U.S. Food Export to Indonesia

Chihade International supplies American food products to licensed importers and foodservice distributors in Indonesia, shipped from our SQF-certified facility in Georgia. We are looking for a distributor partner in Indonesia.

Why Indonesia

Indonesia is Southeast Asia’s largest foodservice market at $29.2 billion in 2024, with retail of $101 billion, more than 48,000 modern grocery outlets and a population of 282 million.

Indonesia imported $26 billion of agricultural products in 2025, including $9.2 billion consumer-oriented, with the U.S. the fourth-largest supplier. But U.S. consumer-oriented exports were only $536 million — around 6% share — so the headroom is substantial for a partner who can navigate the licensing.

What We Do From the U.S.

We are a U.S. exporter. We do not operate warehouses or distribution in Indonesia — that is what our distributor partners do. Our job is everything on the American side of the shipment:

• Sourcing from more than 300 U.S. manufacturers, to your specification
• Consolidating mixed loads into full containers, so you are not forced into single-supplier minimums
• Dry, chilled and frozen storage in our 64,000 sq. ft. SQF-certified facility in Lawrenceville, Georgia
• Bahasa Indonesia labelling, stickering and ink-jet date coding applied before goods leave the U.S.
• Export documentation — USDA and health certificates, halal certification where required, certificates of origin
• Ocean and air freight on contracted U.S. lanes, with expedited air for urgent replenishment

Import Requirements We Prepare For

This is the most demanding regime of the four, and the reason a well-licensed partner matters more here than anywhere else on this list.

BPOM handles food safety, product registration and labelling, and issues the SKI entry permit for every shipment. The Ministry of Agriculture approves foreign establishments for dairy, meat and rendered products; the Ministry of Trade issues import licences.

An importer needs an API-U or API-P identification number, a Ministry of Agriculture recommendation, a Ministry of Trade licence, and a BPOM ML registration number per product. The ML number is held by the Indonesian importer, not the U.S. manufacturer, so it is tied to the partner.

Mandatory halal certification under BPJPH is currently scheduled to apply to most food and beverage imports by 17 October 2026. U.S. exporters comply through a BPJPH-accredited U.S. certifier, with the foreign certificate registered in the SIHALAL system by the Indonesian importer.

Labelling must be in Bahasa Indonesia and applied before customs entry. Tanjung Priok is the primary container gateway, with Tanjung Perak and Belawan serving Surabaya and Sumatra.

What We Look For in a Distributor Partner

We are deliberately selective, because these relationships tend to last decades rather than seasons. We are typically looking for:

• An established importer of record, with the licences and clearance experience the market requires
• Real coverage of at least one channel — modern retail, wholesale, foodservice distribution, or franchise supply
• Temperature-controlled storage and distribution appropriate to the categories you want to carry
• A sales team that can place and support a new brand rather than simply warehousing it
• An interest in a long-term programme, including exclusive lines where it makes sense for both sides

If that is a reasonable description of your business, we would like to talk.

See all markets we serve →

Frequently Asked Questions

Can we get exclusive rights to a brand in our market?

In many cases, yes. Chihade International is the exclusive distributor of Country Sun, our own brand of American cheeses, mayonnaise, frying oils, cheese sauce and breakfast meats. Where it makes commercial sense on both sides, we grant exclusive Country Sun distribution rights by territory — a line your competitors cannot stock. See the range at countrysunfoods.com.

Do you have a warehouse or office in Indonesia?

No. Chihade International is a U.S. exporter based in Lawrenceville, Georgia, and we ship from there. We do not hold stock inside Indonesia. Local importing, clearance, storage and distribution are handled by our distributor partners — which is precisely the role we are looking to fill.

Do we have to order a full container of a single product?

No. Consolidation is one of the main reasons distributors work with us. We combine products from multiple U.S. manufacturers into one container, so you can carry a broad range without committing to full-truckload minimums from each supplier.

Who holds the BPOM ML registration?

The Indonesian importer, not us. That makes the choice of partner unusually consequential in Indonesia, because the registrations travel with your business rather than with the product.

Is halal certification mandatory for our imports?

Indonesia’s mandatory halal regime under BPJPH is currently scheduled to cover most food and beverage imports by October 2026, though the timing has moved before. We arrange certification through BPJPH-accredited U.S. certifiers and provide the documentation you need to register in SIHALAL.

Can you reach markets outside Java?

We ship to the port you nominate. Cold chain and port infrastructure outside Java is widely acknowledged as less developed, so it is worth being explicit early about which islands your distribution genuinely covers.

How We Work With Partners in Indonesia

Whichever channel you operate in, the U.S. side of the shipment is the same: sourcing, consolidation, preparation and documentation from our SQF-certified facility in Lawrenceville, Georgia.

• Franchise export — supplying U.S. franchise brands at their locations in Indonesia.
• Distributor partnerships — for importers and foodservice distributors carrying American lines.
• Retail and supermarket consolidation — an American grocery range without single-supplier minimums.
• Export warehousing and 3PL — dry, chilled and frozen under one roof in Georgia.
• All export services — the full picture of what we handle before a container sails.
• Beef and protein export — U.S. beef, poultry and seafood, including halal programmes, with plant eligibility confirmed for each market.

Useful reading: Halal certification: what actually matters  ·  Export documentation, in plain English  ·  How to become a distributor partner  · How franchise export works ·  all export guides

Become Our Distributor Partner in Indonesia

Tell us about your market coverage and the products you are looking for, and we will be in touch about a distribution program.