-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DOCUMENT CONTROL (HEADER) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Document ID : DAB_KB_BI_001 Title : US Customs Records as a Business Intelligence Tool Version : 1.1 Status : ACTIVE Classification : Internal Prepared By : PYB / Daralbeida Reviewed By : (none, current version) Approved By : (none, current version) Approval Date : (none, current version) Owner : PYB / Daralbeida Date Created : 2026-04-28 Last Revised : 2026-06-13 00:00 UTC Update Cycle : Annual or upon material change to referenced tools Next Review Due : 2027-06-13 Annual Review : Yes Retention : 3 years from date of creation Department : BI Style : BPGP Keywords : US customs, bill of lading, ImportYeti, Panjiva, ImportGenius, HTS 1509.10.4000, Moroccan EVOO, business intelligence, competitor mapping, producer qualification Related Docs : DAB-SOP-SOURCING-001; DAB-SOP-IMPORT-US-001 Supersedes : DARX_BI_CUSTOMS_INTEL_20260428.txt Superseded By : (none, current version) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OUTLINE -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Purpose and Scope 2. How US Customs Records Become Public 2.1 The Bill of Lading as Public Record 2.2 What Is and Is Not Captured 2.3 Manifest Confidentiality, the Blind Spot 3. Data Fields Available per Shipment 4. Access Methods 4.1 ImportYeti, Free 4.2 Panjiva, Paid 4.3 ImportGenius, Paid 4.4 Direct FOIA Request to CBP 5. Searching for Moroccan Olive Oil Producers 5.1 By HTS Code 5.2 By Company Name 5.3 Interpreting Results 6. Applications for Daralbeida 6.1 Producer Qualification Intelligence 6.2 Competitor Mapping 6.3 US Importer and Consignee Identification 6.4 Volume and Frequency Benchmarking 7. Limitations 8. Key References 9. AI Prompts 10. Revision History 11. Acronyms 12. Glossary DOCUMENT CONTROL (FOOTER) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ================================================================================ 1. PURPOSE AND SCOPE ================================================================================ This document describes how to use US customs import records as a business intelligence tool. It covers how the data is generated, what it contains, how to access it for free or at low cost, and how Daralbeida can apply it to producer qualification, competitive research, and market intelligence. This is a standing reference document. Consult it whenever Daralbeida needs to: 1. Identify Moroccan olive oil producers with a verified US shipment history 2. Map competitive brands and their supply chains 3. Identify US importers and consignees in the Moroccan EVOO space 4. Benchmark shipment volumes and frequency against peers ================================================================================ 2. HOW US CUSTOMS RECORDS BECOME PUBLIC ================================================================================ 2.1 THE BILL OF LADING AS PUBLIC RECORD Every ocean freight shipment entering a US port requires a Bill of Lading (BOL). The BOL is a legally binding transport document identifying the goods, the shipper, and the consignee. CBP collects BOL data for every inbound ocean shipment as part of the ISF process. This data is classified as public record under US law. Third-party data providers acquire it through FOIA requests and commercial data feeds, then organize it into searchable databases. 2.2 WHAT IS AND IS NOT CAPTURED Captured: - Ocean freight shipments only - Shipments entering US ports from any origin country - Data from approximately 2015 onward (varies by provider) Not captured: - Air freight shipments (air waybills are not public) - Road freight (cross-border truck, Canada/Mexico) - Shipment dollar values (financial terms are confidential) - Internal transfers and warehouse movements 2.3 MANIFEST CONFIDENTIALITY, THE BLIND SPOT Importers and shippers may file an Electronic Vessel Manifest Confidentiality request with CBP. When granted: 1. Shipment records for that company are blocked from public data providers. 2. Confidentiality lasts two years and must be renewed. 3. The block applies to ImportYeti, Panjiva, and ImportGenius. 