Bespoke Group LLC, based in Irving, Texas, is a leading exporter of high quality dried pulses, or legumes, such as dried lentils, peas, and chickpeas. The annual global trade of pulses is a $3 billion industry.
The United States is the second largest exporter of dried peas and third for dried lentils and accounts for about 15 percent of global exports.
Bespoke was established in 2004 with an initial focus on the Indian market, the world’s largest importer of dried lentils and peas. While India remains a major focus, Bespoke now exports to a network of buyers in more than 35 countries.
As commodities, pulses are very price sensitive, but the company has nonetheless developed strong, long-term relationships as a quality shipper to its customers world-wide. Other major markets for Bespoke include the United Kingdom, France, Netherlands, South America and Russia, but the company has customers in every continent.
The company is currently involved in a new venture to supply a branded product from the farms of America all the way to consumers. The brand, American Topnotch, will be sold in Indian supermarkets. The first product, Topnotch Premium Green Peas, is being launched with a campaign that stresses its healthful benefits and U.S. origin. (Visit www.pulsehealth.in for more info.)
Other American Top Notch products will be introduced during the next year. Initial results are promising and suggest Indian consumers are favorably disposed to American-grown pulses. This is a first American company to implement its innovative concept “from farm to consumer” in the pulse industry.
Bespoke has partnered with More Megastores of Aditya Birla Retail Limited, a Aditya Birla Group venture. Bespoke recently signed up with the Cash ’n’ Carry chain called Metro and has also started working with Bharti-Walmart in India. Bespoke’s pulses are available in major metro cities of India with its distribution network set up to deliver in 240 locations in India as the company continues to expand its retail presence in India.
Finding customers abroad does not appear to be the largest hurdle facing Bespoke. The major hurdle for the company is frequent foreign exchange movements, a situation which particularly affects commodity exports. A slight appreciation of the dollar can quickly move a good foreign customer to a Canadian or Turkish supplier. The dollar is working to Bespoke’s benefit at the moment.
The SBDC International Trade Center has been working with the Bespoke Group since 2009 when the company entered the entered the USDA’s Minority Export Training program for small food exporters. Bespoke has benefited from the valuable strategic information and reports provided by the ITC on target markets,” Divyesh Patel, CEO, said.
To learn more about Bespoke Group LLC visit: http://www.globalagco.com/
