How a $12M Coffee Importer Saved $180k Annually
Specialty coffee importer with £45M revenue slashed FX costs by 83% and eliminated demurrage with real-time treasury platform
Company Background
The Challenge
Hidden FX Costs Destroying Margins
HSBC charged 2.5% FX spread + £40 per payment. On their 3-5% gross margins, FX costs were consuming 50-80% of profit on every shipment.
On a typical $500k Brazil shipment, they paid $12,540 in hidden FX costs. Across $12M annual volume: $217k annually.
No FX Visibility
CFO could not see real-time FX exposure across 15-20 open supplier bills. When rates moved 2-3% during transit, losses piled up invisibly.
Slow Settlement
HSBC took 2-3 days to settle payments. Delayed container releases cost £15k in demurrage one quarter.
Demurrage Nightmares
No container tracking meant surprise demurrage charges wiping out shipment profits.
3-Week Deployment Timeline
From first contact to full migration in 21 days
Onboarding & Compliance
Full KYB/KYC review, bank setup, 2-hour platform training on FX tracking, rate locks, and container monitoring.
Parallel Testing
First $300k Brazil payment through Unicorn while keeping HSBC as backup. Tested AI bill upload, real-time P/L tracking, 15s rate lock, 2.3s settlement.
Full Migration
Migrated all supplier payments. Integrated FREE container tracking for 15-20 monthly shipments. Set up multi-user access with approval workflows.
The Results
Real-Time Treasury Visibility
CFO now sees live FX P/L across all 15-20 open bills. When BRL/USD moved 3%, locked rates immediately, saving $18k.
Settlement Speed
2.3s wallet-to-wallet settlement. Suppliers receive instant confirmation, releasing containers immediately.
Zero Demurrage
FREE container tracking with 48-72h alerts. Eliminated all demurrage charges.
3% Margin Improvement
$180k savings went to bottom line. On £45M revenue with 3% margin, improved to 3.4%, a 13% profit increase.
Frequently Asked Questions
What challenges did this coffee importer face?
The coffee importer faced significant FX volatility on GBP/USD transactions, unpredictable landed costs due to exchange rate fluctuations during shipping, and costly demurrage fees from delayed container releases caused by slow bank settlements.
How much did they save with Unicorn Currencies?
The coffee importer saved $180,000 annually - an 83% reduction in FX costs. This includes $175k in FX spread savings (0.5% vs 2.5% on $12M volume), $5k in payment fee savings, and eliminated demurrage costs through container tracking.
How long did onboarding take?
The application process takes just 10-15 minutes. Most accounts are approved within 24-48 hours after completing KYB/KYC verification. Full platform deployment including training was completed in 3 weeks.
What features do coffee importers use most?
Coffee importers primarily use real-time FX tracking on open bills for full treasury visibility, container tracking with 48-72 hour arrival alerts to avoid demurrage, and 15-second rate locks to protect margins when currency markets move.
Can other coffee importers get similar results?
Yes, coffee importers and other commodity importers with $1M+ annual FX volume can achieve similar savings. Contact treasury@unicorncurrencies.com for a personalized consultation and savings analysis.
$1M+ Annual FX? Calculate Your Savings
If you are an importer/exporter with $1M+ annual FX volume, you may be overpaying like this coffee importer was.
Minimum: $1M annual FX volume • 3-week deployment • No long-term contracts