Buying Shrimp Direct From a Vietnamese Factory: Who Really Is One?

Buying shrimp direct from a Vietnamese factory means signing with the entity that owns the production line and holds the export approval, for at least one 20' FCL container. It does not mean ordering on a wholesale marketplace. On 7 October 2026, a search for "vannamei shrimp" on Accio returned more than 46,000 products and 12,000 suppliers, and almost none of them is a factory in the sense a European buyer means. This article sets out the evidence that separates the two, then explains what that changes when you place an order.

What does "factory-direct" mean when buying shrimp in Vietnam?

Factory-direct means a purchase where the contract, the invoice and the health certificate all come from the same entity that peels, grades and freezes the shrimp. There are three documents to check: the approval to export to the European Union, the site certification (BRC or IFS) and the EUR.1 certificate of origin issued in the exporter's name. If any of the three is missing or carries a different name, a middleman has slipped into the chain.

That is not a problem in itself. A trader who consolidates several factories can be useful, and we cover that choice in trader, factory or local partner. But the "factory-direct" label only counts if you can verify it.

Why do Google results say so little about factories?

Because the first pages are catalogues, not suppliers. On the Accio listing of 7 October 2026, an offer for "frozen headless Vannamei shrimp from Vietnam" at $2.25 a kilo (MOQ 500 kg) comes from Plank Agro GmbH, an Austrian company that has been trading for a year. Another, at $1.50-3 with a 2,000 kg minimum, comes from STOW Agricultural Limited (United Kingdom, also one year old). A third, at $220-320 for 5 tonnes, comes from CeFa Import & Export BV (Netherlands).

None of these listings states the size grade, the glazing rate or the production site. A price with no size grade and no glazing rate is not a price, it is a hook.

By contrast, the fnm-vietnam.fr guide (updated 24 March 2026) lists exporters genuinely based in Ho Chi Minh City, such as Viet Asia Foods Company, along with their ASC, BRC, HACCP, Halal and MSC certifications. That is a starting point, not a validation: a list of displayed certificates is no substitute for checking the number with the issuing body.

How do you tell a factory from a trader before signing?

Ask for documents, not photos. A factory replies within a few days with its approval number, its audit reports and the site address. A trader replies with a catalogue and an "all-inclusive" price. The table below summarises the evidence to demand and how to read it.

Our guide to vetting a shrimp supplier in Vietnam gives the full pre-signature checklist.

Which certifications should you insist on first?

I always start with the site, then the farm. BRC or IFS proves the factory is audited for hygiene and traceability. ASC or BAP proves where the farmed shrimp come from, which matters to retailers. Choosing between the two is covered in ASC vs BAP. Traceability back to the farm is what protects you if a batch is contaminated, as in this account of a contaminated shrimp case.

A certificate with no verifiable number is just decoration.

At what volume does direct import make sense?

Direct import makes sense when you buy at least one 20' container every three to four months, in other words roughly one 20' load (around 17 to 18 tonnes depending on packaging) that you can sell through before the best-before date. Below that, slow-moving stock, tied-up cash and fixed inspection costs wipe out the price gap with your current importer. That is my view after comparing the cost structures, and I stand by it: you are better off staying with an importer than half-filling a container out of pride.

A container is also a cash-flow timing question. The standard offer is sold FOB Ho Chi Minh City, with a 20% deposit on order then 80% by CAD (cash against documents), and a quote within 48 hours. The full payment timeline is in ordering a container of shrimp from Vietnam.

How do you get from FOB to landed cost at Le Havre or Antwerp?

Start with the FOB price per kilo, then add reefer ocean freight to Le Havre or Antwerp, insurance, duties, port and inspection fees, and final haulage. Your choice of port changes the transport line and the customs clearance time; Le Havre, Antwerp or Rotterdam compares all three. For choosing the Incoterm, see FOB, CIF or DDP.

How much customs duty should you budget for?

Without proof of origin, frozen raw shrimp (heading 0306 17) are charged the EU's standard rate, 12% according to the integrated tariff TARIC. With a compliant EUR.1 certificate, the EVFTA applies the preferential rate set for your code, which you should check on the European Commission's Access2Markets portal. A single box filled in wrongly on the EUR.1 is enough to lose that rate: see EUR.1 and EVFTA paperwork and how the agreement works.

On a 17-tonne container, 12% duty is a cost line that often exceeds the gross margin on the lot. That is the most concrete argument for making the EUR.1 a contractual requirement.

What to put in your spec sheet

A direct-import spec sheet fits on one page of lines with figures, which the factory signs before the deposit is paid. Here are the lines we have suppliers sign, to adapt to your product (HOSO, PDTO or IQF).

Which lines should you demand from the supplier?

• Size grade: a range in pieces per pound (for example 31/40), with a written tolerance for size variation.
• Guaranteed net weight: excluding glaze, with a stated maximum glazing rate (see how to avoid paying for water).
• Certificates: BRC or IFS for the site, ASC or BAP for the farms, numbers included.
• Origin: EUR.1 issued by the exporter, in the name of the seller on the invoice.
• Inspections: final inspection before loading and supervision of container loading.
• Residues: an antibiotics testing plan, detailed in the buyer's testing plan.
• Payment: 20% deposit, 80% by CAD, balance released against compliant documents.

These lines explain why a listing at $2.25 a kilo is useless: it answers none of them. To get a baseline with real figures, request an FOB quote by size grade and format, with a reply within 48 hours, or see the supplier page with the spec sheet and the inspection of every container.

What happens when the container arrives?

The veterinary border inspection (SIVEP) checks the documents and may take samples. An incomplete file holds the container at the port, with reefer storage charges building up every day. The actual process is described in the SIVEP inspection at Le Havre. Transit time, covered elsewhere, is the subject of this comparison of lead times, so there is no need to go over it here.

Verdict: adopt, trial or avoid

Buying factory-direct is worth adopting if you sell through at least one 20' container per quarter and can write a spec sheet with figures. It is worth trialling with a first mixed-product 20' if you currently buy from an importer and want to measure the real difference in landed cost. Avoid it if your annual volume stays below three or four containers, or if the supplier cannot produce its approval, its site certificate and an EUR.1 in its own name.

I do not recommend ordering from a wholesale marketplace for a first container: the advertised price vanishes at the first size-grade or glazing check. This is our position, based on comparing offers and documents, not on laboratory testing.