Three suppliers reply to “please quote for 50 kg of gourmet vanilla”. One quotes FOB Surabaya in dollars, one quotes delivered Paris in euros, and one asks seven questions first. None of the prices can be compared, and the third supplier may be the most useful.
A vanilla bean RFQ for France should state who is buying and for what use, the specification (species, form, length, moisture with method, defect limits), quantity and packaging, an Incoterms 2020 rule with a named place, the documents and samples required, and the commercial terms to quote. Send the same form to every supplier so the answers compare like for like.
En bref : une demande de prix (RFQ) pour la vanille doit préciser l’usage, la spécification (espèce, longueur, humidité et méthode, défauts), la quantité, l’emballage, l’Incoterm 2020 avec le lieu, les documents et échantillons, et les conditions commerciales. Envoyez le même formulaire à chaque fournisseur.
This guide is for procurement and import teams buying vanilla for France. It answers the questions buyers ask when writing their first vanilla supplier inquiry, explains each field, and ends with a free two-page template. Our earlier RFQ guide for US buyers covers US-specific rules; this one is adapted for France and the EU.
What is a vanilla bean RFQ, and why use one?
A vanilla bean RFQ, or request for quotation, is a written list of your requirements that suppliers answer with a price and terms. Using the same RFQ for every supplier makes quotes comparable, exposes gaps early, and gives you a document to check the delivery against. It is the core of any vanilla procurement template.
A vague inquiry invites vague answers. Grade names such as “gourmet” or “Grade A” mean different things to different suppliers, and a price without an Incoterm hides who pays for freight, insurance and risk. The RFQ fixes these points before money changes hands.
What should a vanilla bean RFQ for France include?
A vanilla bean RFQ for France should include six blocks: buyer and role, product specification, quantity and packaging, delivery terms, documents and samples, and the supplier’s quote. Each block answers a question a supplier would otherwise guess, and each guess changes the price.
The six blocks of a vanilla bean RFQ
| Block | What to state | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Buyer and role | Company, application, EU importer of record, delivery site | The supplier can suggest the right selection and documents |
| 2. Product specification | Species, form, length, moisture and method, defect limits, aroma test | Turns a grade name into something you can check |
| 3. Quantity and packaging | Volume per order and year, bag and carton size, closure, labels | Volume and pack change the unit price |
| 4. Delivery | Incoterms 2020 rule and place, air or sea, target date | Defines who pays and bears risk at each stage |
| 5. Documents and samples | Representative sample, lot-linked lab report, traceability, packaging documents | Separates what is available from what is promised |
| 6. Supplier quote | Price per kg and currency, MOQ, lead time, payment terms, validity | The fields you will actually compare |
How do you write the product specification in a vanilla supplier inquiry?
Write the specification as measurable limits rather than grade names: botanical species, form (whole, split or cuts), minimum length, a moisture range with its test method and basis, defect limits including zero mould, and how you will judge aroma. Add vanillin only if your application needs it, with method and basis.
Example specification lines for a vanilla supplier inquiry
| Field | Weak wording | Better wording (your values) |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | “Gourmet, Grade A” | Whole, unsplit pods for visible pastry use; split pods no more than [x]% by count |
| Length | “Long beans” | Minimum [x] cm; average [x–y] cm on a sample of [n] pods |
| Moisture | “Moist” | [x–y]% moisture, wet basis, by [named method] |
| Defects | “Good quality” | No mould; stains and foreign matter within [limits] |
| Aroma | “Strong aroma” | Equal or better than our reference in a coded test in |
The values are yours to set. For reference points, CBI describes Grade A gourmet beans at about 30% moisture and over 15 cm, and extraction beans at about 20% moisture. Our vanilla bean quality guide for France and gourmet specification guide help you choose limits for your use.
Which Incoterm should French buyers use for vanilla?
Name one Incoterms 2020 rule and a precise place in every vanilla bean RFQ for France. Vanilla often travels by air, so the any-mode rules FCA, CPT, CIP or DAP usually fit better than FOB or CIF, which the ICC reserves for sea and inland waterway transport. Choose the rule that matches who handles freight.
