UK Food Importer Saves
£87,000 Annually
Importing fresh produce from Morocco, Turkey, and Europe.
Eliminated £24k spoilage losses with demurrage alerts and instant settlement.
Company Profile
Business
UK-based food importer supplying supermarkets and foodservice with fresh produce, olive oil, and specialty foods
Sourcing
Morocco (citrus, tomatoes), Turkey (dried fruit, olive oil), Spain/Italy (olive oil, cured meats), Netherlands (dairy, cheese)
Currency Exposure
GBP/EUR (65%), GBP/MAD (20%), GBP/TRY (15%)
Critical Factor
Perishable goods—container delays = product spoilage = total loss
The Challenge
In food import, time isn't just money—it's the difference between sellable product and waste. The company faced three critical challenges:
Spoilage from Delays
Bank payments took 2-3 days. Twice in one year, containers of Moroccan oranges sat at port waiting for payment clearance. Total spoilage loss: £24,000.
Volatile TRY Exposure
Turkish lira swings of 10-15% were common. No visibility into exposure meant ordering dried fruit at one rate and paying at another—margin destroyed.
High FX Costs
Bank charging 2.8% on GBP/MAD, 3.5% on GBP/TRY, 1.5% on GBP/EUR. Exotic currency markups killing margins on North African and Turkish imports.
“We lost £24,000 in spoiled produce because our bank took 3 days to clear a payment. The oranges were sitting at port. By the time payment cleared, they were unsellable. That can never happen again.”
— Managing Director
The Solution
For perishable goods importers, Unicorn Currencies provides capabilities that are literally business-critical:
2.3-Second Settlement
When a container of perishable goods is ready for release, waiting 2-3 days for bank settlement isn't an option. Unicorn's wallet-to-wallet settlement clears in 2.3 seconds.
The moment they receive notification a container is ready, they pay port charges instantly. No more spoilage from payment delays.
Zero spoilage incidents since switching. That's £24k+ saved annually.
FREE Container Tracking + Demurrage Alerts
All containers tracked in real-time. 48-72 hour advance warning before demurrage kicks in. For perishables, this isn't about demurrage fees—it's about product survival.
The operations team gets alerts: “Container MSKU1234567 arrives Felixstowe in 48 hours. Prepare payment.” They pre-fund the wallet. The moment it arrives, they pay instantly.
Logistics platforms charge £3k/year for tracking. We include it FREE.
Real-Time FX P/L on Orders
Turkish lira volatility used to destroy margins unpredictably. Now they upload supplier invoices and see live P/L as TRY moves.
When GBP/TRY strengthened 8% last quarter, the dashboard showed £12,000 in paper gains. They locked the rate immediately with a 15-second hold.
Captured £15k in FX gains last year vs losing money to rate movements.
0.5% Spread on Exotics
Bank charged 2.8% on GBP/MAD and 3.5% on GBP/TRY. Unicorn: 0.5% across all 40+ currency pairs, including exotic trade currencies.
On £7.8M annual volume with heavy exotic exposure, that's direct savings of £48,000+ annually in spread reduction alone.
Same rate for EUR, MAD, and TRY. No exotic currency penalties.
The Results
FX + spoilage prevention + tracking
Zero incidents vs 2 per year previously
0.5% vs 2.8% on exotic currencies
Real-time P/L tracker + rate locking
“In perishables, 2.3-second settlement isn't a nice-to-have—it's survival. Our Moroccan oranges used to rot at port waiting for bank payments. Now we pay the moment containers arrive. We haven't lost a single shipment to delays since switching. That alone justifies everything.”
Managing Director
UK Fresh Produce Importer
Frequently Asked Questions
How did the food importer eliminate spoilage losses?
By using Unicorn Currencies' 2.3-second settlement, the importer pays port charges instantly when containers arrive. Previously, bank payments took 2-3 days, causing £24,000 in annual spoilage losses from perishables like Moroccan oranges sitting at port waiting for payment clearance.
What savings did the food importer achieve?
The importer saves £87,000 annually: £48,000 from reduced FX spreads (0.5% vs 2.8-3.5% on exotic currencies like MAD and TRY), £24,000 from eliminated spoilage, and £15,000 from capturing FX gains through real-time P/L tracking.
How does container tracking help perishable goods importers?
Unicorn's FREE container tracking provides 48-72 hour advance alerts before arrival. For perishables, this allows the importer to pre-fund their wallet so they can pay port charges instantly the moment containers arrive, preventing spoilage from payment delays.
Why are exotic currency rates important for food importers?
Food importers often source from North Africa (Morocco - MAD) and Turkey (TRY) where banks charge 2.8-3.5% spreads on exotic currencies. Unicorn charges a flat 0.5% across all 40+ currencies, saving this importer £48,000 annually on their £7.8M volume.
How does real-time FX tracking benefit food import businesses?
The food importer uploads supplier invoices and sees live profit/loss as currencies move. When GBP/TRY strengthened 8%, the dashboard showed £12,000 in paper gains—they locked the rate immediately. This visibility captured £15,000 in FX gains last year.
Import Perishables?
If you're a food importer with $1M+ annual FX, our instant settlement was built for you.
Minimum: $1M annual FX volume • 3-week deployment • No long-term contracts