International Distributor Pitch Brief

Example output

International distributor pitch brief — Coastline Sauces → United Kingdom

Market-entry opportunity, framed around the UK shopper:
UK grocery and specialty retail has seen sustained growth in US-style hot sauce and condiments over recent years, with UK shoppers increasingly seeking authentic American flavor profiles rather than UK-formulated approximations. Coastline Sauces enters not as a generic hot sauce but as an authentically US brand riding a category shift UK retailers are already responding to. Validate current UK category growth and the competitor landscape with your distributor prospect and any market research you can access — treat the above as a directional thesis, not a confirmed figure.

Why a UK distributor, why now:
We have no existing UK presence, which is both the opportunity and the honest risk we're addressing head-on in this brief. A distributor entering early with an authentic, unlisted US brand has room to build genuine exclusivity into the relationship, rather than fighting for shelf space against three already-established US hot sauce brands.

Regulatory and labeling considerations (flag for your own counsel):
- UK/EU food labeling requirements differ from US requirements — nutritional panel format, allergen declaration format, and net quantity display all need review by UK-qualified regulatory counsel before any shipment. This is not a substitute for that review.
- Ingredient-level compliance: certain US-permitted colorants, preservatives, or additives may require reformulation or a different SKU for UK/EU sale — confirm ingredient-by-ingredient before committing timeline or cost assumptions.
- UK-specific allergen labeling (the UK's allergen box/matrix requirements) is stricter in format than standard US allergen statements — budget real time for this.

The logistics case:
- Shelf life: 18 months unopened at time of production — sufficient for standard ocean freight transit plus reasonable distributor and retail shelf time, but confirm your actual in-market shelf-life requirement with the distributor, since some UK retailers require longer remaining shelf life at time of delivery than others.
- Shipping: as a first-time international shipper, propose starting with a partial container or consolidated LCL shipment rather than a full container, to limit risk on both sides while the relationship and logistics process are proven.
- Incoterms: propose FOB from our US port as the starting point for negotiation, with the distributor managing import clearance and UK-side logistics — a standard, low-complexity starting structure for a first-time relationship. Confirm this is your intended commercial structure before sending.
- MOQ: propose a modest initial order sized to prove sell-through and logistics reliability before scaling to a larger standing order. [Insert your actual proposed MOQ.]

Margin structure across the export supply chain:
Export pricing needs to support your FOB price, the distributor's margin, freight and duty costs, and UK retail margin, while landing at a UK shelf price the target shopper will actually pay. [Insert your FOB price and work through the full chain with the distributor before finalizing — do not present an assumed UK retail price without this math confirmed.]

Objections a UK distributor will likely raise, answered:
- "You've never shipped internationally — what's the risk?" → We're proposing to start with a smaller, consolidated shipment specifically to prove the process before either side commits to a larger standing order.
- "Is your label even compliant here?" → We are proactively engaging UK regulatory counsel before finalizing any agreement, not waiting to be told no after product ships.
- "Why would UK shoppers want an unproven US brand?" → Frame this around the authentic-US-flavor thesis above, backed by whatever specific market signal you can point to.

Our ask:
An initial distribution agreement covering [insert proposed SKU count and initial order size], with a joint 6-month review before either side commits to exclusivity or a larger standing order.

Want me to build the one-page version of this for a first introduction call, or a checklist of exactly what to confirm with UK regulatory counsel before that call?