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Open a Belgian Business for Selling Coffee, Tea and Spices
Updated on Tuesday 14th September 2021 Rate this article
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Hot drinks like coffee and tea are popular among Belgians and the consumption of tea, green tea in particular, has recently been positively influenced by health trends. Coffee remains one of the hot drinks of choice for many individuals, with important quantities being sold throughout the country. Investors who open a Belgian business for selling coffee, tea and spices enter a dynamic market, influenced by current health trends and with potential customers who are both locals and expats and tourists.
Focusing on the quality of the products, and their sustainability (production, current fair-trade standards) is important for those who wish to open a shop that will offer two of the most popular hot drinks in Belgium. In recent years, the healthy-lifestyle trend has been adopted by many Europeans and, as a consequence the sustainable development standards have become more important among consumers who can choose to purchase coffee that observed these standards for production, trade and marketing.
Those who open a Belgian company that sells these types of products can perform a market research in order to determine the preferences of customers, and, in turn, decide on the country or origin for their products.
Specialized coffee, tea and spice shops
Opening a business for selling coffee, tea and spices can mean much more than just distributing certain types of products. We list some of the services shop owners can make available to their clients:
- - Specialty coffee: the shop can offer certain varieties of coffee, from sustainable sources
- - Coffee roasters: a small roaster can be an addition to the shop, so that customers can purchase freshly roasted coffee.
- - Specialty tea: tea from sustainable brands and not necessarily the leading brands that can be found in large Belgian supermarkets.
- - Spices: the herbs and spices market is a diverse one and shops in Belgium can offer various options, for Asian and Middle East cooking.
The two main types of green coffee beans that can be imported into Belgium for a business that sells coffee, tea and spices are coffee Arabica and coffee Robusta. These can be imported as green coffee beans when they are roasted locally for greater freshness and flavor. While coffee and tea remain two important products, spices are also gaining popularity in Belgium. The growing numbers of expats from other countries who are looking to cook using their familiar flavors also influence the overall consumption of spices. Investors who start a business that sells spices can focus on five main categories of spices: Chinese, Indian, Mexican, Vietnamese and Thai (which are somewhat similar in nature).
Once investors have decided on the varieties of products that they wish to sell, and whether or not they will provide related services like roasting coffee, they can begin to consider company registration in Belgium.
Our team can handle the entire company registration procedure and an also help you register your company for VAT in Belgium.
Our team can handle the entire company registration procedure and an also help you register your company for VAT in Belgium.
Company formation in Belgium
The process for opening a company in Belgium is the same for local and foreign investors alike. Moreover, full foreign ownership is permitted. The process starts with choosing a suitable business form and this is an important decision as it will later influence the needed minimum share capital.
Below, we describe the five essential steps for opening a company in Belgium:
- choose the company type: Belgium allows for the formation of several business forms, our of which the SPRL/BVBA is the most popular business type.
- choose the company name: the name of the new company must be an unique one and a name checkup can be performed beforehand.
- prepare the company documents: each company must have the Articles of Association; in addition to these, the directors may need to provide specimen signatures.
- open a bank account: this is opened with a Belgian bank and the minimum share capital will be deposited here; proof of payment is needed for company registration.
- register: the company is registered with the Business Register, the Banque-Carrefour des Entreprises.
Once these steps are complete and the company is registered, investors will also need to purchase or rent adequate premises where they will base the shop. Having the proper licenses for importing coffee, tea and spices is also an issue that needs to be taken into consideration. All companies in Belgium are subject to taxation, with the corporate income tax being the main one applicable to legal entities.
One of our agents who specialize in company formation in Belgium can assist investors throughout all of these steps needed to open a business for selling coffee, tea and spices.
Contact us for more information and advice on opening a company in any business field.
Meet us in Antwerp
Karel Mul is a Doctor of Laws and Master of Roman Notarial Law (Ghent University). He is an experienced corporate lawyer and an active member of numerous international organizations. He will help you establish your company in Belgium and assist you in all business related issues you may encounter.
Call us now at (+32) (0)3 2373426 to set up an appointment with our consultants in Antwerp , Belgium. Alternatively you can incorporate your company without traveling to Belgium.
As our client, you will beneficiate from the joint expertize of local lawyers and international consultants. Together we will be able to offer you the specialized help you require for your business start-up in Belgium.
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A personalized approach, according to the needs of the client. They follow through every step of the company formation process and will also provide pre-incorporation advice, as needed. Their offer will also include post-incorporation services.
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