Food Ingredients Brokerage & Sourcing

The sample was perfect. The shipment wasn't.

If you've been there, you know exactly how much it costs — in money, time, and trust. At China Business Ltd, our entire model is built to make sure it never happens to you again. We know this not just from hearing it from clients — we've been on both sides of this industry, as traders and principals, and we've had to make hard calls ourselves when things went wrong. That experience is built into everything we do. See how we work.

OUR Core Promise

We fulfil what we promise. Every order, every time.

Most sourcing problems don't start with bad factories — they start with brokers and agents who make claims and promises they can't keep, or who disappear once the contract is signed.

China Business Ltd works differently. When we take on your order, we commit to four things without exception:

Quality — exactly as agreed.

Not close. Not 'acceptable'. We verify at the source — including unannounced factory visits — so what arrives matches what was agreed at every stage of the process. Not necessarily what others happily buy!

Quantity — to the letter.

Short shipments cost you money and credibility with your own customers. We monitor fulfilment against your order so there are no surprises at the other end.

Time — on schedule.

We know your supply chain depends on reliable lead times. We manage timelines actively, not reactively, and communicate early if anything shifts.

Price — held firm.

Market prices of agro-products and food ingredients fluctuate. Seasonal pressures, currency shifts, freight changes, raw material costs — these are real. But when we agree a price with you, we go to great lengths to have them honored by factory. That's our commitment as your representative.

"We don't just connect you to a supplier — we stand behind the result."

How We Work

Your eyes and ears in Asia — since 1991.

Based in Hong Kong, we've spent over three decades building relationships with reliable Chinese producers of food ingredients. We know the markets, the suppliers, and the risks — not just as observers, but as former traders and principals who have sourced, manufactured and supplied these ingredients directly. That history is why our verification standards are what they are today.

We research before you risk anything.

Desk research, supplier background checks, sample sourcing and evaluation — all before you commit a penny.

We visit. Unannounced.

No prepared showrooms. No staged production lines. We visit factories without notice so you see the real picture — not the performance.

We negotiate on your terms.

Transparent commission structure. We represent your interests, not the supplier's, with clear communication throughout.

We stay involved.

Ongoing quality monitoring, shipment tracking, and re-negotiation when needed. We don't hand off and disappear.

Read more about our approach

Deep expertise in a focused range.

We specialize in a select group of high-demand vegetarian food ingredients. That focus means we know these markets in genuine depth — seasonality, grade standards, common adulteration risks, and which suppliers consistently deliver. Our focus today is narrower than our past — deliberately so. Decades of trading across a wider range taught us where quality risks are highest and where relationships matter most. We now apply that depth where we can guarantee the result.

• Agar Agar — Strips & Powder

  A natural vegetarian gelling agent with applications across food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics. We source consistent grades at competitive prices, with full origin and specification transparency. Click here for insights on Agar Agar.

• Dehydrated Garlic — Granules, Powder & Flakes

  One of the most problematic commodity - ETO, Peanut protein, Pesticides, adulteration and more. We know what to look for, which regions produce which grades, and how to ensure your specification is met — not approximated. Click here for insights of Dehydrated Garlic.

• Cassia / Cinnamon

  Sourced with proper origin documentation, oil content verification, and pesticide testing. Whether you are strict about Lead, Coumarin, Pesticides, or Micros, we ensure compliance before it leaves China. Click here for insights on Cassia/Cinnamon.

Want to know more?

We've put together detailed guides on the products we work with, the regulations that affect your imports, freight considerations, and how quality control works in practice. Start wherever makes sense for you.

• About China Business Ltd: Who we are, our story, and our quality standards

• Our Services in Detail: How we work, step by step

• Product Insights: In-depth guides to agar agar, garlic, and cassia/cinnamon.

• General Insights: Regulations, freight, quality control, and China/HK market

• Frequently Asked Questions: Common questions from importers

Have a specific ingredient in mind?

Tell us what you're looking for — the product, the volume, the standard — and we'll come back to you with an honest assessment of what's achievable and how we'd approach it.

No obligation. No sales pitch. Just a straight conversation.