MATOPIBA soybean to a Northern European crusher
An anonymised walkthrough of how a Fontana execution actually runs. Names, exact tonnages and precise laycans changed to protect the counterparty. Structure, timings and process are representative of a real shipment.
- Commodity
- Brazilian soybean, GAFTA 119
- Origin
- MATOPIBA (western Bahia)
- Loading port
- Paranaguá
- Discharge
- Rotterdam
- Indicative volume
- 6,000 t (Panamax parcel)
- Contract terms
- CIF · GAFTA 119 · English-law arbitration
- Settlement
- EUR through Lisbon parent
- End-to-end timeline
- ~42 days from contract signing
- EUDR due-diligence statement
- Yes, geo-referenced to source polygon
How it ran
Day 0 — Enquiry
The buyer, an EU-headquartered crusher, needed a spot cargo of Brazilian soybean to fill a Rotterdam programme gap. First contact through the Lisbon desk via trading@fontana.trade. Firm indication back to the buyer within four hours with a laycan proposal and CIF pricing.
Day 1–5 — KYC and contract
The buyer had an existing KYC file with three other Brazilian traders; Fontana's onboarding pack completed in five business days. Contract drafted in Lisbon on GAFTA 119 template with EUR settlement and English-law arbitration. Signed on day 5.
Day 6–8 — Origination lock-in
Head of Origination in Bahia matched the tonnage against forward positions on supplying farms in western Bahia. Each farm CAR-registered, geo-fenced, satellite-verified for the current growing season. Farm identity attested for the EUDR due-diligence statement that would eventually ship with the cargo.
Day 9–24 — Inland movement
Grain moved by truck from farm silos to a terminal at Paranaguá. Lot IDs preserved through weighbridge, storage bag, silo transfer and shipboard loading — the traceability chain that lets us stand behind the EUDR statement without ambiguity.
Day 25–32 — Loading and documentation
Vessel loaded within the agreed laycan. Bill of lading, phytosanitary certificate, EUR-1, and the EUDR due-diligence statement issued in parallel. Documents sent to the buyer's bank against the letter of credit; discrepancy-free on first presentation.
Day 33–42 — Voyage and discharge
Panamax transit MATOPIBA → Rotterdam. Buyer's QA team received sample results within specification. Discharge to buyer's inland barge on nominated dates. Cargo settled in EUR through Lisbon within contractual payment terms.
What worked, in the buyer's words
Documents on first presentation, EUDR statement attached, no chase emails. That's what we need. — Head of Sourcing, EU crusher
Not every execution is this clean. The point of writing a case study is to describe what "good" looks like from our side, so a prospective buyer can measure any conversation with us against it. If you would like to run a real, on-the-record reference call with a live counterparty, write to trading@fontana.trade — we will arrange it subject to their consent.
Anonymised. This case study is representative of a real execution but the counterparty name, exact volume, exact port pair and exact dates have been changed at the buyer's request. Verified references available on request under NDA.