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Cape Verde — officially Cabo Verde — is a volcanic archipelago of ten islands rising from the Atlantic Ocean 570 kilometres west of Senegal. The country's geography defines its export economy: surrounded by some of the Atlantic's most productive fishing grounds, fish and seafood account for approximately 75% of all merchandise exports, with Spain receiving 86% of the total. Yellowfin tuna, bigeye tuna, spiny lobster, and octopus — sourced from a 730,000 km² Exclusive Economic Zone where the cold Canary Current meets the warm equatorial Atlantic — are Cape Verde's dominant commercial exports. Cold storage, blast-freezing, and fish-processing infrastructure in Mindelo and Praia gives exporters EU-compliant processing capability that most island nations lack.
Agricultural exports are modest in volume but exceptional in niche quality value. Fogo island coffee — grown at 1,400–2,829 metres on the slopes of Pico do Fogo, one of the world's most active stratovolcanoes — is among Africa's rarest commercially available Arabicas, occupying a distinct premium tier below the high-volume washed and natural lots of top fresh produce exporters in Ethiopia but appealing to the same European specialty roaster segment that prizes African volcanic terroir. Santo Antão island bananas, Santiago mangoes, papayas, and artisanal grogue rum complete an export profile that is small in volume but high in commercial differentiation. None of Cape Verde's exports are subject to the EU Deforestation Regulation.
Capital: Praia | Population: ~600,000 | Main Export Ports: Mindelo (São Vicente), Praia (Santiago) | Currency: Cape Verdean Escudo (CVE, pegged to EUR) | Regulatory Bodies: Direcção Geral das Pescas (DGP), Direcção Geral da Agricultura e Silvicultura (DGAS), CCIC Chamber of Commerce | Key Certifications: EU Fish Establishment Number (fish/seafood), IUU Catch Certificate (tuna), DGAS Phytosanitary Cert (agri) | Primary Markets: Spain (86%), Portugal, France, Netherlands, USA
For EU importers exploring Cape Verde as a complementary sourcing origin for tuna, lobster, specialty coffee, or tropical fruits, our guides to sourcing fresh produce directly from Africa cover the documentation, logistics, and supplier verification frameworks applicable to island-origin exports entering the EU market.
| Product | Key Island / Waters | Primary Markets | Key Compliance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellowfin & Bigeye Tuna | Cape Verdean EEZ (Atlantic) | Spain, Portugal, EU (canning) | EU Fish Establishment Number, IUU Catch Cert, HACCP |
| Spiny Lobster & Octopus | Cape Verdean EEZ, nearshore | Spain, Portugal, France (premium) | EU Fish Establishment Number, DGP Export Licence, Cold Chain |
| Fogo Island Coffee (Arabica) | Fogo Island (1,400–2,829m) | France, Portugal, Germany, UK (specialty) | DGAS Phytosanitary Cert, CCIC Certificate of Origin, Moisture ≤12% |
| Bananas, Mangoes & Tropical Fruits | Santo Antão, Santiago, Brava Islands | Portugal, France, EU diaspora | DGAS Phytosanitary Cert, TRACES NT Prior Notification, EU MRL |
Interbase is Cape Verde's leading fish processing and export company, operating a canning factory and blast-freezing facility in Mindelo. The company processes yellowfin and bigeye tuna sourced from the Cape Verdean EEZ by licensed purse seine and longline vessels. Products include canned tuna in oil and brine, frozen tuna loins, and tuna portions exported to Spain, Portugal, and French retail chains.
Interbase holds EU Approved Food Establishment status enabling direct export to EU member states — the same certification framework that governs large-scale Atlantic and Indian Ocean tuna processors such as verified tuna and seafood exporters in Seychelles. ISO 22000 and HACCP certification are maintained with full traceability from vessel to finished product. Its Mindelo facility has 2,000 tonnes of cold storage and a blast freezer reaching -40°C within 2 hours of landing. IUU Catch Certificates are issued for all tuna exports per EU Regulation 1005/2008.
