Food trade services, from origin 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.
• Brokerage & negotiation — We act as food broker and negotiator between producers and buyers. Price structures, trade terms, exclusivity, territory and contracts.
• Distribution & 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.
• Ingredient sourcing — Supplier search and qualification against your specification. Nuts, seeds, dried fruit, honey, grains, pulses, seed oils, botanicals and functional ingredients.
• Brand 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.
• Market 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.

1. Source — We map origins and shortlist producers that can meet your volume, specification and certification needs.
2. Qualify — Specifications, certificates, lab results and audits are checked before anything is signed. Labels and claims are reviewed for the destination market.
3. Negotiate — Price structure, Incoterms, payment terms, exclusivity and territory — negotiated by people who have sat on both sides of the table.
4. Move — Freight, customs entry, FDA prior notice and third-party warehousing, coordinated with vetted logistics partners and priced to a landed cost.
5. Place — Distributors, brokers, retail chains, foodservice and online channels. We present, follow up and close listings.
6. Grow — 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.