How to get your product into delis and specialty food stores

What a deli owner is buying

A deli sells a point of view. The owner has chosen every jar on the shelf, and customers come because they trust that choice. So the owner is asking whether your product belongs in their range, as well as whether it will sell.

Many delis also make up hampers and gift boxes, for corporate orders and for Christmas. A product that is shelf-stable, looks good and travels well can earn a place in the hamper as well as on the shelf.

• Taste. It has to be good enough that they would recommend it across the counter.
• Provenance. Who made it, where and how. Small-batch and local carry weight here.
• Something the supermarket does not have. If your product sits in the big store down the road for less, a deli has little reason to stock it.
• It goes with what they sell. A cracker for their cheese, a chutney for their charcuterie, a cordial for the hamper shelf.
• Gift appeal. Many delis do a lot of trade in gifts and hampers, especially before Christmas.

Who decides

Almost always the owner, who is often behind the counter. In a larger fine food store there may be a buyer for each section, such as cheese, grocery or drinks. Either way, it is a person who tastes things for a living, so your email needs to get you to the tasting.

When we find delis and specialty food stores for a brand, we look up the owner or buyer by name and skip the generic inbox.

What a deli needs from you

Specialty stores usually want a better margin than a supermarket, because they sell less of each line and spend time hand-selling it. Work out your numbers with the wholesale price calculator before you write.

• Small minimums. A mixed case of six or twelve lets them try two or three lines.
• Something to taste on the counter. A tester jar or an opened bottle sells more than a closed one.
• A short story they can repeat. Who you are, where you make it, why it is good. Two sentences.
• Steady supply. Seasonal is fine if you say so up front.

The first email

Mention something real about the shop, like a product they stock that yours would pair with. Say what you make and where, in a sentence. Offer a tasting pack, and ask them to reply. Leave the line sheet, the photos and the price list for the reply. A first email with attachments is more likely to end up in junk than in front of the owner.

Send from a separate domain so your own stays safe. We buy that sending domain for you, and it redirects to your real website. Follow up two or three times, because most replies arrive on the second or third email. The sequence stops when they reply.

Samples and tastings

Delis are the one place where tasting decides almost everything. Send samples only to delis that ask, and send enough to open one for the counter. Ask the delivery address and whether they want a mix in the same message, and agree a day to check in.

Offer an in-store tasting on a Saturday morning if you are local. It sells product, it teaches the staff what to say, and the owner sees the reaction for themselves. Never promise one you cannot make.

Build a local cluster

Delis in one city know each other's ranges. Win three or four, then mention them to the next. The same product often suits cafés, independent grocery stores and boutiques and gift shops, so plan those as separate campaigns once the delis are working. In the UK, farm shops buy much like delis, and our United Kingdom guide covers them.

Watch the calendar. Shops plan their Christmas gift stock around the middle of the year, months before December.

What to have ready when they reply

When a deli owner replies, they usually want three things quickly: the price list, a sample and a sense of how you deliver. Have the line sheet ready with the wholesale and retail price for each product, the case sizes and the shelf life. Say how they reorder, whether by email, a simple form or a line sheet they can order from.

If you deliver yourself in their city, say so. A local producer who drops a case off on a Thursday is easier to say yes to than a courier with a week's lead time.

Keep them reordering

Check in two weeks after the first delivery. Ask which lines sold and what customers said. Suggest a reorder of the line that moved, not the whole range. Flow tells you which delis are due a reorder and which have gone quiet, so nobody drops off without you noticing.