Commodities, Trading & Sourcing
For commodity traders, importers and wholesale suppliers. We build the buyer pipeline, B2B enquiry systems and lot-level margin records behind each contract.
Our perspective
In commodity trading the margin on a lot is decided by details that rarely sit in one place: the contract price and incoterm, the freight booked, the exchange rate on the day of payment, the grade found on arrival and the claim that follows if it is off specification. We work with businesses in commodity sourcing and wholesale supply, including buyer sourcing, wholesale supply websites and B2B enquiry systems for nut and dried-fruit wholesale. We build the buyer pipeline, enquiry handling and lot-level margin records that show which customers, origins and contracts make money.
Market signals
01
The World Bank's April 2026 outlook projected commodity prices to rise 16% in 2026, the first annual increase since 2022, with energy prices up 24% and fertiliser prices up 31%.
02
Year-on-year growth in the UNCTAD Commodity Price Index reached 38.8% in September 2026, up from 27.4% in August. Fuel prices rose 57.1% year on year and food prices 8.0%.
03
Large and medium operators must comply with the EU Deforestation Regulation from 30 December 2026, and micro and small operators from 30 June 2027. Traders further down the chain must keep the reference number of the first due-diligence statement.
How we help clients
Buyer sourcing and qualification
TF-04GrowthWe identify importers, wholesalers, processors and retail buyers by market, then qualify each by volume, specification, certification needs and payment terms. The output is a ranked buyer file the sales team can work from the next morning.
Wholesale supply websites and B2B enquiry systems
TF-06Technology & DataProduct pages with specifications, grades, packing options, certificates and minimum order quantities, and enquiry forms that capture volume, destination, incoterm and delivery window, so each enquiry reaches the trader ready to quote.
Lot-level margin and position reporting
TF-08FinancePurchase price, freight, insurance, finance, exchange rate and claims recorded against each lot show realised margin per contract and the open position by product, origin and month.
Supplier and origin due-diligence records
TF-10RiskSupplier documents, certificates, laboratory results and due-diligence references held against each lot let a trader answer a customer's or regulator's request without searching email.
Contract-to-cash automation
TF-07OperationsContracts, shipping documents, invoices, payments and claims linked in one workflow show which shipments are waiting on documents and which invoices are overdue.
Market and origin selection
TF-01StrategyWe compare destination markets and supply origins on landed cost, duty, lead time, buyer depth and documentation burden, and recommend where to build volume first.
What changes next
Landed cost moving faster than price lists
With energy prices projected up 24% in 2026, freight and processing costs feed into landed cost within weeks. Price lists and indicative quotes reviewed monthly will be out of date for part of each month.
Due-diligence references on every contract
From 30 December 2026, products in scope of the EU Deforestation Regulation need a due-diligence statement reference that travels with the goods. Traders who hold it per lot can supply it on the invoice; those who do not will delay customs clearance.
Wholesale buyers who start online
In the wholesale supply work we do, trade buyers check specifications, certificates and minimum quantities on the supplier's site before they ask for a price. A supplier without those details online is often not asked to quote.
Business challenges
01
Margin known after the claim is settled
Freight, finance, exchange movements and quality claims arrive after the sale. Without lot-level records, the margin reported at contract is not the margin earned.
02
Enquiries that cannot be quoted
Enquiries by email, phone and messaging app arrive without volume, destination or delivery terms. The trader spends a day collecting details, and a faster supplier wins the order.
03
A buyer base concentrated in a few accounts
When three customers take most of the volume, one lost account or one late payer changes the year. New buyers are found only when an existing one leaves.
04
Documents held in inboxes
Certificates of origin, phytosanitary certificates, laboratory reports and supplier declarations sit in different inboxes. A missing document holds a container at the port.
05
Open positions tracked by memory
Purchases and sales are agreed at different times and prices. If nobody keeps the net position by product and month, the business carries price risk it has not measured.
Client results
View allWhere the opportunity sits
Quote on the day of enquiry
Enquiry forms that capture the details a quote needs, routed to the right trader with stock and indicative prices, let the business answer the same day.
Margin by customer, origin and contract
Lot-level records show which customers and origins return a margin after freight, finance and claims, and which ones only add volume.
A pipeline that does not depend on one customer
A qualified buyer file worked through a CRM, with each contact and quote recorded, adds new accounts while the existing ones are still trading.
How we approach it
We start read-only with the contracts register, purchase and sales invoices, freight and shipping documents, the claims log, the buyer list and the website or enquiry inbox. We follow one lot from purchase contract to final payment and note where prices, weights, rates or documents are re-keyed. Findings become a prioritized task list, each item with an owner and an acceptance check. If the client wants us to build, the same team delivers the buyer research, website and enquiry system, CRM, lot records and reporting, and leaves them in the client's own accounts. We do not trade, take title to goods, act as broker or agent, or advise on hedging and derivatives. Quality inspection and certification, customs and tax advice, and legal review of contracts stay with qualified providers.
How our experience is evidenced
THEFOCUS has worked with businesses in this sector, in commodity sourcing and wholesale supply, including buyer sourcing, wholesale supply websites and B2B enquiry systems for nut and dried-fruit wholesale. Client engagements are confidential, and no anonymised record has yet been approved for publication. No commercial results are claimed.
How an engagement with THEFOCUS starts
A first conversation is about your situation. If there is a fit, we propose a scoped diagnostic with a fixed deliverable before any larger commitment.
Discuss this with us01
A working conversation
Forty-five minutes with the person who would lead the work. We ask about the decision, the systems behind it and the deadline.
02
A scoped diagnostic
Read-only access, a fixed timeframe and a written finding: what the records show, what it costs and what to change first.
03
A plan you can act on
Changes, owners, measures and exclusions in writing. The same team then builds and measures, or hands over cleanly.
- One accountable team
- The people who diagnose also build the systems and measure the result.
- Partners chosen per problem
- Independent specializts join for the parts that need them, under one contract.
- Records before dashboards
- Orders, ledgers and logs are reconciled before any recommendation depends on them.
Questions executives ask
Have you worked with commodity and wholesale businesses?
Yes. We work with businesses in commodity sourcing and wholesale supply, including nut and dried-fruit wholesale, on buyer sourcing, wholesale supply websites and B2B enquiry systems. The engagements are confidential, so we describe them in general terms.
Do you buy or sell goods on our behalf?
No. We do not trade, take title or act as an agent. We find and qualify buyers, build the systems that handle their enquiries and record the margin on each lot. The commercial relationship stays with you.
Can you help us with EU deforestation due diligence?
We can build the records that hold supplier documents, plot data where you have it and due-diligence statement references against each lot. Whether a product is in scope and how to file a statement should be confirmed with your legal or customs adviser.
What does an enquiry system add to a website?
It asks for the details a quote needs (product, grade, volume, destination, incoterm and timing), sends the enquiry to the right person and records the response time and outcome, so you can see which channels bring buyers who order.
Discuss this with us
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