Rebeca Duran

Rebeca Duran

Staff Writer
The Brazil Business

Updated

How to Import and Sell Wine in Brazil

Rebeca Duran

Rebeca Duran

Staff Writer
The Brazil Business

Updated

Brazil nowadays is the largest imported wines market from Latin America. The trend is that the consumption of the drink increase in the coming years, assigning to the country a significant potential growth in this market.

Wine in Brazil

A Rabobank resource has identified Mexico, Brazil, Poland and Nigeria as the new large commercialization markets of wines. The study emphasizes the importance of entering in markets with good prospects. Even though these four countries does not yet represent the largest and most attractive markets for wine imports, they already offer very good growth prospects in the long term.

According to Instituto Brasileiro do Vinho (IBRAVIN) Index, the wine importations in Brazil increased from 40,9 millions liters to 75,3 millions liters or 84% between 2005 and 2010. The visible consequences of this huge flow in wine importations business must be attached to the presence of more than 300 importers, 30,000 labels from 32 countries available today for the Brazilian consumers.

Influenced by the growing import of fine wines, the consumers are more demanding. The market growth depends on new customers and, therefore, depends on the supply of good products.

The coordinator of the Wine Committee of Federation of Commerce of the State of São Paulo (Comitê do Vinho da Federação do Comércio do Estado de São Paulo), Didú Russo, informed that Brazil consumes two bottles of wine per year per capita, but the number is expected to increase to eight bottles, which means approximately 30 millions people consuming a bottle of wine per week. It is estimated an annual growth of 15% of imported wines.

Importation Procedures

The import of wine has a consenting organ, the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply or Ministério Agricultura, Pecuária e Abastecimento (MAPA). The import licensing is not of the automatic type, being required before clearance. To release the imported product it is required various procedures and all specific legislation compliance, which is described below.

To import alcoholic beverages and wines, the establishment must be registered in the MAPA. For registration is necessary the presentation of the following documents to Serviço de Inspeção Vegetal:

  • Request form
  • Copy of the Articles of Association
  • Copy of Corporate Taxpayers Registry Number (CNPJ) Card
  • Registration of Establishment Form
  • Importer Declaration of Suitable Conditions for Product Storage

All beverages must follow the text of their respective Identity and Quality Standards (PIQ), which are determined by specific legislation. The PIQs define each one of the Ministry of Agriculture food categories, and even determine specific quality and labeling criteria.

In practice a product's Formula Study consists of analyzing the complete composition of the product, including the additives and coadjuvants used, and their respective quantities, in order to tell whether it fulfills its PIQ, aside from verifying whether all ingredients and additives are allowed for the product category in Brazil, as well as whether it obeys maximum established limits.

Certificate of analysis / Certificate of origin – check if the entity and laboratory of the country of origin that will issue the Certificate of analysis/origin is included in MAPA’s list.

Documents Required and Authorizations

  • Request for Agricultural Products Inspection.
  • Certificate of establishment importer registration.
  • Certificate of product origin and analysis.
  • Certificate of Aging Time, if is applicable.
  • Inspection import certificate authorizing the marketing of the product during the period of sample collection dispense, if applicable.
  • Responsibility Term when sample collection dispensed.
  • Request for non-commercial importing, approved by the supervisory body, if applicable.
  • Proof of typicality and regionality of the product, if applicable.
  • Proof of geographical indication of the product, if applicable.
  • Customs Documentation of the goods (Importation License also known as LI).
  • Copy of Invoice.
  • Copy of Cargo Manifest or AWB.

Obligatory Content on The Label

Besides transmitting key information such as origin, denomination, when the grapes were harvested, producer and alcoholic strength, the label require other information, such as:

  • Product Denomination.
  • Product Commercial Trend.
  • The ingredients and the additives employed.
  • Product Registry Number in MAPA.
  • Producer or Manufacturer full name, address and CNPJ of the importer.
  • Importer full name, address and CNPJ of the importer.
  • Unit content, according to the specific rules.
  • Batch or Harvest identification.
  • Expiry date (for beverages without a specific expiring date, expressions such as "indefinite validity term" or "indefinite validity" must be presented).
  • Obligatorily phrases: "Contain Gluten" or "Does not contain Gluten" and "Prohihited for under 18 years old".
  • Expression: "Avoid Excessive consumption of alcohol".
  • Wine Class (Table, Liqueur, Semi-sparkling or Fortified Wine).
  • Wine type (Red, White or Rosé Wine).
  • Total Sugar Content.

These information must be presented in Portuguese, obligatorily visible in every unit and in legible and indelible letters. And the unit must present:

  • The stamp control: is acquired with the Federal Revenue (Receita Federal) at the beginning of customs clearance.
  • Tax on Industrialized Products additional taxation, also known as Imposto sobre o Produto Industrializado (IPI).

Proforma and Importation

Once the sale of the merchandise is established between the exporter and the importer, the import operation begins. At that point, the writing up of a Proforma Invoice becomes necessary. This is a standard document used in international commerce, in which all the information pertinent to the transaction is contained, along with details of the acquired merchandise (product data, form of payment, method of transport, etc).

Once the importer accepts the Proforma invoice, he must consult with the Integrated Foreign Trade System (SISCOMEX), using the NCM code (equivalent to the HS code) of the product to be imported, as to whether an Import License (LI) is needed.

The LI is a document issued electronically through SISCOMEX, to the importer itself, and approved by the Ministry of Agriculture, which authorizes the import of the product in question. The LI is a document necessary for clearance of the product.

In the case of wines, when consulting with SISCOMEX in Administrative Treatments, through the NCM, the system will indicate that the issuance of an LI with MAPA pre-approval is necessary prior to the shipment of the merchandise. This procedure may be done by the importer or by a registered agent previously authorized to use SISCOMEX in the importer’s name.