For producers & brands
Take your product to new markets.
Export readiness, US import set-up, distributor and broker networks, retail listings. We represent your brand to buyers and negotiate on your side of the table.
Sourcing · Brokerage · Distribution · US, UK & EU
Food and ingredient trade, from origin to shelf.
We source ingredients, represent food and beverage brands, and negotiate the deals that put them in front of buyers — across the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union.
Sourcing · Brokerage · Negotiation · Distribution · Market entry
Scroll — origin to shelf01 — Who we are
We sit between the people who make food and the people who buy it — and make the deal work for both.
Union Trade is the US-registered trading and distribution arm of Functional Brands Group. Functional Brands builds strategy and brands. Union Trade does the trading: finding supply, qualifying it, negotiating terms and getting products placed with distributors, retailers and manufacturers.
About Union Trade20+
Years of food & FMCG experience in the group's leadership
50+
Brands grown by the Functional Brands Group team
3
Markets: United States, United Kingdom, European Union
8
Product categories, from honey to functional beverages
Union Trade works three ways.
02 — How we work with you
For buyers
Source with confidence.
For importers, distributors, packers, manufacturers and retailers. We find and qualify suppliers against your specification, model the landed cost and negotiate the contract.
For brand builders
Build the brand buyers ask for.
New product development, private label and co-manufacturing, packaging and label compliance for the US, UK and EU — together with Functional Brands Group's strategy team.
03 — From origin to shelf
Six moves between the producer and the shelf.
We map origins and shortlist producers that can meet your volume, specification and certification needs.
Specifications, certificates, lab results and audits are checked before anything is signed. Labels and claims are reviewed for the destination market.
Price structure, Incoterms, payment terms, exclusivity and territory — negotiated by people who have sat on both sides of the table.
Freight, customs entry, FDA prior notice and third-party warehousing, coordinated with vetted logistics partners and priced to a landed cost.
Distributors, brokers, retail chains, foodservice and online channels. We present, follow up and close listings.
Promotions, trade terms and sell-out reviews, so the second order is bigger than the first.
01 — Source
03 — From origin to shelf
Six moves between the producer and the shelf.
01
Source
We map origins and shortlist producers that can meet your volume, specification and certification needs.
02
Qualify
Specifications, certificates, lab results and audits are checked before anything is signed. Labels and claims are reviewed for the destination market.
03
Negotiate
Price structure, Incoterms, payment terms, exclusivity and territory — negotiated by people who have sat on both sides of the table.
04
Move
Freight, customs entry, FDA prior notice and third-party warehousing, coordinated with vetted logistics partners and priced to a landed cost.
05
Place
Distributors, brokers, retail chains, foodservice and online channels. We present, follow up and close listings.
06
Grow
Promotions, trade terms and sell-out reviews, so the second order is bigger than the first.
Categories we source and sell.
04 — What we trade
Bulk ingredients for manufacturers and finished, retail-ready brands for distributors and retailers.
Hazelnuts, almonds, walnuts and pistachios; sunflower, pumpkin, chia and flax seeds; dried and freeze-dried fruit and berries.
Nuts, seeds & dried fruitBulk and retail-packed honey to buyer specification, and natural sweeteners for manufacturing.
Honey & natural sweetenersOats, buckwheat, lentils and chickpeas; sunflower and other seed oils in bulk and retail formats.
Grains, pulses & seed oilsFunctional actives, superfoods, herbs and spices for food, beverage and supplement manufacturers.
Ingredients, superfoods & botanicalsCeylon tea, specialty and premium instant coffee — branded and private label.
Tea & coffeeChocolate, gummies, functional gum, biscuits and better-for-you snacks.
Confectionery & snacksGut-health, energy, protein and low-sugar products for modern grocery.
Functional food & beverageEuropean and international specialty foods for gourmet, natural and ethnic channels.
Specialty & world foodsSourcing · Qualification · Negotiation · Import · Distribution · Retail listings · Private label · Trade shows ·
We represent brands to the buyers who matter.
05 — Brands we represent
Ceylon tea · Sri Lanka
Basilur Tea
Union Trade is Basilur's agent for UK and European retail, presenting the range to grocery, specialty and department-store buyers.
About our representationWhy producers and buyers work with us.
06 — Why Union Trade
01
Both sides of the table.
Our team has sold to retailers and bought for distributors. We know what each side needs before it says yes.
02
Strategy and execution in one group.
Functional Brands Group shapes the brand and the plan. Union Trade carries it into the market and closes the deals.
03
Compliance before commitment.
Specifications, labels and import requirements are checked before contracts are signed — not after the container lands.
Everything between the factory gate and the shelf.
07 — Capabilities
01
US market entry
Importer of record, FDA and FSVP readiness, US labeling.
02
Brokerage & negotiation
Price structures, trade terms, exclusivity and contracts.
03
Distributor networks
National, regional and specialty distributors and retail brokers.
04
Retail listings
Category pitches, listing negotiations and promotional plans.
05
Ingredient sourcing
Supplier search and qualification against your specification.
06
Private label & co-manufacturing
Co-packer search, formulation and packaging compliance.
07
Market intelligence
Category data, competitor benchmarks and verified buyer lists.
08
Trade-show programs
Pre-booked buyer meetings at the shows that matter.
News and insights.
08 — Latest
Tell us what you need to move.
A product to place, a specification to source, or a market to enter — we reply within two working days.