Amsterdam has traded in spices from Asia for about four centuries. The Dutch East India Company, the VOC, was founded in 1602 and its main chamber was in Amsterdam, where pepper, nutmeg and cloves were sold. Today the trade is in everyday ingredients such as dehydrated onion and garlic from India. The legal rules are covered in our Netherlands import guide. This page covers what is particular to Amsterdam.
How goods reach Amsterdam
The Port of Amsterdam, reached from the North Sea through the locks at IJmuiden, is a large port, best known for bulk goods such as cocoa and fuels. Most deep-sea container services from India call at Rotterdam instead, so many Amsterdam buyers receive containers landed in Rotterdam and trucked north, which takes a couple of hours by road. Ask your forwarder to compare the options for each order. Landing in Rotterdam usually gives more sailings to choose from, while some feeder and short-sea services link Amsterdam with other European hubs.
Samples and urgent small lots usually come by air into Schiphol, one of Europe's main cargo airports. Food arriving by air goes through the same NVWA and customs procedures, so even samples need a proper invoice and description.
Who buys in the Amsterdam area
North of the city, the Zaan region around Zaandam has a long history of food processing, from cocoa to mustard and spice milling, and food manufacturers are still active there. Across the Amsterdam area, spice blenders, sauce makers, caterers and food service wholesalers use onion and garlic powder, granules and minced onion.
Amsterdam's restaurant scene is international, with many Indonesian, Surinamese, Indian and other Asian restaurants. Wholesalers serving these kitchens tend to buy granules and powder in smaller packs, and labels for retail sale must be in Dutch. Indonesian cooking, popular in the Netherlands since colonial times, relies heavily on garlic and shallot, so spice paste and seasoning makers serving that cuisine are natural users of garlic and onion in dried form.
Storage and handling
Warehouses around the port, Schiphol and the Zaan region serve the city, because space in the centre is scarce. The Dutch climate is damp for much of the year, so keep powder sealed in liners, check moisture on arrival and use stock in order of arrival. The shelf life of dehydrated onion and garlic explains what affects quality in storage.
Checks that matter
Buyers who handle several forms often order a mixed container through Rotterdam and split it at a warehouse before trucking it north.
- Ethylene oxide and 2-chloroethanol for every lot. See why 2-chloroethanol is tested.
- Pesticide residues against EU limits.
- Salmonella and total plate count, especially for powder used in ready-to-eat products.
- Lot numbers that match across bags, invoice and lab reports.
How Creston & Co helps
We find and audit processing plants in India, have every lot tested at an NABL-accredited lab against EU limits, supervise loading and check the documents before sailing, for one written fee agreed in advance. To plan an Amsterdam order, book a free sourcing review.