4. It does NOT apply to CBP itself or to FOIA requests from law enforcement. Practical implication: some active exporters will not appear in these databases. Absence of records does not confirm absence of shipments. ================================================================================ 3. DATA FIELDS AVAILABLE PER SHIPMENT ================================================================================ Each BOL record typically contains the following fields: Field Content ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Shipper (Exporter) Name and address of the Moroccan producer or trading company Consignee (Importer) Name and address of the US receiving entity (IOR, distributor, or brand) Notify Party Entity notified on arrival, often customs broker or 3PL Arrival date Date at US port Port of loading Foreign port (e.g., Casablanca) Port of entry US port (e.g., Port of Los Angeles) Vessel and voyage Carrier details Number of containers Container count Gross weight kg and lb Quantity Units and unit of measure Product description Text as declared on BOL, variable quality HTS code Harmonized tariff code (EVOO: 1509.10.4000) ================================================================================ 4. ACCESS METHODS ================================================================================ 4.1 IMPORTYETI, FREE Attribute Detail ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── URL https://www.importyeti.com Cost Free. Login recommended (free, email only); required after 25 page views per IP. No credit card. Coverage 70+ million US customs sea shipment records, 2015-present. Updates Approximately monthly. Search modes: - By company name (importer or exporter) - By HS code via the HS Code Explorer feature - Filters: country, date range, product description (post-login) Output per search: - Shipper and consignee name and address - Shipment dates and frequency - Gross weight per shipment - One free BOL per result - Shipment volume charts over time Best for: initial research, producer identification, competitive mapping. Adequate for Daralbeida's current needs without a paid subscription. 4.2 PANJIVA, PAID Attribute Detail ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── URL https://panjiva.com Cost Approximately $200-$300/month. Owned by S&P Global. Additional More granular filtering and export options; trade data for countries beyond the US; company contact enrichment; API access. Best for Scale research, legal/compliance due diligence, ongoing monitoring. 4.3 IMPORTGENIUS, PAID Attribute Detail ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── URL https://www.importgenius.com Cost Approximately $200-$300/month. Notes Comparable to Panjiva. Useful if multi-country supplier research beyond Morocco and the US is needed. 4.4 DIRECT FOIA REQUEST TO CBP Attribute Detail ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Contact CBP FOIA Office, www.cbp.gov/trade/itrac-requests Note Time-consuming and bureaucratic. Recommended only when specific records are needed that are not captured by the third-party tools above. ================================================================================ 5. SEARCHING FOR MOROCCAN OLIVE OIL PRODUCERS ================================================================================ 5.1 BY HTS CODE 1. Go to https://www.importyeti.com 2. Navigate to the HS Code Explorer feature 3. Search HTS code: 1509.10 (virgin olive oils heading). Full 10-digit code for Moroccan EVOO: 1509.10.4000 4. Filter results by country of origin: Morocco 5. Review shippers (Moroccan exporters) and consignees (US importers) returned This search surfaces every Moroccan entity that has shipped olive oil to the US by ocean since 2015 and has not filed for manifest confidentiality. 5.2 BY COMPANY NAME Use when researching a specific producer already identified through other channels (Morocco Foodex list, trade shows, referrals). 1. Go to https://www.importyeti.com 2. Enter the Moroccan legal entity name (not brand name). Example: search the SARL entity name, not the consumer brand. 3. Review shipment history, consignees, volumes, and frequency. If the company does not appear, possible reasons: 1. Filing under a different legal entity name 2. Shipping under a trading company or co-op name 3. Operating under manifest confidentiality 4. Shipping exclusively by air (not captured) 5.3 INTERPRETING RESULTS Signal Interpretation ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Shipment frequency Irregular or single shipments = trial export or low volume. Regular multi-shipment = established export operation. Consignee identity Named brand = vertically integrated. Distributor = sells to middlemen. Multiple consignees = sells to multiple buyers. Volume per shipment 20ft container bottled EVOO = ~18,000-20,000 liters. LCL shipments = smaller or earlier stage exporter. Description quality Specific descriptions (varietal, format, size) = sophisticated export operation. Generic ("edible oil") = commodity trade, negative signal for premium positioning. ================================================================================ 6. APPLICATIONS FOR DARALBEIDA ================================================================================ 6.1 PRODUCER QUALIFICATION INTELLIGENCE Before advancing any producer to Phase 2 of DAB-SOP-SOURCING-001, run their Moroccan legal entity name through ImportYeti. A result showing multiple shipments to the US over 2+ years, specific product descriptions, and a named US brand or distributor as consignee is a strong qualification signal, it indicates the producer has navigated FDA registration, Prior Notice, and US port-of-entry compliance at least once. Absence of records: note the possible reasons (Section 5.2) and ask the producer directly for their FDA registration number and prior US shipment history. Do not treat absence as disqualifying without further inquiry. 