Seafood
Indonesian squid
Indonesian squid is wild-caught, mostly at night with lights, and processed into whole cleaned, tubes, rings and cut pieces. Because it is wild-caught, a European buyer needs the catch traced back to a vessel, which is the requirement that separates suppliers who can serve Europe from those who cannot.
How it leaves the country.
- Whole cleaned
- Gutted, skin and beak removed. The base product, sold by size band.
- Tubes and rings
- Mantle cut for foodservice. More labour, more yield loss, and a price that reflects both.
- Whole round
- Untouched, for buyers who process at their own end. Cheapest per kilo and the yield calculation is yours.
How it is graded.
Squid is bought by size band, and the bands are a commercial convention rather than a standard. Write the weight range into the contract instead of relying on a letter and a number.
- Size codes
- Codes run by pieces per unit weight and the boundaries differ between markets. Two suppliers quoting the same code can mean different animals.
- What to specify
- Species, presentation, size band written out, glazing percentage, freezing method, and the microbiological standard of your market.
- The plant's system
- HACCP running at the approved establishment is what the export health certificate rests on.1
How it is packed.
- Cold chain
- Frozen and held at a temperature named in the contract. Squid shows a broken chain in texture, and it shows on the plate rather than in the paperwork.
- Glazing
- The ice layer forms part of the shipped weight, so the percentage is part of the price and belongs in writing.
Where it grows.
Java north coast
Java
Dense fishing and processing along the Java Sea, close to the main export routes.
South Sulawesi
Sulawesi
A large fishing ground with collection and processing built around Makassar.
Maluku
Maluku
Eastern grounds with good product and longer, more expensive logistics.
Documentation, where applicable.
- Catch certificate
- For the EU. Squid is wild-caught, so the flag state has to validate the catch before the consignment can enter.2
- Approved establishment number
- The processing plant has to already appear on the EU approved list before your order exists.1
- Export health certificate
- Issued by the Indonesian competent authority against the public health requirements of the destination.1
- Certificate of analysis
- Microbiological results on the shipped lot, against the standard your market applies.
Questions buyers ask.
Which species am I buying?
Several are landed and sold as squid, and they behave differently in a kitchen. Name the species in the contract rather than accepting the generic word, because substitution between them is easy and hard to spot once the product is cut.
Why does yield vary so much on tubes?
Because cleaning and cutting lose weight, and how much depends on the size of the animal and on how carefully the plant works. Compare quotations on delivered yield rather than on the price of the raw material.
Is the traceability problem the same as for crab?
Similar in shape and usually easier. Squid tends to move from vessel to processor with fewer hands in between than hand-picked crab, but a European catch certificate still needs the chain intact and it is worth asking to see one.
What does your service cost?
Five per cent of the order value, paid by you and never by the factory. A factory audit starts at $250 depending on location. We work with orders from $10,000 per shipment.
Tell us what you need.
Give us the specification and the destination port. We come back with producer options and an indicative price. Our fee is 5 % of the order value, paid by you and never by the factory.
Sources
- 1Entering the European market for fresh tuna. CBI, Netherlands Enterprise Agency. Checked 3 August 2026.
- 2Council Regulation (EC) No 1005/2008 on illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. EUR-Lex. Checked 3 August 2026.