Pescave operates artisanal and semi-industrial fishing vessels targeting yellowfin tuna, skipjack, wahoo, dorado (mahi-mahi), and reef species in Cape Verdean nearshore and offshore waters. Fresh fish is packed in ice boxes and air-freighted from Praia airport (RAI). Frozen product is containerised through Praia Port for Spanish and Portuguese markets.
Pescave holds a DGP export licence and issues IUU Catch Certificates for all tuna exports. A phytosanitary health certificate from DGP accompanies all fresh and frozen fish shipments to the EU. The company has experience coordinating EU Border Inspection Post clearance for fresh fish air freight consignments.
LCV specialises in live, fresh-chilled, and frozen Royal spiny lobster (Panulirus regius) and octopus export to high-end Spanish and Portuguese seafood markets. Cape Verde's spiny lobster — endemic to eastern Atlantic waters — is prized for its large size and sweet flavour. Live lobster is transported in oxygenated seawater tanks by air freight to Madrid and Lisbon within 12 hours of harvest.
Frozen lobster tails are individually quick-frozen (IQF) and packed in 5 kg and 10 kg retail-ready boxes for EU food service distributors and premium supermarket chains. LCV holds EU Approved Food Establishment status and issues DGP export health certificates with every consignment.
Café Fogo is the primary cooperative of coffee farmers in the Chã das Caldeiras caldera on Fogo Island — cultivating Arabica coffee (Typica and Bourbon varieties) at 1,400–1,700 metres in mineral-rich basaltic volcanic soil below Pico do Fogo (2,829m). The cooperative's 85 member families rebuilt their community after the 2014–2015 volcanic eruption destroyed the caldera village — a resilience narrative that resonates with the same EU specialty buyers who seek authentic origin stories from small African island producers, such as those found among top fresh produce exporters in São Tomé & Príncipe.
Annual production ranges from 15–40 tonnes of parchment coffee, sun-dried to ≤12% moisture. Selected lots score 86–89 SCA points with specialty importers in France and Portugal. A DGAS phytosanitary certificate and CCIC certificate of origin accompany all exports. Available in 60 kg jute bags — one of Africa's rarest commercial Arabicas.
Santo Antão is Cape Verde's greenest and most fertile island, where smallholder farmers cultivate bananas, mangoes, papayas, and sugar cane using traditional levada irrigation systems that channel mountain spring water to coastal terraces. The island's isolation from synthetic input supply chains means most production is organic-by-default.
SABTFE aggregates produce from 320 member farmers on Santo Antão, packing Cavendish and local creole bananas and mangoes for air freight to Portugal and sea shipment to the Cape Verdean diaspora market in France. EU buyers sourcing Cape Verdean bananas as a niche premium complement to high-volume supply from agricultural exporters in Cameroon will find the artisanal island origin story particularly appealing to specialty and diaspora retail channels. DGAS phytosanitary certificate accompanies all export consignments.
ATCV operates longline fishing vessels targeting yellowfin and bigeye tuna, supplying fresh chilled tuna loins to Japanese sashimi importers and Spanish and French sashimi-grade tuna processors. Longline-caught tuna commands a meaningful price premium in the high-end sashimi market due to lower bycatch rates and superior flesh quality versus purse seine-caught tuna.
Tuna loins are blast-chilled to -1°C, vacuum-packed in sashimi-grade packaging, and air-freighted within 24 hours of catch from Mindelo Airport to Tokyo Narita, Madrid, and Paris. ATCV is progressing toward MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) certification. IUU Catch Certificates accompany all EU-bound tuna exports.
SMPE sources fresh mangoes (Kent, Keitt, and local Cabo Verdean varieties) and papayas from smallholder farms on Santiago Island. Santiago's volcanic clay soils produce mangoes with intensely sweet, non-fibrous flesh and a distinctive Atlantic island character. Annual mango export volumes are 200–400 tonnes, primarily to Portuguese importers and the Cape Verdean diaspora community in France.
