Wine Importer Supplier Onboarding Checklist for Operations Teams

Build one controlled supplier onboarding record

This guide is for alcohol importer operations teams onboarding a winery, producer group, brand owner, or other wine supplier. It covers relationship scope, contacts, product records, label evidence, FDA coordination, logistics, commercial inputs, sales assets, approvals, first-shipment readiness, and vintage updates.

The supplier can provide source facts and documents, but the US importer remains responsible for the obligations assigned to the importer. Onboarding should make that boundary visible. It should also give every product fact, file, decision, and exception an owner before the first import or distributor request depends on it.

Use one controlled record for each supplier relationship. Connect it to exact wines, packages, markets, documents, and approvals. This checklist supports operational control. It does not decide whether a legal requirement applies or replace review by the responsible compliance professional.

Define the supplier and the onboarding scope

Start by identifying the parties. A winery, brand owner, producer, bottler, exporter, and invoicing supplier may be the same company, but do not assume they are.

Create this control header:

Control	Required entry
Onboarding ID	Stable internal reference
Supplier legal name	Entity contracting with or invoicing the importer
Winery or producer	Entity responsible for the wine and production facts
Brand owner	Entity controlling the brand when different
Bottler or packer	Entity shown in the applicable production and label records
Exporting party	Entity coordinating export documents and shipment release
US importer	Exact permitted importing entity
Portfolio scope	Included brands, wines, vintages, volumes, and packages
Market scope	Intended US markets and route to market
Importer owner	Person accountable for completion
Supplier owner	Primary supplier coordinator
Functional reviewers	Compliance, logistics, finance, sales, and marketing owners
Status	Scoping, collecting, in review, approved, shipment-ready, blocked, or closed
Revision	Controlled onboarding package identifier
Source location	Internal location for evidence and approved files
Open exceptions	Unresolved item, owner, effect, and next action

Write down what onboarding is expected to produce. For example, the relationship may cover a single winery and three bottled wines for one market, or a producer group with several brands and separate exporting entities. Do not collect an entire supplier archive when only a defined portfolio is in scope.

Keep four decisions separate:

The supplier relationship is commercially approved.
The importer is ready to conduct the applicable import work.
A product and package are approved for the intended import and market process.
A first shipment is operationally ready.

One status should not stand in for all four.

Assign responsibilities before requesting documents

Turn the onboarding list into a responsibility map. The supplier generally owns source information about the producer, wine, package, and export preparation. The importer owns its US permits, regulatory decisions, submissions, records, and market execution.

Workstream	Typical supplier contribution	Typical importer responsibility
Relationship	Corporate identity, authorized contacts, contracting information	Due diligence, agreement review, internal approval, relationship record
Product	Verified wine, vintage, composition, production, and package facts	Controlled US product and market-item records
Labels	Final artwork, bottling details, translations, source support	US label review, application decisions, COLA control where applicable
Certifications	Producer evidence, laboratory analysis, government or approved-entity documents when applicable	Determine applicable evidence and retain the approved import record
FDA coordination	Facility details and an authorized facility contact	Determine applicable importer and shipment steps with qualified owners
Logistics	Pickup point, case and pallet data, release documents, export contacts	Routing, broker coordination, entry data, receiving setup, exception control
Commercial	Supplier price, currency, terms, minimums, allowances	Approved cost record, landed-cost work, market pricing, payment process
Sales assets	Bottle images, logos, descriptions, tech sheets, brand materials	US review, market adaptation, access, currentness, distribution

Name one owner on each side for every open request. If a customs broker, laboratory, designer, consultant, or freight partner performs a task, keep both the importer owner and the supplier owner visible. A third party can perform work without becoming accountable for the complete onboarding record.

Use status values that expose uncertainty:

not requested
requested
received
under review
approved
correction required
blocked
not applicable, with the deciding owner recorded

Do not use a blank cell to mean any of these.

Complete supplier identity and relationship setup

Request verified company information before building product records. At minimum, collect the legal and approved trade names, physical and mailing addresses, country, registration identifiers used in the relationship, authorized contracting contact, invoicing contact, export contact, compliance contact, production contact, logistics contact, marketing contact, and escalation route.

Confirm which party will:

sign the agreement
issue invoices
receive payment
prepare export documents
release goods for pickup
answer production questions
approve label artwork
approve brand assets
notify the importer of product or facility changes

Keep banking and sensitive tax information outside broad product and asset folders. Record the authorized transfer route and review status without copying restricted values into the normal onboarding tracker.

