By Richie Lin    Photo：CANVA

For companies that already have experience importing olive oil to Taiwan, the basic process is usually familiar: supplier development, quotation confirmation, document preparation, import customs declaration, imported food inspection, Chinese labeling, and channel listing. However, in actual operations, the key factor affecting import performance is often not whether a single step has been completed, but whether the entire supply chain can achieve document consistency, stable sailing schedules, controllable inspections, reasonable inventory levels, smooth distribution, and reliable channel delivery.

In other words, olive oil import logistics should not be viewed merely as the execution of “booking, customs clearance, and trucking.” It should be re-examined from a supply chain management perspective. The factors that truly affect sales performance and customer experience often occur after the goods have been released, including warehousing, labeling, order allocation, distribution, and last-mile delivery capability. Importing does not end when the goods arrive at the port. It is only truly completed when the products are delivered accurately, completely, and on time to supermarkets, e-commerce warehouses, foodservice customers, distributors, or end consumers.

A. Taiwan’s Olive Oil Market Is Mature, Making Logistics Management Increasingly Important

Looking at HS 1509 “Olive oil and its fractions, whether or not refined, but not chemically modified,” Taiwan’s olive oil import sources are highly concentrated.

In 2024, Taiwan’s total import value of olive oil under HS 1509 was approximately US$63.6M, with Italy and Spain together accounting for around 91%.

This shows that Taiwan’s olive oil market is no longer in an early introduction stage. It is a relatively mature and clearly competitive market. In this environment, an importer’s competitiveness does not come only from purchase price, brand selection, or product grade, but also from the execution capability of its downstream supply chain.

For experienced importers, the real questions to focus on include:

• Can European suppliers ship steadily according to the sales tempo?
• Can ocean freight schedules match promotional periods and inventory needs?
• Has the time required for imported food inspection after arrival been included in the delivery plan?
• Can Chinese labels, batch numbers, COA, and health certificates be checked for consistency before shipment?
• After customs release, can warehousing, labeling, order allocation, and distribution be completed quickly?
• Have the delivery requirements of supermarkets, e-commerce platforms, foodservice customers, or distributors been planned in advance?
• Will last-mile delivery affect customer experience, return rates, and channel service levels?
• Is inventory overly concentrated, creating pressure on cash flow and warehousing?

These are not simply logistics operation issues. They directly affect sales planning, inventory turnover, customer satisfaction, and cash flow.

B. For Experienced Importers, Common Problems Often Occur at Process Handover Points

Mature importers usually understand that imported food inspection, document preparation, and Chinese labeling must be handled when importing olive oil. However, in actual operations, the risk often does not come from a lack of understanding of one regulation, but from poor coordination across different stages.

These situations may not necessarily prevent the goods from being imported, but they increase time costs, communication costs, and operational uncertainty.

Therefore, once an importer already has basic import experience, the next stage should focus on:

how to upgrade olive oil imports from “shipment-by-shipment handling” to “systematic management,” while incorporating last-mile delivery into the overall supply chain plan.

C. Key Management Points When Importing Olive Oil from Italy and Spain

Since Taiwan’s olive oil imports mainly come from Italy and Spain, supply chain arrangements on the European side are especially important.

1. Distance Between the Factory and the Export Port

Olive oil suppliers may be located in inland production areas, bottling plants, or regional warehouses, and may not be close to major ports. Therefore, importers need to confirm:

• Does the factory have container loading capability?
• Is inland trucking in Europe required?
• Is pickup appointment required?
• Is there a need to consolidate goods from multiple suppliers?
• Is LCL or FCL more suitable for the import volume?
• Can the shipping window match the vessel schedule?

If importers only look at port-to-port ocean freight rates, they may underestimate the cost of inland transportation and consolidation management at origin.

2. Loading and Packaging Risks for Food Products

Olive oil does not necessarily require cold chain transportation, but it is still a food product. Common packaging formats include glass bottles, metal tins, plastic bottles, cartons, and pallets. During transportation, attention should be paid to:

• Risk of glass bottle breakage
• Carton moisture damage or deformation
• Insufficient pallet securing
• Oil leakage
• Prolonged exposure to high temperatures
• Mixed loading with cargo that has strong odors
• Heavy cargo crushing retail packaging
• Insufficient container loading photos and loading records

For high-value extra virgin olive oil, container loading methods, pallet quality, cargo damage prevention, and transport insurance should all be included in the evaluation.

Likewise, packaging design should not only consider international transportation. It should also take into account warehousing and last-mile delivery in Taiwan. For example, packaging suitable for full-container transportation may not be suitable for single-bottle e-commerce home delivery. Packaging suitable for palletized warehouse receiving may not necessarily be suitable for small-batch deliveries to foodservice customers.

3. Document Consistency Is More Important Than Document Quantity

Common documents for olive oil imports include:

• Commercial Invoice
• Packing List
• Bill of Lading
• Certificate of Origin
• Health Certificate
• COA / Analysis Report
• Product Specification
• Ingredient / Composition
• Batch / Lot Information
• Label Artwork

The key question is not simply whether the documents are available, but whether the documents are consistent with each other.