6.2 COMPETITOR MAPPING Search known Moroccan EVOO brands active in the US market: - Atlas Olive Oils / Les Terroirs de Marrakech / Desert Miracle - Noor Fes - Mina For each, extract: US consignees, shipment volumes, shipment frequency, port of entry. This informs Daralbeida's logistics planning and pricing context. 6.3 US IMPORTER AND CONSIGNEE IDENTIFICATION The consignee field in BOL records identifies who in the US is receiving Moroccan olive oil. This is a direct lead list of: 1. Existing Moroccan EVOO importers who know the supply chain 2. Distributors potentially open to adding Daralbeida 3. Brokers connecting Moroccan producers to US retail As Daralbeida scales toward specialty retail and B2B, this data becomes an outreach list. 6.4 VOLUME AND FREQUENCY BENCHMARKING Aggregate weight and shipment frequency data from ImportYeti allows rough benchmarking of competitor scale: total annual volume per producer, shipment cadence, and growth trajectory. This calibrates Daralbeida's Year 1 and Year 2 volume targets relative to established Moroccan EVOO exporters. ================================================================================ 7. LIMITATIONS ================================================================================ 1. Ocean freight only. Air shipments are not captured. 2. Manifest confidentiality creates blind spots. Active exporters may be invisible. Absence of records is not proof of absence of shipments. 3. Data lag. ImportYeti updates approximately monthly. Recent shipments may not yet appear. 4. Legal entity vs. brand name mismatch. Searches require the Moroccan legal entity name, not the consumer brand name. 5. No financial data. Shipment dollar values are not public. Volume benchmarking is based on weight, not revenue. 6. Description quality varies. HTS code searches are more reliable than keyword searches for product identification. 7. Pre-2015 data is not available through these tools. ================================================================================ 8. KEY REFERENCES ================================================================================ Resource URL or Reference ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── ImportYeti (free) importyeti.com Panjiva (paid) panjiva.com ImportGenius (paid) importgenius.com CBP FOIA / ITRAC cbp.gov/trade/itrac-requests HTS code reference 1509.10.4000, Moroccan EVOO, 0% duty under MAFTA Related documents DAB-SOP-SOURCING-001 (producer qualification); DAB-SOP-IMPORT-US-001 (US import SOP) ================================================================================ 9. AI PROMPTS ================================================================================ The following copy-paste prompt directs an AI assistant to run a structured customs-intelligence lookup for a single Moroccan producer. Replace the editable tokens in [SQUARE_BRACKETS] before use. ================================================================================ START OF PROMPT ================================================================================ You are a trade-data analyst for Daralbeida, a premium Moroccan EVOO venture. Using public US customs bill-of-lading data (ImportYeti style, ocean freight, 2015-present), produce a producer-qualification brief for the following entity. Moroccan legal entity name : [LEGAL_ENTITY_NAME] Consumer brand name : [BRAND_NAME] HTS code of interest : [HTS_CODE_DEFAULT_1509.10.4000] Country of origin filter : [ORIGIN_COUNTRY_DEFAULT_MOROCCO] Lookback window : [LOOKBACK_YEARS_DEFAULT_2] Report, in plain text: 1. Whether the entity appears in public customs records, and if not, the most likely reason (Section 5.2 of DAB_KB_BI_001). 2. Distinct US consignees, with shipment count and date range per consignee. 3. Shipment frequency pattern (single/trial vs. regular/established). 4. Gross-weight totals and an estimated annual volume in liters, stating the 20ft-container assumption (~18,000-20,000 liters bottled EVOO). 5. Product-description quality (specific varietal/format vs. generic). 