CBP issued a WRO detaining all coffee harvested by Finca Monte Grande in Mexico at U.S. ports due to forced labor concerns, effective immediately.
CBP has issued an immediate Withhold Release Order on coffee harvested by Finca Monte Grande in Mexico under 19 U.S.C. § 1307 for forced and forced child labor. All such coffee shipments will be detained at U.S. ports; no tariff rates or HTS codes changed, but the product is effectively prohibited unless admissibility is proven. Importers must either export/destroy detained coffee or provide evidence it was not produced with forced labor.
CBP has issued a Withhold Release Order (WRO) under 19 U.S.C. § 1307 covering coffee harvested by Finca Monte Grande in Mexico, based on evidence of forced labor and forced child labor. Effective immediately, CBP officers at all U.S. ports of entry will detain shipments of coffee that fall under this WRO. This is not a change to tariff rates or HTS classifications; instead, it is an admissibility prohibition grounded in forced labor law.
For customs brokers and trade compliance teams, the key impact is that any coffee sourced from Finca Monte Grande is now subject to detention and cannot be released into U.S. commerce unless the importer successfully rebuts the forced labor presumption for the specific shipment. Importers of detained shipments have three basic options: (1) export the goods, (2) destroy the goods under CBP supervision, or (3) submit evidence to CBP demonstrating that the particular merchandise was not produced with forced or forced child labor.
Because the WRO is supplier/producer-specific rather than HTS-specific, brokers must ensure that their intake processes capture sufficient supplier detail (estate, farm, or producer name) to identify whether coffee originates from Finca Monte Grande. This may require updating broker questionnaires, power of attorney onboarding checklists, and document review procedures to ensure invoices, purchase orders, and origin statements clearly identify the producing estate. Importers should be advised to review their supply chains for any direct or indirect sourcing from Finca Monte Grande and to halt new purchases destined for the United States.
Operationally, entries for coffee that may be linked to Finca Monte Grande should be flagged for the importer, and brokers should prepare clients for potential delays, storage costs, and the need to decide quickly between export, destruction, or pursuing admissibility. While no specific HTS numbers or duty rates are mentioned, all coffee HTS headings (e.g., 0901.x) are potentially affected when the producer is Finca Monte Grande. Compliance teams should also integrate this WRO into their forced labor risk screening tools and training, alongside UFLPA and other WROs, to prevent inadvertent non-compliant imports.