Manufacturer, marketer or trader
First confirm whether the supplier manufactures the product or resells it. This affects customisation, communication and cost.
Three structures are common. A manufacturer owns or operates the production facility and holds a manufacturing FSSAI licence. A marketer owns a brand and has product made elsewhere, appearing on the label as "marketed by". A trader or export house buys finished goods and resells them, and cannot usually reformulate anything.
Each model can work, but custom formulation requires direct access to production. Ask who makes the product and request the 14-digit FSSAI licence number and manufacturing address.
It is common and legitimate for the manufacturing entity and the marketing entity to be different companies within one group. Wellubia works this way: production is at our own facility at Palwal, Haryana, under FSSAI licence 10821014000051 held by Kabir Foods Pvt Ltd, with Superseeds Marketing LLP as the marketing entity. Both are group companies. What matters is that a supplier can explain the relationship without hesitating.
Certifications, and which ones actually apply to you
Do not judge a supplier by the length of its certificate list. Check which certificates cover your product, facility and destination.
- FSSAI is the baseline Indian food licence. Non-negotiable, and verifiable against the licence number.
- HACCP and ISO 22000 or FSSC 22000 cover food safety management systems. FSSC 22000 is GFSI-recognised and is what many international retailers ask for specifically.
- Halal matters for a large share of export markets and is often a hard requirement rather than a preference.
- GMP covers manufacturing practice. ZED and AYUSH are Indian schemes that carry weight domestically and less abroad.
Ask for certificate copies with validity dates and, importantly, the scope. A certificate that covers a different product category or a different site is not a certificate that covers your order. Wellubia holds FSSAI, GMP, HACCP, Halal, ISO 22000, FSSC 22000, ZED and AYUSH, and shares scope and documentation against the specific destination brief rather than as a blanket attachment.
Colours and additives: the detail that stops shipments
Colour declarations are a common compliance problem in mukhwas.
Colours may be natural, such as chlorophyll or carotenes, or synthetic, such as tartrazine or sunset yellow. A colour that is permitted in India may still need a warning or may not be accepted in your destination market.
In the European Union, several synthetic colours require an on-pack warning that the product "may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children". A buyer who discovers this after printing labels has an expensive problem. Enforcement inside India is also tightening product by product: Tamil Nadu banned the manufacture, storage, distribution and sale of artificially coloured appalams in July 2026, and banned cotton candy in 2024 after Rhodamine B, a textile dye, was found in samples.
Ask for a written ingredient declaration with the INS number of every colour, including colours inside coated seeds, tutti frutti and other compound ingredients.
Samples, and what to do with them
Ask for samples early and ask what they cost. Wellubia provides product samples free with the buyer covering shipping, which is a common arrangement and a reasonable one.
When samples arrive, assess more than flavour. Check the pieces for uniformity, look for colour bleed or stickiness that suggests humidity problems, and keep a portion sealed to look at again after several weeks. A blend that tastes excellent on arrival and clumps a month later will not survive a sea shipment to a humid market.
Commercial terms worth settling early
Be wary of a published minimum order quantity in either direction. A very low advertised MOQ often means the supplier is reselling stock rather than running production. A very high one may simply be a default that softens once a real brief exists.
Wellubia does not quote a universal MOQ, price or lead time. Quantity, pack and lead time are quoted against the brief, and pricing and Incoterms follow once product, pack, order size and destination are known. That is slower than a number in a first email, and considerably more likely to hold.
Settle who prepares destination-market documentation, and when. Certificate scope, product specifications and export paperwork should be prepared for your market before shipment, not assembled after the goods are on the water.
Assessing a facility without flying there
A site visit is ideal and often impractical for a first order. Most of what a visit would tell you can be established remotely if you ask for the right things.
Ask for a continuous video walkthrough from raw-material intake to finished-goods storage. Check hygiene, pest control, drainage and separation between raw and finished areas.
Request the latest third-party audit report as well as the certificate. The report shows any non-conformances and how they were closed.
Ask the supplier to explain batch traceability from raw material to finished pack and from finished batch to customer.
