How to Import Coca-Cola Wholesale: A Step-by-Step Guide for Distributors

What you need to import Coca-Cola wholesale

To import Coca-Cola wholesale, your business needs a supplier that sells to the trade by the pallet, an agreed Incoterm and the documents your destination country requires. If you buy from another European Union country, the goods must be shipped to another EU country and your EU VAT number must be valid for the sale to be invoiced without VAT; there are no customs formalities between EU countries. At ORBIS the minimum order is 1 full pallet per reference, with no full container required, and we sell to businesses only. Below are the six stages of an order, followed by what to check depending on where you buy from.

1. Sourcing: where the stock comes from

Every order starts with batch verification at source. We buy directly from authorized bottlers and certified wholesalers within the European Union, checking best-before dates and batch numbers before reserving stock in your name. See our full product catalog, including Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola Zero, Fanta, Sprite and Schweppes.

2. B2B contract: closing the order

We formalize a fixed-price trade agreement, specifying the Incoterm (FOB, CIF, EXW or DDP) and reserving stock. The minimum order is 1 full pallet per reference — no full container requirement. The same minimum applies to our other brands: see our wholesale soft drinks and, for energy drinks, Red Bull and Monster wholesale pages.

3. Quality control: what we check before loading

Every batch is physically inspected before leaving the warehouse: remaining shelf life (we guarantee 9 to 18 months on arrival), label condition and pallet shrink-wrap integrity. No shipment leaves without this check. If you are buying for resale, also see what to check before buying Coca-Cola in bulk for resale.

4. Palletised logistics: how your order travels

We consolidate cargo and optimize pallet builds based on your order volume, using ocean, road or multimodal routes depending on the destination market.

5. Customs clearance: the paperwork you don't have to handle

We prepare EUR.1 certificates of origin and T1 transit documentation in-house, plus phytosanitary certificates where the destination market requires them.

6. Delivery at the agreed destination

Delivery follows the agreed Incoterm. Our trading desk responds to any quote request within 24 business hours with availability, pricing and lead time before the order is confirmed.

Buying from another EU country: EU VAT number and VIES

According to the European Commission's Your Europe portal, a business selling goods to a business customer in another EU country does not charge VAT if the goods are sent to another EU country and the customer has a valid EU VAT number; if the customer has no valid number, the seller usually charges VAT at its own country's rate. The same page warns that there are several important exceptions.

• Check your number in VIES before you order, and keep a record of the validation in case of a tax audit.
• If the result is "invalid", the number may not exist, may not be activated for intra-EU transactions, or the registration may not be finalised (some EU countries require a separate registration). Contact your tax authority.

No customs inside the EU; outside it, EUR.1 and transit

In the single market, most goods move freely between EU countries; customs formalities apply to trade with non-EU countries, including those of the European Economic Area, Switzerland, Türkiye, Andorra and San Marino.

• Spain to France or Belgium: no customs clearance. Depending on the country and your volume, your business may have to report these arrivals for Intrastat statistics; each country sets its own thresholds and reporting rules. Any taxes your country levies on drinks are separate.
• Outside the EU: the EUR.1 is one of the types of proof of origin used under the EU's preferential agreements with certain countries to claim a reduced or zero tariff (other agreements accept an exporter's statement on origin), and customs transit suspends import duties and taxes while the goods travel. ORBIS prepares the EUR.1, T1 and phytosanitary certificate when the destination requires them.

Traceability: what records to keep

The EU General Food Law (Regulation (EC) No 178/2002) requires food businesses to identify at least their immediate supplier and the immediate business customer they supply: one step back, one step forward (European Commission). It is worth keeping invoices and delivery notes showing the batch number and best-before date of every pallet; ORBIS checks both before reserving stock.

Before you order, check which Incoterm suits you and how many cans are on a pallet and what it weighs. If your business is elsewhere in Europe, see Coca-Cola wholesale from Spain, shipped across Europe.

General information only; confirm it with your adviser or customs agent. Information checked on 23/10/2026. Source: European Commission (Your Europe, Food Safety, Taxation and Customs Union).