Translate the agreement into operating controls

The executed agreement remains authoritative. Create an operational summary for the teams performing the work.

Record the parties, portfolio, territory, exclusivity treatment, effective context, ordering process, price basis, currency, payment terms, minimums, production lead-time source, freight responsibilities, document responsibilities, quality or claims process, marketing support, data and asset rights, notice contacts, amendment references, and approved-copy location.

Do not interpret ambiguous contract language in an operations note. Assign the question to the qualified owner, record the decision, and link it to the relevant task.

Use a supplier contact matrix

Topic	Supplier contact	Importer owner	Backup	Approved channel
Contract and amendments	[Name or role]	[Name or role]	[Name or role]	[Channel]
Product facts	[Name or role]	[Name or role]	[Name or role]	[Channel]
Labels and compliance evidence	[Name or role]	[Name or role]	[Name or role]	[Channel]
Orders and production	[Name or role]	[Name or role]	[Name or role]	[Channel]
Export and freight	[Name or role]	[Name or role]	[Name or role]	[Channel]
Invoices and payment	[Name or role]	[Name or role]	[Name or role]	[Channel]
Brand and sales assets	[Name or role]	[Name or role]	[Name or role]	[Channel]
Urgent shipment exception	[Name or role]	[Name or role]	[Name or role]	[Channel]

Test the contacts with a real request before the first shipment becomes urgent.

Confirm importer readiness without assigning it to the winery

TTB states that a person seeking to engage in the business of importing wine into the United States must apply for a Federal Basic Importer’s Permit. Its bottled alcohol import guidance also says the importer must maintain and staff a US business office, and that a company unable to conduct business in the United States can contract with an existing licensed US importer.

The same TTB guidance says importers must register as alcohol dealers before engaging in business and are responsible for applicable federal excise taxes and duties. Record the importer permit, dealer registration, responsible owner, status, and evidence in the importer’s compliance system. The supplier onboarding record should link to that controlled evidence rather than ask the foreign winery to certify an importer obligation.

Use this readiness gate:

Importer control	Owner	Evidence reference	Status	Blocks
Importing entity confirmed	[Owner]	[Reference]	[Status]	Relationship or shipment
Federal permit treatment confirmed	[Owner]	[Reference]	[Status]	Import activity
Alcohol dealer registration treatment confirmed	[Owner]	[Reference]	[Status]	Business activity
Customs and broker route confirmed	[Owner]	[Reference]	[Status]	Entry preparation
State and local license path confirmed	[Owner]	[Reference]	[Status]	Market activity
Importer record system identified	[Owner]	[Reference]	[Status]	Ongoing compliance

Do not copy permit credentials, private regulatory account details, or broad customs records into a supplier-facing workspace. Share only the information the supplier needs for the agreed task.

Build one product record for every exact configuration

Create a separate product-package record whenever the wine, vintage treatment, bottle volume, case pack, label set, identifier, or market treatment differs. A producer portfolio spreadsheet is useful source material, but it is not the controlled importer record until each value has been reviewed.

Use these field groups:

Field group	Recommended fields	Deciding source
Identity	Producer, brand, wine or cuvee, vintage or non-vintage status, class or type	Approved product and label records
Origin	Country, region, appellation, vineyard or geographic claim when used	Supplier evidence and approved label decision
Composition	Grape varieties or blend, wine category, production statements	Current supplier source and reviewer decision
Analysis	Alcohol by volume, residual sugar, acidity, pH, sulfite or other requested analysis	Current laboratory or producer evidence
Package	Net contents, bottle, closure, capsule, label set, units per case	Final package specification
Identifiers	Supplier code, importer SKU, consumer GTIN or UPC, case code	Issuer record and verified package
Logistics	Case dimensions, gross weight, pallet pattern, lot-code format, pickup location	Measured package and supplier logistics record
Regulatory control	Label-review status, COLA reference when applicable, qualification, certification references	Importer compliance record
Commercial control	Supplier price reference, currency, unit basis, effective context	Approved commercial record
Asset control	Bottle images, tech sheet, sell sheet, descriptions, logos	Approved asset records

Record units with every value. Separate bottle measurements from case measurements, liquid volume from gross weight, and planning estimates from verified production specifications.