Good document consistency management can reduce document supplementation, amendments, inspection delays, and channel review issues. It also helps companies manage batch numbers, expiry dates, and inventory tracking during downstream distribution.

D. Last-Mile Delivery: An Often-Underestimated Key Factor in Olive Oil Imports

Many importers focus their logistics attention on the “Europe to Taiwan” leg, such as ocean freight, vessel schedules, customs clearance, and inspection. However, in actual sales, what customers experience is usually not the import process itself, but the final delivery result.

Last-mile delivery does not only refer to e-commerce parcels delivered to consumers. For olive oil importers, it may include:

• Appointment-based delivery to supermarket channels
• Distribution center delivery for hypermarkets or chain retailers
• Inbound delivery to e-commerce platform warehouses
• Split deliveries to foodservice customers
• Regional replenishment for distributors
• Time-specific delivery for B2B customers
• B2C home delivery to consumers
• Handling of breakage, returns, and exchanges
• POD proof of delivery and delivery status reporting

Olive oil is a food product and is often packed in glass bottles, metal tins, cartons, gift boxes, or bundled sets. Therefore, last-mile delivery is not simply about “sending the goods out.” It is closely related to cargo damage rate, customer satisfaction, brand image, and channel performance.

If last-mile delivery is not properly planned, even if the earlier import process is smooth, the following problems may still occur:

• Goods have been released but cannot be delivered to the channel warehouse on time.
• The channel requires delivery appointments, but the logistics side has not arranged them in advance.
• Pallet specifications, shipping marks, or labels do not meet customer requirements, causing receiving delays.
• Glass bottles break during delivery, resulting in returns and customer complaints.
• E-commerce orders increase, but the warehouse lacks sufficient picking, sorting, and home delivery capacity.
• Goods arrive in Taiwan before a promotional period, but are delayed by labeling, order allocation, or distribution.
• Batch numbers and expiry dates are not linked to delivery records, making traceability difficult later.

Therefore, last-mile delivery should not be treated as an add-on process after import. It should be designed together with procurement, import, and inventory planning from the beginning.

E. When Should Importers Reassess Their Existing Logistics Arrangements?

If a company has imported olive oil for many years but encounters the following situations, it may indicate that the current process needs to be upgraded.

These problems do not necessarily all come from the logistics service provider. They may also arise from a lack of integration among internal procurement, suppliers, channel requirements, inventory planning, and delivery arrangements.

Therefore, professional logistics discussions should not focus only on “finding another quotation.” The real focus should be redesigning the process, responsibility allocation, and delivery standards.

F. Twelve Questions Importers Should Discuss with Their Logistics Partner

For olive oil importers with existing import experience, the following questions should be discussed during the next logistics review:

1. Has the complete process from the supplier’s factory to the Taiwan warehouse been clearly defined?
2. At what point should supplier documents be provided? Who is responsible for pre-review?
3. Which model best fits the current import volume: LCL, FCL, or European consolidation?
4. Is it necessary to establish fixed sailing schedules or an annual import plan?
5. Has the time required for imported food inspection been included in delivery commitments?
6. If sampling inspection occurs, how should channel delivery schedules be adjusted?
7. Are Chinese labels, shipping marks, and pallet specifications confirmed before shipment?
8. After customs release, is labeling, repacking, palletizing, or split delivery required?
9. Have the last-mile delivery rules of different channels been organized?
10. Do e-commerce, supermarkets, foodservice customers, and distributors require different inventory and delivery models?
11. How will batch numbers, expiry dates, and inventory data be reported?
12. When delays, damage, document inconsistency, rejection, or returns occur, what are the responsibility allocation and response procedures?

The value of these questions is that they help companies move from single-shipment execution toward more stable supply chain management.

Conclusion: The Next Stage of Olive Oil Imports Is Supply Chain Refinement and Last-Mile Integration

The focus of olive oil imports to Taiwan is no longer simply whether the goods can be imported smoothly. The real question is:

how to make each shipment more stable, more predictable, easier to manage, and able to reach the final sales channel smoothly.

Taiwan’s olive oil market is already mature, with major sources concentrated in Italy and Spain. Future competition will not depend only on purchase price, brand story, or product grade. It will also depend on whether the supply chain can support the company’s sales rhythm and customer delivery requirements.

The core of olive oil import logistics management is not simply pursuing the lowest freight rate. Instead, it is about:

• Reducing document risk before shipment
• Reducing cargo damage risk during transportation
• Reducing uncertainty in inspection and warehousing after arrival
• Improving warehousing, labeling, order allocation, and distribution efficiency after customs release
• Ensuring channel delivery, consumer experience, and exception handling through last-mile delivery
• Strengthening batch, expiry date, and traceability management after sales

When importers connect these stages together, logistics is no longer just a cost item. It becomes a key capability that supports market expansion, channel service, brand experience, and long-term operational stability.

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