6. A one-line qualification signal: STRONG, MIXED, or INSUFFICIENT, with reason. Preserve every figure exactly. Do not invent shipments. Flag any ambiguous value rather than dropping it. ================================================================================ END OF PROMPT ================================================================================ ================================================================================ 10. REVISION HISTORY ================================================================================ Version Detail ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── 1.0 2026-04-28, PYB. Initial issue. 1.1 2026-06-13, PYB. Reformatted to BPGP v3.1 standard: added DOCUMENT CONTROL header and footer control blocks, expanded OUTLINE with sub-sections, converted data tables to U+2500 separators, added AI PROMPTS, REVISION HISTORY, ACRONYMS, and GLOSSARY sections. Content preserved verbatim. ================================================================================ 11. ACRONYMS ================================================================================ BI Business Intelligence BOL Bill of Lading CBP US Customs and Border Protection EVOO Extra Virgin Olive Oil FBA Fulfilled by Amazon FDA US Food and Drug Administration FFA Free Fatty Acid FOIA Freedom of Information Act HS Harmonized System HTS Harmonized Tariff Schedule IOC International Olive Council IOR Importer of Record ISF Importer Security Filing ITRAC Importer Trade Activity (CBP data request program) LCL Less than Container Load MAFTA Morocco-America Free Trade Agreement PYB Internal reference code for the Daralbeida founder SARL Societe a Responsabilite Limitee (limited liability company) SOP Standard Operating Procedure USPTO US Patent and Trademark Office 3PL Third-Party Logistics provider ================================================================================ 12. GLOSSARY ================================================================================ Bill Of Lading A legally binding transport document issued by the ocean carrier identifying the goods, shipper, and consignee. Collected by CBP for every inbound ocean shipment. Classified as public record under US law and released to third-party data providers. Cbp US Customs and Border Protection. The US federal agency responsible for regulating and facilitating international trade, collecting import duties, and enforcing customs laws. Collects and releases BOL data as public record. Daralbeida Brand name of the premium Moroccan EVOO venture. Always one word. USPTO trademark application filed, Class 29. Evoo Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Highest IOC grade. FFA 0.8% maximum, cold-extracted without chemical processing. Foia Freedom of Information Act. US federal law granting the public the right to request access to government records. Used to obtain specific CBP shipment records not captured by third-party databases. Hts Harmonized Tariff Schedule. The US tariff classification system. Moroccan EVOO is classified under HTS 1509.10.4000, which carries a 0% duty rate under MAFTA. Importer Of Record The entity legally responsible for ensuring a shipment complies with US import laws and paying applicable duties. Daralbeida Brands LLC is the IOR for all Daralbeida shipments. Manifest Confidentiality A CBP program allowing importers and shippers to block their shipment records from public data providers. Granted for two-year periods. Creates blind spots in ImportYeti, Panjiva, and ImportGenius searches. Mafta Morocco-America Free Trade Agreement. Grants Moroccan-origin EVOO zero import duty under HTS 1509.10.4000. Fully effective January 1, 2023. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DOCUMENT CONTROL (FOOTER) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Document ID : DAB_KB_BI_001 Version : 1.1 Status : ACTIVE Last Revised : 2026-06-13 00:00 UTC Update Cycle : Annual or upon material change to referenced tools Next Review Due : 2027-06-13 Annual Review : Yes Owner : PYB / Daralbeida Distribution : Internal only Review Triggers : Material change to ImportYeti, Panjiva, or ImportGenius pricing, availability, or data coverage; change to HTS 1509.10.4000 classification or MAFTA duty status; revision of DAB-SOP-SOURCING-001 or DAB-SOP-IMPORT-US-001. COMPLIANCE : ImportYeti and other third-party tools referenced in this document are subject to change in pricing, availability, and data coverage. Verify tool availability before relying on them for time-sensitive sourcing or competitive research. Use of public customs data must respect each provider's terms of service and applicable US trade-data law. Revision History : See Section 10 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- END OF DOCUMENT --------------------------------------------------------------------------------