Focus on: India

India is integral to Unicorn Ingredients, and a market we have operated in for many years. The country is a major source of agricultural ingredients, so it is important that we have a strong presence.

The company engaged a representative in India in 2014 and opened office premises in February 2016 and established Unicorn Ingredients Pvt. Ltd, a year later in February 2017. This is a registered company in India set up to look after business operations in the region and is run by Country Manager, Mr Hemant Gupte. Hemant is supported by an administration team who are responsible for the logistics, shipments and other operation activities, freeing up time for Hemant to develop commercial opportunities.

As a BRC auditor, Hemant is becoming a global resource for Unicorn, which has a policy of working closely with suppliers and building core relationships. Our business growth into new products and niche ranges necessitates further development of the supplier base and the Indian office works closely with producers to help them raise their game, elevate their quality control and improve health and safety within their operations.

The key products currently sourced from India are organic and conventional natural sesame seed, black sesame seed, hulled sesame seed, nigella seed, amaranth seed and brown flaxseed or linseed.

India is increasingly becoming more important and relevant to Unicorn due to the large range of speciality ingredients available. These are likely to increase in popularity as dietary requirements become more adventurous in the western world.

We work with approximately a dozen suppliers in Indian and we are constantly looking for the highest quality possible, whether it is the harvesting, facilities, management and processes or the seeds themselves.