The entry into force of the European Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) marks a turning point for the entire coffee industry.

Its goal is clear: to ensure that no product entering the European market comes from land that has been deforested or degraded after December 31, 2020.

However, its practical implementation has sparked a deep debate among producers, importers, and roasters: is it possible to uphold the EUDR’s environmental ambition without jeopardizing the viability of the smaller players in the supply chain?

The EUDR represents one of the European Union´s most ambitious steps toward sustainability and traceability.

For the coffee sector, it means collecting geolocated data from farms of origin, implementing Due Diligence Systems (DDS), and proving that products present a negligible risk of deforestation or illegality.

However, the technical complexity and administrative burden have raised concerns, particularly among micro-roasters, small businesses, and producer cooperatives that face greater challenges in adopting digital traceability systems in the short term.

In mid-2025, the European Commission proposed a series of adjustments aimed at balancing environmental ambition with operational feasibility. Among the most notable measures:

• Extension until December 2026 for micro and small enterprises, granting them one additional year compared to larger companies.
• Simplification of due diligence procedures: a single declaration within the TRACES system, instead of multiple reports.
• Reduction of administrative costs by up to 30%.
• Concentration of legal responsibility on the initial importers, who will continue to be the main liable parties.

These modifications provide genuine relief for smaller players in the sector but also confirm an underlying reality: understanding and readiness for the regulation remain uneven across the supply chain.

In practice, small roasters will be exempt from submitting regular due diligence declarations if their information is already included in a national database or if they work with importers who assume that responsibility.

However, exemption does not mean the absence of responsibility. These actors must still maintain traceability and keep records for at least five years, ensuring that their coffee comes from verified sources.

The real challenge is not only technical but also cultural and operational: understanding what information needs to be collected, how to share it, and how to preserve its integrity throughout the entire value chain.

For importing companies like Xorxios, the EUDR entails taking on a central role in the transition toward a more responsible supply chain. It is not only about complying with a regulatory obligation, but also about facilitating the adaptation of the entire coffee ecosystem.

In our case, we have adopted a dual approach:

• Technical and training support for the producers and cooperatives we work with, helping them implement geolocation and documentation processes that meet regulatory standards.
• Implementation of digital tools to ensure full traceability of each lot from its origin to its arrival in Europe, guaranteeing the availability of all information required under the EUDR.

Our commitment is clear: to comply and to support.

The extension proposed by the European Commission provides time, but it does not necessarily guarantee readiness. From our experience, technical and legal understanding of the EUDR remains one of the greatest challenges.

A real postponement of its entry into force, beyond a simple grace period, would allow all actors, especially producing countries, the time and support needed to implement robust and verifiable systems. Otherwise, the risks are clear:

• Loss of access to the European market due to formal non-compliance rather than environmental malpractice.
• Inequality between technologically equipped actors and small-scale producers.
• Information gaps that could undermine transparency across the entire supply chain.

At Xorxios, we believe that compliance with the EUDR should not be seen merely as a bureaucratic challenge, but as an opportunity to professionalize and strengthen the specialty coffee sector. The implementation of advanced traceability systems will make it possible to:

• Increase consumer confidence in the origin of coffee.
• Enhance the reputation of brands that demonstrate environmental responsibility.
• Facilitate access to international markets and certifications.

When sustainability is measured and documented, it stops being just a narrative and becomes a tangible competitive advantage.

At Xorxios, we are already actively working to ensure full compliance with the EUDR.

Since the regulation was first announced, we have accompanied all our suppliers and partners at origin to ensure that every lot of imported coffee is geolocated, verified, and documented in accordance with the regulation’s requirements.

Our commitment is that all coffees imported from December 30, 2025 onwards will be accompanied by the complete documentation certifying their compliance with the EUDR. Because our duty as importers is not only to comply with the regulation, but also to help the entire value chain — producers, roasters, and distributors — comply alongside us.

The EUDR redefines the framework of responsibility within the coffee industry abd its success will depend not only on technology or deadlines, but on genuine collaboration among all links in the supply chain.

In this sense, the European Commission´s recent adjustments are a step toward more effective implementation. However, the true challenge remains transforming compliance into culture: a culture built on accurate data, transparent cooperation and shared sustainability.

At Xorxios, we will continue to promote training and technical support as key pillars to ensure that this transition becomes not a burden, but an opportunity for evolution across the entire specialty coffee sector.