Cold email templates for retailers, store type by store type

The structure every template shares

This guide is part of our retail outreach guide for food and beverage brands. Every template below follows the same five parts. The wording changes by store; the order does not.

1. 1A subject line about themShort and specific to the store or its area. See cold email subject lines for examples.
2. 2One true line about the storeSomething you could only say to this shop: its range, its menu, its customers, its street.
3. 3The product in one lineWhat it is, where it is made, and the one thing that makes it different.
4. 4Why it fits this storeThe reason their customers would buy it, in their terms: margin, demand, a gap in the range.
5. 5One easy askUsually: reply and we will send a sample. Not a call, not a link to a form.

Café template

Cafés have one fridge and little time. Lead with a single product, and make the ask something the owner can answer between orders.

• Subject: a cold brew for [café name]'s fridge
• Opening: Saw you roast in house and keep a short, local menu.
• Product: We make a cold brew in [town] from a single-origin bean, in 250 ml cans.
• Fit: Cafés like yours sell it to the takeaway crowd who want something cold that still tastes like coffee.
• Ask: Happy to drop a few cans in for your team to try. Want some?

Deli and grocer template

A deli or independent grocer is buying shelf space. Show that the product suits their customers and that the numbers work for them.

• Subject: small-batch chilli oil for [store name]
• Opening: Your shelf of local condiments is the best I have seen in [suburb].
• Product: We make a chilli oil in [town], one heat level, in a 200 g jar.
• Fit: It sits well beside the local sauces you already range, and stores make a healthy margin on it at the shelf price we suggest.
• Ask: Can I send you a jar to try?

Bar template

Write to the bar manager, and talk about the serve, not the bottle. A bar is choosing what goes on a short list.

• Subject: a soju serve for [bar name]
• Opening: Your cocktail list leans Korean, which is why I am writing.
• Product: We make a soju in [city], clean and lightly sweet, built for mixing.
• Fit: It works in a highball at a cost per serve that leaves room on your list price.
• Ask: Could I bring a bottle in one afternoon for you to try?

Bottle shop template

An independent bottle shop chooses its own range and knows its regulars. Talk about who buys it and how it moves.

• Subject: a local RTD for [store name]
• Opening: Noticed you keep a fridge of local RTDs near the counter.
• Product: We make a low-sugar gin RTD in [region], in four-packs.
• Fit: Your regulars who want something local and lighter would pick it up next to the craft beer.
• Ask: Would a four-pack to try be useful?

Hotel and restaurant template

Hotels and restaurants decide slowly and often through a food and beverage manager. Keep the first email short and make the next step low effort.

• Subject: a local tonic for [hotel name]'s bar
• Opening: I see your bar menu focuses on [region] producers.
• Product: We make a tonic in [town] with native botanicals.
• Fit: It gives your G&T a local story your guests can taste.
• Ask: Shall I send a case for your team to try?

Awareness template, before you produce

Not every brand has stock to sample yet. An awareness email tells a store about a product that is coming and asks whether they would want it. The replies tell you whether there is demand before you pay for a production run, and give you a list of stores to call first when it lands.

• Subject: a sparkling yuzu soda for [store name]?
• Opening: You stock more Japanese drinks than anyone else in [suburb].
• Product: We are launching a yuzu soda made in [town] this spring, lightly sweet, in 330 ml cans.
• Fit: It would sit next to the ramune and the Japanese teas your customers already buy.
• Ask: Would you want to hear when it is ready? A one-word reply is plenty.

What to change, and what to leave alone

Change the opening line and the fit line for every store. They are what tell an owner you wrote to them. Leave the ask the same across your list and across your follow-ups, so you can see which stores say yes to it.

Leave out attachments, images, links beyond your website, and your price list. A buyer will ask for prices once interested, and our guide to how to write a pitch email explains why the first email should not carry them.

Templates are the first email of several

A template is only the first touch. Most replies come on the second or third email, so plan the follow-ups when you write the first. Our guide to the follow-up email after no response has examples for each step.

If writing a different email for every store sounds like a lot, it is. That is the part LaunchPal does: we learn about each store when we find it and write its email around your product. You can read and edit every one before anything is sent. See personalised outreach emails, or see who would stock you to get an opening email written for a real store near you.