Common Incoterms 2020 choices for vanilla bound for France
| Rule | Transport | Seller arranges | Often suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| FCA [origin airport or warehouse] | Any mode | Export clearance and handover to your carrier | Buyers with their own forwarder |
| CPT / CIP [French airport] | Any mode | Main carriage; CIP also insurance | Buyers who want the seller to book freight |
| DAP [your site in France] | Any mode | Delivery to your door, unloading and import duties excluded | Smaller buyers wanting one delivered price |
| FOB / CIF [port] | Sea only | Loading on board; CIF adds freight and insurance | Larger sea shipments |
| DDP [your site] | Any mode | Everything, including import clearance and duty | Rare for food; the seller must handle EU import formalities |
The ICC describes Incoterms 2020 as the current version. Always write the version and place, for example “CIP Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Incoterms 2020”. Under most rules the French buyer remains responsible for import clearance, so name your EU importer of record in the RFQ.
How much vanilla should you put in an RFQ, and what is a typical MOQ?
State the quantity for this order and your expected annual volume, then ask each supplier for its minimum order quantity. MOQs vary widely by supplier and selection, so there is no single figure. A realistic annual volume helps a supplier price fairly and plan stock, even if you start with a small trial.
Many buyers begin with a sample, then a pilot lot, then regular orders, and say so in the RFQ. If you only need a few kilograms, ask whether retail or smaller packs are available rather than forcing a bulk quote. For packaging fields, see our bulk vanilla packaging guide for France.
What documents and samples should a vanilla RFQ request?
Request a representative sample linked to the lot on offer, a lot-linked lab report from an accredited laboratory with the tests you agree, traceability records, packaging documents such as a declaration of compliance for plastics, and any certificates you plan to claim. Ask suppliers to state which documents are not available.
The answer “not available” is useful information, not a failure. It tells you what you will need to test yourself or obtain elsewhere. Our vanilla supplier checklist for France lists the evidence in more depth, and our traceability guide explains the lot records to ask for.
How do you compare quotes from different vanilla suppliers?
Compare quotes only after converting them to the same Incoterm, currency and unit, and only for lots that meet the same specification. Add freight, insurance, duty and testing where a quote excludes them, so you compare a landed cost per kilogram. Then weigh the sample result, documents and lead time.
Vanilla quote comparison table
| Line | Supplier A | Supplier B | Supplier C |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quoted price per kg and Incoterm | |||
| + freight and insurance to your site | |||
| + import duty and clearance | |||
| + testing you must pay for | |||
| = landed cost per kg | |||
| Sample result against your reference | |||
| Documents available / not available | |||
| Lead time and MOQ |
A low price with missing documents or a weak sample is rarely the cheapest outcome. Confirm the duty rate for heading 0905 10 in the EU’s Access2Markets database on the day you budget, rather than relying on a figure from an article.
What payment terms are common in vanilla supply?
Payment terms vary by supplier, order size and trust. New relationships often use advance payment, a deposit with the balance before shipment, or payment against documents. Ask each supplier to state its terms in the RFQ reply, and agree what happens to payment if the lot fails your agreed checks.
Link payment milestones to evidence you can verify: for example, the balance after the pre-shipment sample matches your reference. This is a commercial choice rather than a rule, so weigh the supplier’s risk as well as yours.
Should you write a vanilla RFQ in English or French?
Write your vanilla RFQ in the language your suppliers read most reliably. For Indonesian and other origin suppliers, that is usually English. Keep French terms you depend on, such as “gousses fendues” or “vanille givrée”, with an English translation beside them, so nothing is lost or misread.
If your internal team works in French, keep a French version for approval and send the English one. Make sure numbers, units and decimal separators match in both, because a comma in “1,5 %” can be read differently by an English-speaking supplier.
What are the most common mistakes in a vanilla RFQ?
The most common mistakes in a vanilla RFQ are relying on grade names, omitting the moisture method, quoting without an Incoterm and place, skipping the annual volume, forgetting the EU importer, and accepting “yes” to every document without evidence. Each one makes quotes harder to compare and deliveries harder to check.