Use an evidence status for each important field

A practical evidence status is:

supplier stated
document received
verified against current evidence
importer approved
correction pending
not applicable

Do not label a field approved because it appeared in a prior vintage file. The supplier should confirm whether the successor value is unchanged, and the responsible importer owner should review it for the intended use.

Reconcile conflicts at the source

If the label artwork says one alcohol content and the technical sheet says another, do not choose the more convenient value. Record the conflict, stop affected outputs, identify the deciding source and owner, correct the controlled product record, and regenerate every downstream file that repeated the wrong value.

Use a discrepancy log:

Discrepancy	Affected product	Conflicting sources	Deciding owner	Resolution	Downstream replacements
[Issue]	[Exact wine and package]	[Source A and source B]	[Owner]	[Decision]	[Files or systems]

Collect label inputs and control the approval record

Ask the supplier for the complete proposed label set, not only the front label. Collect artwork or clear proofs for each panel, the exact bottle volume, bottler or packer details, producer and origin wording, alcohol content, vintage treatment, brand and class or type wording, country-of-origin treatment, importer statement inputs, and any claims requiring evidence.

TTB’s imported wine labeling overview separates wines containing 7 percent or more alcohol by volume from wines below 7 percent. For imported wines at 7 percent or more, the page identifies label topics including brand name, class or type, alcohol content, name and address, net contents, health warning, sulfite declaration, and other information that applies in particular circumstances. It also states that the importer must possess a COLA covering the wine before removing qualifying retail containers from customs custody for commercial purposes.

For imported wines below 7 percent alcohol by volume, TTB says the FAA Act label rules in 27 CFR part 4 and the TTB COLA requirement do not apply. The same guidance says these wines are instead subject to applicable FDA food-labeling requirements, while imported wine containers remain subject to applicable CBP marking requirements and qualifying products still require the federal health warning. Route the exact product to the responsible reviewer rather than applying the over-7-percent workflow automatically.

Maintain a label control record

Label control	Required entry
Product and package	Exact wine, vintage treatment, volume, and package
Artwork revision	Stable file or proof identifier
Supplier approver	Person confirming production and brand details
Importer reviewer	Qualified owner deciding the US treatment
Applicable framework	Recorded reviewer decision for the exact product
COLA reference	Identifier and status when applicable
Formula or other prerequisite	Reference and status when applicable
Qualifications	Conditions or limits attached to the decision
Approved files	Exact represented label set
Physical-package check	Result against production sample or final proof
Superseded files	Prior versions removed from routine use

TTB’s bottled alcohol import guidance says some products may need pre-COLA product approval and that certain imported wines need natural-wine certification or certificates of age or origin. Do not request every certificate for every product. Have the compliance owner determine what applies, then ask the supplier for the exact evidence needed.

Do not treat a submitted application, draft certificate, or old label approval as approval for the current package. Preserve the final decision and the exact artwork it covers.

Coordinate FDA facility and prior-notice information

FDA states that its regulations require food facilities to register and require advance notice of imported food shipments on the Registration of Food Facilities and Other Submissions page. The page also says facilities required to register must renew their registrations every other year. The responsible owner should determine which supplier facilities and activities fall within the requirement.

Collect the facility identity and contact information needed for that review. Keep the supplier’s representation, the importer’s review, and the official submission record separate.

A facility record can include:

legal facility name
physical address and country
manufacturing, processing, packing, or holding role relevant to the wine
supplier facility contact
registration reference supplied through the approved restricted channel
current review status
change-notification owner
linked products and shipments

FDA’s prior-notice filing guidance states that prior notice must be provided for food imported or offered for import into the United States. It identifies two filing routes: through the CBP Automated Broker Interface of the Automated Commercial Environment, or through FDA’s Prior Notice System Interface.

Decide who prepares, reviews, and transmits the shipment data. Record the filing route, data owner, submission evidence, and exception process. Do not assume that the winery, freight forwarder, customs broker, and importer hold identical product or facility data.

Use a shipment-data comparison before filing:

Data point	Supplier record	Broker or filer record	Importer controlled value	Match status
Product identity	[Value]	[Value]	[Value]	[Status]
Producer or facility	[Value]	[Value]	[Value]	[Status]
Package and quantity	[Value]	[Value]	[Value]	[Status]
Country details	[Value]	[Value]	[Value]	[Status]
Shipment reference	[Value]	[Value]	[Value]	[Status]
Filing responsibility	[Party]	[Party]	[Approved party]	[Status]

Resolve mismatches before transmission where possible. Preserve the exact submitted record and confirmation in the restricted shipment file.

