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Food manufacturing
Fats, oils and ingredients bought to a written specification, by companies whose production line cannot afford a surprise.
- BUYS
- By specification, not by sample
- ORDER PATTERN
- Scheduled, often monthly
- WHAT MATTERS MOST
- Consistency between deliveries
What they buy
- 01
Shea stearin
The harder fraction, used where a firm set is needed. Sold against an agreed melting profile.
- 02
Shea olein
The softer fraction, for products that need a liquid or semi-liquid fat at room temperature.
- 03
Crude and refined butter
Bulk supply for further processing, in drums or flexitank depending on volume.
- 04
Oilseeds for crushing
Sesame and similar crops sold by the container against a specification and analysis.
What this market is
Food manufacturers are the least romantic customers we have, and the most useful to serve well. A confectioner or a bakery ingredient house is not buying shea because of where it comes from. They are buying a fat with a melting behaviour their process depends on, and any deviation shows up on the line before it shows up in a laboratory.
That makes the specification the whole relationship. Moisture, free fatty acid, colour and packing format are agreed in writing before production, and the certificate of analysis relates to the lot that was shipped rather than to a general standard. A supplier who cannot hold a specification is not cheap, whatever the price says.
It also makes scheduling matter more than it does elsewhere. A factory needs material arriving on a rhythm it can plan production around, which is why we hold stock rather than only selling what has just been bought.
How it works in practice
- How goods travel
- Sea freight from Tema in drums, flexitanks or cartons, chosen with the receiving line in mind rather than with our loading in mind.
- Typical order size
- One container upward, most often on a repeating schedule agreed for a season rather than order by order.
- Specification
- Agreed in writing before production. We would rather lose an order at that stage than fail a line later.
- Documents
- Certificate of analysis per lot, certificate of origin, phytosanitary certificate where required, and any buyer questionnaires completed from records.
WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE
Nuts arriving at a collection point during the season. 
Sorting before anything goes near a press. 
Moisture checked on arrival and again before packing. 
Crude butter, drummed for bulk shipment. 
Lots stacked separately in covered storage. 
Loading at Tema for a scheduled sailing.
A food manufacturer does not want the best shipment we have ever sent. They want the same shipment as last month.
Latlink Enterprise
OTHER MARKETS
Buying for a production line?
Send us the specification you work to and the volume you need each month. We will tell you honestly whether we can hold it.