Your product is great — now here’s how to actually get it moving
How do you get food distributors to stock your product?
You stop sending cold emails — and start building a real route-to-market strategy.
Distributors aren’t looking for another generic SKU. They’re looking for products they can move fast, position clearly, and sell repeatedly.
Whether you’re a challenger brand, a private label manufacturer, or an FMCG supplier expanding into retail — this is your playbook.
✅ 9 Proven Ways to Sell to Food Distributors
Know which distributors serve your category
Make your product retail-ready
Prove your product already moves
Position your brand around margin + volume
Offer exclusive distributor support
Leverage trade press visibility
Use buyer-ready data and market proof
Make your pitch about their customers
Follow up like a pro (but don’t stalk)
1. Know which distributors serve your category
Not all distributors are created equal.
Before pitching, ask:
Do they work in chilled, dry, or frozen?
Do they sell to independent retailers or major supermarkets?
Do they already carry products like yours — or complementary lines?
Know the territory. It saves time and earns respect.
2. Make your product retail-ready
Distributors don’t want to explain your pack format to their buyers.
You need to show up with:
Clear case sizes
Shelf-stable design
Barcode and batch labelling
Promo and pricing documentation
Your product should look like it belongs on the shelf already.
3. Prove your product already moves
Have you sold through D2C? Local markets? Independent stores?
If you have sell-through data, even in early-stage formats, share it.
Distributors want to know:
“If we take this on, can we shift volume — fast?”
Answer that with proof, not just promises.
4. Position your brand around margin + volume
It’s not just about taste, packaging, or purpose.
It’s about:
How much can they sell?
How fast will it move?
What does the margin look like?
If you can show high-volume potential with low returns, your pitch moves up the list.
5. Offer exclusive distributor support
Distributors love when suppliers make it easy for them to sell.
That includes:
Launch promotions
Co-branded point-of-sale materials
Sales rep training
Free samples for lead accounts
Tiered pricing for scale
These perks make your product low-risk, high-reward for them.
6. Leverage trade press visibility
Want a distributor to take you seriously?
Be visible in the publications they read.
Trade magazine features, product spotlights, or buyer-focused ad campaigns (like in GSN) build awareness before the pitch lands.
Distributors recognise brand names they’ve seen in respected B2B titles.
7. Use buyer-ready data and market proof
Great brands come with research.
Category growth stats
Competitor benchmarks
Regional demand
Buyer personas
These show you understand the market beyond your product.
8. Make your pitch about their customers
This isn’t about your mission statement — it’s about their pipeline.
Distributors want to know:
Will my retail customers want this?
Does it solve a need in their stores?
Will this product increase their basket spend?
Reframe your pitch around what it does for their network.
9. Follow up — but don’t stalk
Don’t send 12 emails and wonder why no one replies.
Follow up:
One week later
Then again after 10–14 days
Then move on, but keep the door open
The best follow-up includes something new each time — data, a testimonial, a promo offer.
Final Thoughts: It’s not just about selling your product — it’s about proving you’ll sell theirs
Food distributors want suppliers who understand the channel, respect their business, and support the sale beyond the handoff.
Show up like that — and your chances of getting stocked go way up.