Prepare logistics and first-shipment data

Supplier onboarding should produce shipment-ready master data, not only contact information. Confirm the pickup facility, operating hours, booking method, loading requirements, export contact, production lead-time source, minimum order, bottle count per case, case dimensions, gross case weight, pallet dimensions, cases per layer, layers per pallet, total cases per pallet, lot-code format, barcode treatment, temperature or handling instructions supplied by the producer, and document-release process.

Measure or verify the final production package. Do not calculate gross case weight from liquid volume. Do not copy pallet data from another bottle or case configuration.

Define the document handoff

Ask the importer, broker, forwarder, and supplier owners to agree on the required documents, source, timing, review route, and final recipient. The list can differ by product, origin, terms, and shipment.

Document or data set	Prepared by	Reviewed by	Required timing	Approved route	Final evidence
Commercial invoice	[Party]	[Owner]	[Timing]	[Route]	[Reference]
Packing list	[Party]	[Owner]	[Timing]	[Route]	[Reference]
Transport document data	[Party]	[Owner]	[Timing]	[Route]	[Reference]
Product and package data	[Party]	[Owner]	[Timing]	[Route]	[Reference]
Applicable certificate	[Party]	[Owner]	[Timing]	[Route]	[Reference]
Prior-notice data	[Party]	[Owner]	[Timing]	[Route]	[Reference]
Exception or amendment	[Party]	[Owner]	[Timing]	[Route]	[Reference]

Do not use this template as a universal legal document list. The qualified owners should define the actual shipment packet.

Run a first-shipment simulation

Before goods are released, walk one order from purchase order to receipt:

Select the exact products and quantities.
Match supplier codes to importer SKUs and package levels.
Confirm price, currency, and unit basis.
Confirm production and pickup availability.
Compare invoice and packing-list descriptions to controlled product records.
Confirm facility and shipment data with the filing owner.
Check label and package status for each item.
Confirm broker, forwarder, warehouse, and escalation contacts.
Verify the importer can receive and reconcile the intended lot and quantity.
Record every exception and its owner before release.

Approve supplier pricing and payment operations

Create a commercial record that identifies the supplier, product, vintage or release when relevant, package, currency, price basis, quantity basis, delivery-term reference, effective context, payment terms, minimum, allowance or charge, approver, and superseded record.

Keep source price, landed-cost work, distributor pricing, and suggested retail planning as separate records. A supplier price does not become a market price simply because it has been approved for purchasing.

Check these points:

Is the price per bottle, case, pallet, or another unit?
Does the case pack match the product record?
Is the currency explicit?
Are freight and other charges included or separate under the approved agreement?
Is the vintage or release scope clear?
Is there a minimum quantity or mixed-order rule?
Who approves changes?
How will a corrected invoice be requested and tracked?

Restrict bank records and payment instructions to authorized users. A payment-detail change should follow the company’s verification process rather than an informal update inside a product email thread.

Collect supplier sales and brand assets

Onboarding should leave the importer with a current, approved asset set for each in-scope wine. Ask for only the materials needed for the intended market and work.

A practical intake set includes:

front bottle image
back bottle image when useful
final label files for the controlled package
current technical sheet
current sell sheet when the supplier uses one
producer and wine descriptions
producer, winemaker, or vineyard biographies used by the portfolio
approved logos and usage guidance
rights-cleared winery, vineyard, production, and lifestyle images
source evidence for certifications, production statements, awards, and reviews used in sales material
current contact for brand and rights questions

Record producer, wine, vintage, market, language, asset type, revision, owner, source, approval status, usage rights, expiration context, and replacement link. Keep editable source files, approved recipient files, and internal evidence distinct.

Do not assume a supplier tech sheet is ready for US distributor use. Compare every repeated field to the controlled product and package record. Review claims, units, contact details, market wording, and visible bottle labels before publication.

Use an asset intake table

Asset	Exact product scope	Supplier source	Importer reviewer	Rights or restriction	Status	Current file
Bottle image	[Wine, vintage, volume]	[Source]	[Owner]	[Scope]	[Status]	[Reference]
Tech sheet	[Wine, vintage, market]	[Source]	[Owner]	[Scope]	[Status]	[Reference]
Sell sheet	[Wine, vintage, market]	[Source]	[Owner]	[Scope]	[Status]	[Reference]
Logo	[Brand scope]	[Source]	[Owner]	[Scope]	[Status]	[Reference]
Brand image	[Brand and use]	[Source]	[Owner]	[Scope]	[Status]	[Reference]

Use filenames that remain understandable after download. Include enough identity to distinguish the producer, wine, vintage status, market, asset type, and revision.

