Data methodology
Evidence before inference.
The database is designed to show what was found, where it was found, and when it was checked—while leaving unknown information unknown.
How companies enter the database
Trade-event directories and other lawful public industry sources are used primarily for discovery. A discovered identity is normalized and compared with existing companies before import. Event data is not treated as proof of every commercial claim.
Official-site verification
Researchers seek the company’s official website and preserve the exact source URL, source type, fetch or verification date, and supported facts. An official site can verify identity without proving every field on a profile.
Commercial signals
Wholesale, export, distributor, private-label, OEM, ODM, and contract-manufacturing signals require explicit source evidence such as a partnership page, wholesale form, distributor invitation, or qualifying official trade profile. Export activity alone is not interpreted as “looking for distributors.”
Wholesale catalog observations
Supplier spreadsheets are imported as dated catalog observations with file and row fingerprints, source labels, product identities, stock observations, and internal price observations. Identical files are skipped, and replaying an imported fingerprint must not add records.
This means a product or label appeared in a named wholesale or marketplace catalog at the recorded observation date. It does not prove official authorization, a direct supplier relationship, exclusivity, manufacturer identity, current availability, or market presence. Exact supplier prices and quantities are internal by default.
Wholesale labels do not automatically become brands or companies. Exact identity matches may enrich an existing record; everything else remains in a review queue until an official source supports the relationship.
Market presence
Market research distinguishes official distributors, official retailers, the company’s own shipping, marketplace-only evidence, broader commercial evidence, and unknown states.
Our research did not find qualifying evidence in that market at the time checked. It does not mean the company is conclusively absent or does not sell there.
Timestamps, confidence, and freshness
Evidence carries research dates and, where applicable, a verification method, confidence value, and next review date. Current evidence can become review-due or stale. Old evidence is not treated as permanently valid.
Deduplication
Identity matching uses normalized names, legal names, domains, country context, and source relationships. Legal subsidiaries, brands, manufacturers, owners, and country distributors are not automatically collapsed into one company. Ambiguous records remain held for review.
Corrections
Company claims and feedback do not automatically overwrite public data. They enter a review queue so proposed changes can be checked against primary sources.