Nature's Trading Co

A family-owned brokerage firm serving the natural products industry across the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic, the company has been in business since 1994 and describes itself as the first brokerage in those territories to specialize in non-grocery categories. The lines it represents fall into five stated categories: personal care, supplements, herbs, homeopathic medicine and gift items. That specialization is the firm's central positioning -- rather than carrying grocery sets, it concentrates on the wellness and non-food side of the natural channel, which it argues requires different buyer relationships and different category knowledge than a conventional food brokerage. The business is presented as an independent broker that nevertheless offers the convenience, staffing and benefits associated with a larger brokerage firm. Its team collectively brings over 100 years of combined experience, and its professionals have been selling into and servicing the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic natural products market since 1982, predating the company itself. Management makes a point of its regional identity, stating that it understands the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic market because it is of that market rather than an outside firm covering it remotely. Growth since founding has been strong enough that the firm reports being selective about the lines it takes on. Its stated goal is to partner with vendors who share its vision and mission and who are looking for growth that is mutually beneficial to both the brand and the broker, rather than to accumulate as large a portfolio as possible. Prospective principals are invited to approach the company through a 'Seeking Representation' section of its site. Services covered on the site include territory coverage across the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic and the retail sales and servicing work that goes with a brokerage relationship in the natural products channel. The company publishes a newsletter, the NTC Newsline, and maintains team and photo sections introducing its staff. No manufacturing, packing or private-label capability is claimed and no certifications are listed; this is a sales representation business acting on behalf of manufacturers in the natural and specialty retail trade.