Ingredients company Unicorn has started selling into China after recently being approved as a food importer and agent to the Chinese market.

The company has created a new brand, Copihue, which it uses for its current three-product Chinese range of honey, cereal flakes and extra virgin olive oil.

Joint managing director Nicola Divers said the company opened an office in China in 2011, and realised it could import as well as export from the country.

She said: “There are a lot of people there and they like imported products. This is a new initiative and embryonic at the moment, but we are seeing growth and we are pleased with the way things are going.” 

She added that the company was also looking at opportunities to sell to some major bakeries in the Far East.

Turnover

Based in Surrey, Unicorn had a £19 million turnover, in the year to March 2014, up from £16m the previous year and has 14 employees.

The company supplies a number of UK and European bakeries with sesame seeds – the most popular seed – used primarily by the burger bun sector.  

Unicorn Ingredients has seen a great deal of interest in chai seeds from the cereal and bakery manufacturing sectors. In addition, Nigella seeds (black onion seeds) are seeing a rise in popularity, according to Divers.