Common vanilla RFQ mistakes and how to fix them
| Mistake | What happens | Fix in the RFQ |
|---|---|---|
| Asking for “Grade A” only | Each supplier uses its own definition | State length, moisture, splits and defects |
| Moisture without a method | Results cannot be compared | Name the method and wet or dry basis |
| No Incoterm or place | Prices hide freight, insurance and risk | Name one Incoterms 2020 rule and place |
| No annual volume | Suppliers price a one-off order | Give order and expected annual volume |
| No EU importer named | Import formalities and labels are left open | Name the importer of record |
| Accepting every “yes” | Promised documents never arrive | Ask for evidence and for items not available |
| No sample link to the lot | The bulk lot may differ from the sample | Require a lot code on the sample |
After the order arrives, compare the delivery with your reference sample using our guide to vanilla sample evaluation in France. A vanilla bean RFQ for France works best when the same fields carry through to the purchase order and the arrival check.
Download the vanilla bean RFQ template for France
The two-page PDF covers all six blocks, with example wording in grey and a supplier-quote section to return. It is a vanilla procurement template you can adapt and reuse for every vanilla bean RFQ for France.
Download the RFQ template (PDF)
Subject: RFQ for Indonesian vanilla beans, delivery to France
We are [company], buying vanilla for [application] in France. Please find our RFQ attached. We would appreciate a reply to every line, including where an item is not available, by [date].
Please quote on [Incoterms 2020 rule and place], in [currency] per kg, with your MOQ, lead time, payment terms and quote validity. Our EU importer of record will be [name, address].
Where Vanilla Atlas fits
Vanilla Atlas supplies Indonesian Vanilla planifolia in five selections. We answer RFQs line by line, and each quote states the lot’s handling chain. France is on our Shipping & Destinations page, with availability, charges and timing confirmed for each order.
A batch-specific certificate of analysis is not currently available, and we will mark any other document we cannot provide. Send us your completed template, and we will reply with what we can confirm, the selection we suggest testing, and a sample.
Submit your completed requirements, or contact us if you would like help filling in the template.
Frequently asked questions
What is an RFQ for vanilla beans?
An RFQ, or request for quotation, is a written list of your requirements that suppliers answer with a price and terms. For vanilla it covers use, specification, quantity, packaging, Incoterm, documents and samples, so every supplier quotes on the same basis.
What should I include in a vanilla supplier inquiry?
Include your company and use, species, form, length, moisture with method, defect limits, quantity, pack size, an Incoterms 2020 rule with place, the documents and samples you need, and ask for price, MOQ, lead time, payment terms and validity.
Which Incoterm is best for importing vanilla into France?
There is no single best rule. Vanilla often moves by air, so FCA, CPT, CIP or DAP usually fit, because FOB and CIF are for sea transport only. Name the rule, the place and Incoterms 2020 in the RFQ.
What is a typical minimum order for vanilla beans?
MOQs vary widely by supplier and selection, so ask each supplier. State your order and annual volume in the RFQ, and if you need only a few kilograms, ask whether smaller packs are available rather than a bulk quote.
How do I compare vanilla quotes fairly?
Convert every quote to the same Incoterm, currency and unit, add freight, insurance, duty and testing to reach a landed cost per kilogram, and compare only lots that meet the same specification and pass your sample test.
Can I use one vanilla procurement template for every supplier?
Yes, and you should. Sending the same vanilla procurement template to every supplier makes answers comparable and shows who answers every line. Update it as your specification or volumes change, and keep the version used for each order.
Sources and review scope
Sources checked 5 November 2026. This is a buyer-side guide, not legal, customs or contract advice. Incoterms summaries are simplified; read the ICC rules for the full allocation of costs and risk. Moisture and length reference points come from CBI and are not universal limits. No duty rate, MOQ or price is given, because they vary by supplier, lot and date.
- International Chamber of Commerce: Incoterms rules.
- CBI: Entering the European market for vanilla, updated 2 May 2023.
- CBI: Buyer requirements for spices and herbs, updated 12 May 2026.
- European Commission: Access2Markets, for duty rates.
