Buyers evaluating a new Ecuadorian supplier usually ask the same underlying question in different words: what exactly am I paying for, and who actually owns this product before it ships? It’s a fair question, and the answer changes how you should think about risk, pricing, and accountability.

KATUNA doesn’t buy and resell — it sources on commission

Some export intermediaries take ownership of goods, hold inventory, and mark up the resale price — you’re buying from a trader, even if the product came from somewhere else originally. KATUNA works differently: for commission-based orders, KATUNA never takes ownership of the merchandise. Instead, KATUNA sources, verifies, consolidates and manages the transaction on your behalf, and charges a commission on the value of the operation.

That distinction matters for two practical reasons:

  • Pricing transparency. A commission model means the cost structure is visible — you’re not trying to reverse-engineer a trader’s markup baked into an opaque unit price.
  • Alignment of incentives. KATUNA’s commission depends on the deal closing well for both sides, not on holding inventory at a margin. There’s no incentive to push product that doesn’t fit what you actually asked for.

What’s included before a commission order ships

This isn’t just “find a supplier and step back.” The sourcing service includes:

  • Producer identification and verification — farm and processing-plant visits to confirm actual supply capacity, not just a claimed one.
  • Origin quality control — moisture and fermentation testing for cacao, Brix and caliber grading for bananas, count and size verification for shrimp, before anything ships.
  • Certification management — coordinating AGROCALIDAD phytosanitary certification, BASC logistics security, and organic/Fair Trade certification when a buyer requires it.
  • Sample coordination — arranging commercial samples so you evaluate the actual product before committing to a purchase order, not after.
  • Order consolidation — combining volume across multiple verified producers to reach an exportable container minimum, since very few individual farms can fill a container alone.

Where private label fits in

For buyers who want differentiation in their own market rather than a generic commodity purchase, KATUNA also offers private label and co-branding — the sourcing, verification and logistics work the same way, with packaging and branding built around the buyer’s own market positioning instead of KATUNA’s.

What this model doesn’t do

It’s worth being direct about the limits: a commission model isn’t built for buyers who want to negotiate against KATUNA’s own inventory position, or who need same-week spot availability from stock already on hand. It’s built for buyers who want a verified, transparent path from Ecuadorian producer to their own supply chain — with someone accountable for quality and documentation at every step in between.

Getting started

If you’re evaluating cacao, banana or shrimp sourcing from Ecuador and want to understand whether a commission model fits how you buy, reach out — the first conversation is about your volume, timeline and destination market, not a sales pitch.