India offers extraordinary ingredients and thousands of suppliers. The gap between the best and the rest shows up not in the sample, but in the third container. Here is the checklist we'd use if we were you.
1. Verify the registrations
Ask for the IEC (Import Export Code), FSSAI licence number and GST registration — then verify them on the public Indian government portals. Legitimate exporters share these before you ask.
2. Demand lot-specific COAs
A generic "typical analysis" PDF is marketing. A certificate of analysis tied to your lot number, from a named NABL-accredited laboratory, is quality assurance.
3. Ask where, exactly, it grows
Suppliers with real sourcing name the belt — Unjha cumin, Guntur chilli, Mithila makhana — and can explain how this season's crop differs from last season's. Vague answers signal trading, not sourcing.
4. Test the communication cadence
Send a technical question on a Friday evening. The supplier who answers precisely and promptly during your evaluation will behave the same way when a container is on the water.
5. Check the paperwork muscle
Ask for a redacted sample document set from a previous shipment to your region: B/L, phyto, COO, health certificate. Fluency in your market's import requirements is worth more than a small price difference.
6. Start structured, not small-minded
A well-designed trial order — modest volume, full-spec contract, agreed arbitration terms — tells you more than a cheap unofficial sample shipment ever will. Treat the trial as a rehearsal of the full relationship: spec sheet, COA, inspection, documents, and a debrief after arrival.
We hold ourselves to every line of this checklist — and we're happy to be tested against it. Send us your hardest question first.