SMPE coordinates DGAS phytosanitary certification and files TRACES NT prior notifications for all EU-bound shipments — the same documentation system used by top agricultural exporters in Senegal, West Africa's leading mango exporter to France, whose TRACES NT procedures provide a useful benchmark for buyers managing multiple Atlantic African mango origins. Air freight via Praia's Nelson Mandela Airport provides 6-hour delivery to Lisbon for premium fresh mango buyers.
Conservas Ilha do Sal operates an artisanal fish cannery on Sal Island producing smoked tuna in organic olive oil, canned wahoo, canned dorado, and smoked fish fillets for the European specialty food market. Founded by a Cape Verdean-Portuguese partnership, the company creates premium value-added fish products from Sal Island's artisanal catch.
Products are packaged in premium glass jars and tins targeting specialty food retailers in France, Portugal, Spain, and Germany. EU FBO (Food Business Operator) registration is maintained with regular official controls from DGP. Annual production is 15,000–20,000 units across all product lines.
Grogue — Cape Verde's traditional artisanal sugarcane rum — is produced on Santo Antão using copper pot stills and centuries-old fermentation techniques. GRACSA represents 140 artisanal producers on Santo Antão, making a spirit of 38–50% alcohol with growing international interest as a distinctive Atlantic artisan rum category.
Santo Antão grogue is pursuing a Geographic Indication (GI) designation. Small-batch exports in 500ml and 700ml bottles currently reach Portuguese specialty spirits importers and Dutch rum enthusiast retailers. Annual export volumes are 3,000–5,000 bottles, growing as GI designation advances.
Pedra de Lume on Sal Island hosts a dramatic volcanic crater lake where solar evaporation has produced Atlantic sea salt since the 18th century. Cape Verde sea salt has a distinct mineral profile from the volcanic basalt and is harvested manually for the European gourmet food market.
Products include coarse sea salt, fine sea salt, and flavoured finishing salts. CCIC certification as natural mineral salt accompanies all exports. Annual volumes are 200–500 tonnes to Portuguese, Spanish, and German specialty food distributors and premium bacalhau (salt cod) producers.
CAVEH provides export facilitation services for Cape Verdean fish, agricultural, and artisanal product exporters lacking internal EU export compliance capacity. Services include TRACES NT prior notification filing, DGP and DGAS certificate coordination, IUU Catch Certificate management, and freight forwarder coordination at both Praia and Mindelo ports.
For international buyers wishing to source from smaller Cape Verdean fishing communities or island farmers, CAVEH provides the compliance intermediary function. The company has processed export transactions for 18 international buyers since 2020, including Spanish tuna importers, Portuguese specialty coffee roasters, and Dutch artisanal rum retailers.
Cape Verde's regulatory framework is split between DGP (fish) and DGAS (agriculture). Follow these five steps.
Cape Verde's primary exports are fish and seafood (~75% of merchandise exports): yellowfin tuna, bigeye tuna, spiny lobster, and octopus. Agricultural exports include Fogo island Arabica coffee (86–89 SCA, volcanic terroir), Santo Antão bananas, Santiago mangoes and papayas, and artisanal grogue rum. Spain receives 86% of all exports.
Fogo coffee grows at 1,400–2,829m on an active volcano's basaltic slopes, producing an Arabica with bright acidity, full body, and volcanic mineral character. Under 50 tonnes annually — one of Africa's rarest coffees. Selected lots score 86–89 SCA. European specialty roasters prize its quality and eruption resilience story.
No. Fish, tuna, lobster, coffee, bananas, and mangoes are all outside the EUDR regulated commodities list. Cape Verde is entirely EUDR-free.
Port of Mindelo (São Vicente) is the main deep-water port for fish processing and tuna exports. Port of Praia (Santiago) handles agricultural produce and general cargo. Both have cold storage. Air freight via Praia or Mindelo airports is used for fresh fish, lobster, and fruit.
Fish: verify EU Approved Establishment number on the European Commission list; require IUU Catch Certificate. Coffee: require DGAS phytosanitary certificate and CCIC certificate of origin. Contact CAVEH for full export facilitation.
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