Last updated: 2026-07-30

Where we ship from

Essential Care Plus is a US LLC headquartered in Albuquerque, New Mexico. But our orders ship directly from Africa, where our cooperatives are based.

Our main dispatch hub is Cotonou, Benin. From there, our team consolidates orders and ships worldwide. For specific seasonal harvests or larger wholesale orders, shipments may also dispatch directly from one of our source countries (Chad, Burkina Faso, Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, depending on the ingredient).

This direct-from-source model is intentional. It keeps cooperatives at the center of the supply chain, shortens the path between harvest and your home, and means the margin stays with the women who produce these ingredients, not with intermediate warehouses. Read our story to understand why this matters to us.

Carrier

We ship internationally via DHL Express. A tracking number is sent to your email as soon as the label is generated.

Delivery times, retail

Transit times are working days from dispatch, not from when you place the order. Add 1 to 2 business days for order processing. Customs clearance can add further time and is outside our control.

Order processing

• Retail orders from our catalog are typically processed and dispatched within 1 to 2 business days. We do our best to ship as quickly as we can.
• Wholesale orders ship within 3 to 5 business days of payment clearing, or PO acceptance for Net 30 buyers.
• Orders are not processed on Sundays or local public holidays in Benin.

Wholesale and bulk

• Cases under 30 kg ship via DHL Express on the same lanes as retail.
• Pallet-sized orders (above 30 kg) ship by air freight or sea freight on quote, depending on urgency.
• Bulk-tier shipments are coordinated by our logistics team. Typical lead time is 7 to 14 business days from PO confirmation.

Customs and duties

Customs duties, taxes, and import fees are the buyer’s responsibility and are not included in the price shown at checkout. We label every commercial-invoice document accurately. We will not falsify values.

For US buyers: the $800 de minimis exemption that previously allowed low-value shipments to enter the United States duty-free was suspended for all countries on 29 August 2025. Every shipment, regardless of value, now requires a customs entry and is assessed applicable duties, taxes and fees. Please budget for import charges on any order, including small ones. DHL will contact you directly for payment of duties before delivery, and our paperwork includes the certificate of analysis and the cooperative origin declaration to support clearance.

For EU and UK buyers: import VAT and any applicable duty are charged on arrival according to your national thresholds. DHL collects these before delivery.

Import regulations change frequently. If your order is time-critical or high-value, contact us before ordering and we will confirm the current requirements for your destination.

Phytosanitary certificate

Every export shipment leaves Cotonou with a phytosanitary certificate issued by the Beninese plant-health authority. This is required for plant-based ingredients entering most major markets including the European Union, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. The certificate is included in the DHL paperwork at no extra cost. For wholesale buyers with strict customs requirements, we can also issue a fresh per-batch CoA before shipment so your team can pre-clear the consignment.

Lost or delayed shipments

Email contact@essentialcareplus.com with your order number. We will open a DHL trace and ship a replacement at our cost if the package is confirmed lost.

PO Box and APO/FPO

DHL Express does not deliver to PO Boxes or APO/FPO addresses. Please use a physical street address at checkout.

Related policies

For full details on returns, refunds, and damage claims, see our return policy. For payment methods and Net 30 terms for wholesale buyers, see our payment policy. For other operational questions, our FAQ covers most cases.