Food & Drink /
AA Standard Seeds
Unicorn Ingredients’ customers can rest assured that they are buying the highest standard seeds, it’s official.
Unicorn has held the prestigious BRC accreditation for Agents & Brokers since 2015, shortly after the standard was first launched. Then in March 2019 it passed its latest annual BRC audit with AA grade — the highest grade this category of business can achieve.
The BRC Standard assures customers that Unicorn has high level competence in all critical areas such as product safety and quality, and that it is monitoring and continually improving systems.
For Unicorn, meeting the BRC accreditation standard requires close collaboration with suppliers. To gain accreditation back in 2015, all the procedures in Unicorn’s complicated global supply chain were standardised and documented.
Unicorn’s suppliers, independent farmers and co-operatives from all around the world, are expected to maintain the certification standards on an ongoing basis.
Many of Unicorn’s suppliers have been with the company a very long time, but a strict supplier approval procedure also ensures any new supplier is able to meet the stringent BRC as well as market requirements.
Unicorn’s customers are typically manufacturers of bakery, cereal, salad and healthier snack products. It can be a fast-paced sector, and customers often request niche and seasonal ingredients.
Suppliers are constantly monitored and are reviewed by Unicorn’s senior management at bi-monthly meetings. At these meetings any suppliers or consignments that there have been complaints about are highlighted.
When necessary an action plan will then be put in place to tackle any issues, which can include root cause analysis, and a supplier site audit.
Unicorn has also been certified by the Soil Association since 2012. It has full accreditation to import a variety of edible organic seeds. These range from sunflower and golden linseed through to pumpkin seed kernels and millet.
The systems in place make Unicorn an all-round safe choice for its customers and bring benefits all round. Having accreditation allows Unicorn to trade with retailers and manufacturers who only deal with BRC or Soil Association certified traders.
Unicorn’s plan going forward is to maintain both its Soil Association and BRC certifications, offering continued AA-rated supply chain excellence.