Use one consolidated supplier request

Avoid sending separate uncoordinated requests from compliance, logistics, marketing, and finance. Build one request register, then route sensitive items through the appropriate restricted channel.

Request control template

Field	Entry
Request ID	[Stable reference]
Supplier	[Legal or approved relationship name]
Product scope	[Exact brands, wines, vintages, and packages]
Requested item	[Specific fact, file, evidence, or approval]
Purpose	[Label review, product setup, shipment, sales asset, or other task]
Specification	[Format, unit, language, market, revision, or other condition]
Supplier owner	[Name or role]
Importer owner	[Name or role]
Due context	[Operational dependency]
Delivery route	[Approved route]
Status	[Controlled status]
Review result	[Approved, correction required, blocked, or not applicable]

Request message

We are preparing the controlled US importer onboarding record for [supplier and portfolio scope]. Please provide or confirm the item below for [exact product, vintage, and package].

Requested item: [specific fact, file, evidence, or approval]

Required specification: [format, unit, language, market, or revision]

Operational purpose: [reason the item is needed]

Please send it through [approved route] to [importer owner]. If it is unavailable or does not apply, state that directly and identify the person who can confirm the treatment.

When a supplier sends a replacement, link it to the request and mark the former version superseded. Do not leave both files in the current review folder with similar names.

Run onboarding through explicit approval gates

Use this sequence:

Define the relationship. Confirm supplier entities, importer entity, portfolio, market scope, owners, agreement, and intended operating model.
Map responsibilities. Separate supplier source work from importer permits, decisions, submissions, and records.
Open exact product records. Create a controlled record for every wine, vintage treatment, volume, package, and market configuration.
Issue one request register. Ask for specific facts, files, evidence, contacts, and formats with an owner for each line.
Review labels and prerequisites. Determine the applicable framework and record exact artwork, approvals, qualifications, and open corrections.
Review FDA coordination. Confirm facility information, responsible parties, filing route, and controlled evidence.
Verify logistics. Approve package, pallet, pickup, lot, lead-time, and document-handoff data.
Approve commercial inputs. Confirm product, currency, unit basis, terms, minimums, and change authority.
Review assets. Match bottle images, sheets, descriptions, logos, claims, rights, and market use to controlled records.
Approve by function. Compliance, operations, logistics, finance, sales, and marketing decide the fields they own.
Run a first-shipment simulation. Test order, product, document, filing, freight, receipt, and exception handling.
Close or conditionally approve. Record approved scope, open exceptions, shipment blockers, and next triggers.
Preserve the exact package. Save the received evidence, reviewed versions, approvals, and supplier communications.
Move to ongoing maintenance. Define who reports changes and which controls reopen.

Do not report a single completion percentage without showing the blocked gate. A relationship can be approved while a product, label, facility review, or shipment remains open.

Reopen onboarding when the supplier or product changes

Supplier onboarding is not permanent. Reopen the affected controls when there is a new vintage, new wine, package change, label revision, alcohol change, facility change, producer or bottler change, ownership change, price update, bank-detail change, pickup change, rights expiration, or contact change.

For each change, record:

Change control	Required entry
Change ID	Stable internal reference
Reported change	Exact new fact or file
Affected scope	Supplier, facility, product, vintage, package, market, shipment, or asset
Prior approved value	Previous controlled value
Proposed value	New supplier value
Review owners	Functions required to decide the change
Blocked outputs	Labels, orders, filings, assets, pricing, shipments, or distributor access
Approval result	Approved, rejected, correction required, or pending
Effective context	When the change becomes operational
Replacements	Updated systems, records, files, and recipient packages

Treat vintage rollover as a controlled change set

For a successor vintage, review rather than copy:

product and vintage identity
composition and production facts
analytical values
label artwork and approval treatment
supplier, importer, consumer, and case identifiers
bottle, closure, case, and pallet specifications
supplier price and availability
bottle and label images
tech sheet, sell sheet, descriptions, and training material
awards, reviews, claims, and certifications
distributor and market records affected by the release

Classify each field and asset as confirmed unchanged, changed, awaiting evidence, not approved, or not applicable. Keep both vintages visible when both are intentionally active.