Finally, ask who you would deal with day to day, and whether that person sits with the production team or with a sales agency. It changes how quickly technical questions get real answers.
Commercial mechanics: payment and Incoterms
Two areas cause more first-order friction than product ever does.
Payment terms. A common structure for a new relationship is a deposit against production with the balance before or against shipping documents. Letters of credit appear on larger orders and carry bank costs and documentary precision that both sides need to understand. There is no universally correct arrangement, but a supplier who demands full payment upfront on a first order, or who accepts open credit from an unknown buyer, is telling you something about how they operate.
Incoterms. Agree these explicitly and in writing, because they determine who arranges freight, who carries risk at each stage, and who handles export and import clearance. EXW puts nearly everything on you. FOB is common and workable for buyers with a freight forwarder. CIF moves more onto the supplier and suits buyers who would rather not manage shipping. A quoted price means very little until the Incoterm attached to it is known, which is why Wellubia quotes pricing and Incoterms together once product, pack, order size and destination are settled.
Establish who prepares which documents. Commercial invoice, packing list, certificate of origin, health or free-sale certificates where required, and any market-specific attestations all have owners, and assuming is expensive.
Red flags
None of these is proof of a bad supplier on its own. Two or three together justify slowing down.
- A price quoted before product, pack, quantity and destination are known.
- Inability or reluctance to give an FSSAI licence number, or a licence that names a different category of business.
- "Food grade colour" or "permitted colour" offered instead of INS numbers.
- Certificates supplied without scope pages or validity dates, or a certificate against a withdrawn standard such as ISO 9001:2008.
- A very low advertised MOQ combined with an extremely wide catalogue, which usually indicates reselling rather than manufacturing.
- Claims about health benefits that would not be legal on a pack in your market. A supplier casual about claims in an email is often casual about them on a label.
- No willingness to send samples, or sample costs that are disproportionate to the product value.
A short checklist
- Who holds the FSSAI licence, and what is the number?
- Who owns the facility, and is the marketing entity the same company or a group company?
- Which certificates apply to my product category and destination, and what are their validity dates and scope?
- What is the INS number of every colour, including those inside compound ingredients?
- Can the formulation be changed after sample feedback, and by whom?
- What pack formats suit my channel, transit time and destination humidity?
- Who prepares destination-market documentation, and at what point?
Frequently asked questions
How do I verify an Indian food manufacturer is genuine?
Ask for the FSSAI licence number and check that it names a manufacturing entity and address. A manufacturing licence is a 14-digit number. A supplier who can only provide a trader or marketer licence does not have access to a production line.
Is it a problem if the manufacturer and the brand are different companies?
No, provided the supplier explains the relationship. It is common for a group to hold manufacturing in one entity and marketing in another. It becomes a concern only when a supplier is vague about who actually makes the product.
Which certification do international retailers ask for most often?
FSSC 22000 is GFSI-recognised and is the one most frequently specified by international retail buyers, though Halal is a hard requirement in many export markets.
Why do colours matter so much in this category?
Mukhwas often contains coloured coated ingredients. Synthetic colours are legal in India within limits but trigger additional on-pack warnings in markets such as the EU, and Indian state enforcement has been tightening. Always obtain INS numbers in writing, including for colours inside compound ingredients.
Should I expect to pay for samples?
Sample product is often free with the buyer covering shipping. That is Wellubia's policy. Charging heavily for samples can indicate a trader rather than a manufacturer.
How can I assess a facility without visiting India?
Ask for a continuous unedited video walkthrough from raw material intake to finished goods storage, the last third-party audit report rather than just the certificate, and an explanation of how batch traceability works in both directions.
Which Incoterm should I use for a first order?
FOB is common and workable if you have a freight forwarder. CIF moves freight and insurance onto the supplier and suits buyers who prefer not to manage shipping. EXW places nearly everything on you. A price means little until the Incoterm attached to it is known.
What payment terms are normal for a first order?
A deposit against production with the balance before or against shipping documents is a common structure for a new relationship. Letters of credit appear on larger orders. Be cautious of a supplier demanding full payment upfront, or one extending open credit to an unknown buyer.