Bulk fresh produce, seafood and egg sourcing for supermarket programmes
In short
Supermarket and grocery groups use one structured request for bulk fresh produce sourcing — and for seafood, shrimp and eggs — across a seasonal or year-round programme. Our team reviews the specification, approaches suitable producers and packers on your behalf and returns proposals you can compare on the same basis.
Who this is for
- Supermarket and hypermarket groups
- Grocery and convenience chains
- Discount and cash-and-carry retailers
- Retail buying offices and category teams
Not for
- Single-store or consumer purchases
- Programmes below a declared USD 250,000 per year or season
Sourcing problems we help address
Keeping a programme continuous across seasons
When one origin's season ends, a second origin has to meet the same specification. We set out the season windows you need covered and ask suppliers to quote against them.
Offers that cannot be compared
Quotes arrive on different Incoterms® rules, pack sizes and grades. We ask every supplier to quote against one specification so differences are visible.
Retail-ready packaging and labelling
Punnets, flow packs, trays, labels and pallet formats must match your requirements. These are written into the request rather than discovered at delivery.
Standards and documents
Your required standards and documents are listed in the request, and supplier documents are checked against them for your request. We do not claim any supplier holds a certification until its document has been checked.
Narrow supplier visibility
Category teams often see only their existing importers. Outreach looks wider, within your specification.
Bulk sourcing and the USD 250,000 minimum
Retail programmes are usually planned per season or per year. Add up the volume per week across your stores or distribution centres for the whole programme: if the declared total is at least USD 250,000, our team starts supplier outreach. Spot buys or single-store top-ups below that value are kept on file and do not enter outreach.
Products
Information our team needs
Leave anything you don't know blank in the form — it is recorded as "unknown", not guessed.
- Product, variety and grade or class
- Size, calibre or count range
- Pack format, unit weight, labelling language and pallet configuration
- Volume per week or month, and programme length
- Season windows to cover, and whether alternative origins are acceptable
- Delivery points: distribution centres, port or country
- Incoterms® rule you prefer, if known
- Required standards and documents, as stated in your supplier requirements
- Shelf life required at delivery
- Declared total programme value (annual or seasonal)
How the procurement workflow runs
For retail, the request usually starts from the category specification and packaging brief your team already uses. We turn it into one RFQ, ask suppliers to quote for each season window you need covered, and set their answers out against your grade, pack and delivery points.
How your request is handled
Step 1
Submit one structured request
Product, specification, volumes, delivery points and timing in one form. Nothing is sent to any supplier at this stage.
Step 2
Our team reviews it
We check the declared programme value against the USD 250,000 minimum, ask clarification questions and help complete missing specification points.
Step 3
Our team runs supplier outreach
We approach producers, packers and exporters that appear able to meet your specification, on your behalf. Your name and contact details are not shared without your approval.
Step 4
You compare proposals on the same basis
Offers are set out against the same specification, Incoterms® rule, packaging, documents and timing. Prices come only from supplier quotations for your request; we do not publish price lists.
Questions to answer before you submit
- Which stores or distribution centres receive the product, and how often?
- Which season windows must the programme cover, and can a second origin fill gaps?
- Is the pack retail-ready (punnet, flow pack, tray) or loose for in-store packing?
- Which standards and documents does your supplier manual require?
- Who on your side approves samples and the final supplier?
Programme value check
Multiply your own figures to see whether the request reaches the USD 250,000 minimum for an assisted RFQ.
Enter all three figures as positive numbers to see the result.
Calculated only from the figures you enter. It is not a price, quote or approval.
Related guides and tools
What we do not do
- We do not hold stock, own the goods or act as exporter or importer of record.
- We do not publish supplier names, price lists or availability.
- Buyers are never connected to suppliers directly. Every enquiry, question and offer passes through our team, and any introduction happens only after review and with your approval.
- Availability, origin, certifications, prices and lead times are confirmed only for your request, after verification. The producer or supplier remains responsible for the product, its documents and its compliance.
Frequently asked questions
Can you supply own-brand (private-label) packs?
You can specify own-brand packaging and labelling in the request. Whether a supplier can pack to it is confirmed only in its proposal for your request.
Do you guarantee continuity of supply?
No. We can ask suppliers to quote across the season windows you need and make gaps visible, but supply, volumes and timing are confirmed by suppliers for your request and are never guaranteed by us.
Is there a minimum order size?
Supplier outreach starts when the declared total annual or seasonal programme value is at least USD 250,000. This is the total for the programme, not the value of each delivery. Smaller requests are kept on file but do not enter supplier outreach.
Will I be put in touch with suppliers directly?
No. Our team handles all supplier contact on your behalf and presents comparable proposals. Your identity and contact details are not shared with any supplier without your approval.
Do you charge buyers?
No. Submitting a request, review and supplier outreach are free for buyers.
Ready to send a structured request?
One form, reviewed by our team. Free for buyers. Supplier outreach starts only for programmes with a declared value of at least USD 250,000.
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