Services
Food trade services, from origin to shelf.
Union Trade sources ingredients, represents food and beverage brands and negotiates the deals that put them in front of buyers, across the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union. Six services cover the path from producer to shelf.
What does Union Trade do?
Union Trade is the US-registered trading and distribution arm of Functional Brands Group. Functional Brands Group works on strategy, brand building, marketing and capital. Union Trade does the trading: finding supply, qualifying it, negotiating terms and getting products placed with distributors, retailers and manufacturers.
We work on both sides of a deal. For producers and brands, we prepare products for new markets and represent them to buyers. For buyers, we find and qualify suppliers against a specification and negotiate the contract. Most launches and sourcing needs call for more than one of the services below.
Six services between the producer and the shelf
US market entry
Import readiness for food and beverage products entering the United States. FDA and FSVP questions, importer-of-record options, US labeling, landed cost and the first distributor conversations.
02Brokerage & negotiation
We act as food broker and negotiator between producers and buyers. Price structures, trade terms, exclusivity, territory and contracts.
03Distribution & retail listings
Route-to-market plans for the US, UK and EU. Distributor and broker selection, category pitches, new-vendor set-up and listing negotiations.
04Ingredient sourcing
Supplier search and qualification against your specification. Nuts, seeds, dried fruit, honey, grains, pulses, seed oils, botanicals and functional ingredients.
05Brand development & private label
New products and private-label ranges, from concept to first production run. Co-manufacturer search, specifications and packaging compliance, with Functional Brands Group's strategy team.
06Market intelligence & buyer outreach
Category research with cited sources and verified buyer lists. Outreach campaigns and pre-booked meetings at trade shows.
How does a product get from origin to shelf?
The path from producer to shelf has six moves. A project can cover all six or only one.
01Source
We map origins and shortlist producers that can meet your volume, specification and certification needs.
02Qualify
Specifications, certificates, lab results and audits are checked before anything is signed. Labels and claims are reviewed for the destination market.
03Negotiate
Price structure, Incoterms, payment terms, exclusivity and territory — negotiated by people who have sat on both sides of the table.
04Move
Freight, customs entry, FDA prior notice and third-party warehousing, coordinated with vetted logistics partners and priced to a landed cost.
05Place
Distributors, brokers, retail chains, foodservice and online channels. We present, follow up and close listings.
06Grow
Promotions, trade terms and sell-out reviews, so the second order is bigger than the first.
How can we work together?
We work in three ways. Scope depends on the product, the market and the channel, so we do not publish fees. Terms are agreed in writing before work starts.
- Project. A defined piece of work with a fixed scope, deliverables and timeline. Examples: a US readiness review, a sourcing request against a specification, a category pitch for a retailer, a label and claims review, or a market research pack.
- Retainer. Ongoing work in a market, month by month: buyer outreach, distributor and account management, negotiations and sales follow-up. We agree the activity plan and how progress is reported at the start.
- Commission-based representation. For brands we represent as agent or broker in a defined territory and channel. We are paid on the sales we generate. Representation usually starts with a set-up phase (pricing, sales materials and target accounts) before outreach begins.
Models can be combined: for example, a project to prepare for a market, followed by representation once the product is ready.
Who do we work with?
- Producers and brands that want to enter or grow in the US, UK or EU. See For producers & brands.
- Buyers: importers, distributors, wholesalers, packers, food manufacturers, retailers, foodservice and private-label buyers. See For buyers.
- Brand builders: founders and companies developing new products or private label, together with Functional Brands Group. See Brand development & private label.
Where do we work?
We work in the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union. Union Trade LLC is registered in Wyoming, USA. Functional Brands Group is based in London. We work alongside licensed customs brokers, freight forwarders and regulatory consultants, and we say clearly which parts of a project they handle.
FAQ
What services does Union Trade offer?
Six: US market entry, food brokerage and negotiation, distribution and retail listings, ingredient sourcing, brand development and private label, and market intelligence with buyer outreach. Together they cover the path from producer to shelf in the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union. A single project can combine two or three of them, for example sourcing, negotiation and import coordination for a buyer.
How does Union Trade charge for its work?
We work on a project fee, a monthly retainer or commission-based representation, depending on the job. A defined task such as a readiness review or a sourcing request is usually a project. Ongoing outreach and account management suit a retainer. Brand representation in a territory can be commission-based. We agree fees and terms in writing before work starts and do not publish prices.
Are you a customs broker or a regulatory consultant?
No. Union Trade is a trading, brokerage and market-entry company. Customs entries, tariff classification and formal regulatory opinions are handled by licensed customs brokers and regulatory consultants. We work alongside them: we prepare the product data, coordinate the documents and make sure the commercial plan matches what they advise. Nothing on this site is legal or regulatory advice.
How do Union Trade and Functional Brands Group work together?
Functional Brands Group, based in London, works on strategy, brand building, marketing and capital. Union Trade is its US-registered trading and distribution arm and carries the plan into the market: sourcing, brokerage, negotiation, distribution and market entry. On brand development and private-label projects the two teams work together, so the strategy and the supply side are planned at the same time.