A pre-launch Depletement workspace for alcohol importer operations teams is being designed to organize product and catalog information, bottle and brand assets, technical sheets, sell sheets, distributor asset access, and vintage updates. Those capabilities fit the recurring handoff problem after supplier facts and files have been reviewed. Whatever system the team uses, keep supplier source material, importer approval, current assets, recipient access, and change history connected without treating them as the same thing.

Complete final supplier onboarding QA

Run this checklist against the controlled onboarding record, source evidence, approvals, and first-shipment plan.

Scope and ownership

Supplier, winery or producer, brand owner, bottler or packer, exporter, and US importer are identified separately where applicable.
Portfolio, wine, vintage, package, market, and relationship scope are explicit.
Importer and supplier owners are assigned for every open task.
Commercial approval, importer readiness, product approval, and shipment readiness have separate statuses.
Missing, pending, blocked, and not-applicable items are stated rather than left blank.
The current package revision, source location, and open exceptions are visible.

Relationship and contacts

Legal names, addresses, contracting authority, invoice party, export party, and payment recipient are verified.
Contract scope, territory, ordering, pricing, payment, freight, documents, quality process, rights, and notices are translated into operating controls.
Product, label, logistics, finance, asset, and urgent-exception contacts have been tested.
Sensitive tax, banking, and credential records use restricted channels and access.
Third-party support does not hide the accountable importer or supplier owner.

Importer and regulatory boundaries

The importing entity and responsible compliance owner are confirmed.
Importer permit, dealer registration, customs route, state path, and record system are linked to controlled importer evidence.
Supplier tasks do not misstate obligations controlled by the US importer.
The applicable label framework was decided for the exact product and alcohol level.
Label artwork, approval reference, qualifications, prerequisite decisions, and physical package describe the same wine.
Natural-wine certification and age or origin evidence were requested only after applicability review.
Facility-registration and prior-notice responsibilities, data owners, filing routes, and evidence locations are defined.
Regulatory credentials and restricted shipment records are excluded from broad supplier and asset access.

Product and package data

Every distinct wine, vintage treatment, volume, case pack, label set, identifier, and market configuration has a controlled record.
Producer, brand, wine, vintage status, class or type, origin, composition, and analysis match current approved sources.
Alcohol by volume, net contents, bottle, closure, case pack, and visible label set agree across the record and package.
Supplier code, importer SKU, consumer GTIN or UPC, and case code remain separate.
Units, packaging levels, sources, review status, and effective context are explicit.
Conflicts were resolved at the controlled source and every affected output was replaced.

Logistics and shipment readiness

Pickup location, booking route, hours, release contact, lead-time source, and minimum order are current.
Case dimensions, gross weight, pallet dimensions, pattern, lot code, and barcode treatment match the production package.
Invoice, packing-list, transport, product, facility, and certificate responsibilities are assigned with timing and routes.
Supplier, broker or filer, and importer shipment data have been compared.
A first-shipment simulation matched products, quantities, codes, prices, documents, labels, contacts, and receiving data.
Every shipment blocker has an owner and resolution path.

Commercial and payment controls

Supplier price identifies the exact product, package, currency, unit basis, and effective context.
Terms, minimums, freight treatment, charges, and allowances are explicit.
Source price, landed-cost work, distributor price, and retail planning remain separate.
Payment instructions and changes follow the approved restricted verification process.
Corrected invoices and commercial exceptions have named contacts and evidence.

Sales assets and claims

Bottle images, label files, tech sheets, sell sheets, descriptions, logos, and brand images match the approved product and package.
Vintage, market, language, revision, owner, source, status, and replacement are recorded for each asset.
Certifications, production statements, awards, reviews, and other objective claims have source evidence and approved scope.
Image and brand usage rights, restrictions, credits, and expiration context are recorded.
Drafts, superseded files, editable sources, and internal evidence are outside normal recipient access.
Downloaded filenames remain understandable without the internal workspace.

Approval and change control

Compliance, operations, logistics, finance, sales, and marketing approved the fields and files they own.
The exact received source package and approved onboarding revision are preserved.
Supplier corrections link to the original request and supersede the former version.
Vintage, package, label, facility, ownership, price, payment, pickup, rights, and contact changes have reopening triggers.
Successor vintages do not inherit facts, assets, claims, codes, or approvals without review.
A second reviewer can trace every shipment-ready product from supplier evidence through importer approval to the current package, commercial record, logistics setup, and sales assets.