FAQ
Short answers to what buyers ask us most before requesting a quote.
AZUVANA exports nine types of Colombian cane sugar: refined sugar (ICUMSA max. 45 or 60), fine-grain refined sugar (ICUMSA 60), powdered sugar, special white sugar type A (ICUMSA max. 150) and type B (max. 180), standard white sugar type C (up to 250 or 300), raw cane sugar, turbinado sugar and organic sugar. Other Colombian agricultural products are quoted on request.
Four: polarization (sucrose purity, in °Z), ICUMSA color (lower number, whiter sugar), moisture (low, to prevent lumps and fermentation) and sulphated ash (minerals and inorganic impurities). These are the values AZUVANA states in every spec sheet and offer.
Refined sugar is dissolved and crystallized a second time: it reaches ICUMSA max. 45 or 60 and polarization of 99.80 °Z or more. Special white sugar is made directly at the mill, without a refinery: it has ICUMSA max. 150 (type A) or 180 (type B), polarization from 99.4 °Z and a more competitive price.
They are white sugar grades by maximum ICUMSA color. Type A: up to 150 IU. Type B: up to 180 IU. Type C or standard white: up to 250 or 300 IU. The lower the ICUMSA, the whiter and more expensive the sugar.
ICUMSA is the international measure of sugar color, in IU measured at 420 nm. The lower the number, the whiter the sugar: refined sugar is 45 or 60 IU, special whites 150 to 180, standard white up to 250 or 300, raw sugar 800 to 1,500 and turbinado 1,700 to 2,500.
It is centrifugal, unrefined cane sugar with light brown crystals. Each country asks for it lighter or darker: natural raw sugar for Europe is 800 to 1,200 IU with polarization of 99.10 °Z or more, and other destinations ask for 1,000 to 1,500 IU. Its main buyers are Peru and Haiti. HS code 1701.14.
It is a sugar similar to raw sugar but with a larger grain (0.9 to 1.2 mm), golden and glossy, with a molasses flavor, polarization of 98.8 to 99.4 °Z and color of 1,700 to 2,500 IU. It is not easy to produce because buyers require a narrow color range. Table-sugar packers in the United States use it.
Yes. Organic certification (EU, USDA NOP or JAS) is held by the source producer and is provided per lot with its current certificate. Because it is organic, its color varies considerably between lots, so the color range is stated in each offer.
The reference minimum order is one 20-ft container, about 25 to 27 tonnes, for bags and big bags. Bulk raw sugar is quoted on request, and annual supply contracts with scheduled deliveries are open to negotiation.
We ship from Buenaventura on the Pacific and from Cartagena and Santa Marta on the Caribbean. Buenaventura is the closest port to the Cauca Valley mills; Cartagena is Colombia's main container hub.
We offer FOB, CFR and CIF (Incoterms® 2020) from a Colombian port. For Ecuador and Venezuela by road we offer FCA or CPT, delivered at the border or at destination.
Subject to negotiation: irrevocable confirmed letter of credit (L/C at sight), documentary collection or cash against documents (CAD), and wire transfer with advance payment and balance against copy of B/L (T/T).
Commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading (B/L), certificate of origin, the mill's certificate of analysis per lot, third-party quality and quantity inspection (SGS, Bureau Veritas or similar), ICA phytosanitary certificate and, where applicable, INVIMA sanitary registration and fumigation certificate.
The Cauca River valley harvests cane twelve months a year, which means steady supply. Colombia exported about 540,000 tonnes of sugar in 2024, has ports on two oceans and trade agreements with the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada and other markets.
Send us the sugar type and its specification (polarization, ICUMSA color, moisture and sulphated ash), volume per shipment and per year, packaging, port of destination, Incoterm and first shipment date, through the contact form or to sales@azuvana.com. We reply with a formal offer including price, specification and validity.
Typical market reference values. The final specification of each lot is confirmed in the offer and in the supplying mill's certificate of analysis.
Send us your requirements and we will reply with a formal offer including specification, packaging, Incoterm and price.