the change for the day - the same up/down colours used across the platform's market data.

Question 17

Who is the DMCC Coffee Centre / the custodian?

Accepted Answer

The DMCC Coffee Centre in Dubai is the bonded warehouse that physically holds every lot. As the custodian, it confirms that a lot has been received and that its quality matches the passport. That confirmation is the gate that unlocks safe settlement - it is what lets buyer and seller trade with confidence.

Help centre

Getting started

What is Xchange?

Custody and settlement

The digital passport

How safe settlement works