Here are some e-mail templates you can use to contact African suppliers or your potential BUYERS. Simply copy and paste them and amend your questions and product requirements!

 

 For Suppliers:

TEMPLATE 1

Dear [name of contact person in Africa],

My name is [Your Name], and I represent [Your Brand/Business]. We are a US based company specializing in [ ].

We are looking to add [Product Name] to our product line and found your product on mykibo.com. Your product seems to be  what we are looking for.

I have a few questions:

1. Is the product organic certified?

2. Do you offer samples? How would they be shipped?

3. Can the product be supplied using white label, so it can be customized with our own brand and logo in the US?

4. Can we order 250 units if we like the samples?

Our first order of 250 will be a test order and in the future we will be ordering more.

We are looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Thank you!

 Kind regards,

 {Your name and details}

 

  

TEMPLATE 2

Dear Mr [name]

Greetings. I came across your product on mykibo.com

We're a interested in selling African coffee to coffee houses and hotels in the United Kingdom. We seek to import your roasted coffee into the UK market for the above purpose.

Would it be possible to order 10 kg (= 40 x 250 g sample units) of this product via DHL to London?

Kindly let me know what else you would need from me to get this sample order shipped!

I look forward to working with you.

Kind regards,

[your name / details]

 

For Buyers:

TEMPLATE 

Dear Mr [name of the person in charge of sales]

I have just called your offices and was asked to contact you directly via email with my inquiry.

I would like to introduce a high-quality [tea from Kenya] to you, which I believe would fit well into your product range at [name of buying company / retailer].

[small email headline with just the name of the brand you are introducing]

I am a partner of a [Kenyan] company, called [name of company] - which is a renowned producer of [tea] based in [Nairobi] . I represent their product here in [the US / your country]

The company already exports successfully into various countries and counts leading hotel chains in Africa and [e.g. name a known retailer in the US] among its clients.

[next, point out how your product stands out and meets the preferences of your potential client & the end-consumer] The product design is very unique. A colorful tea selection of highest quality with a fair trade mark is not easily found in US shops. As I am a passionate tea drinker myself, I am very aware of that particular gap. I hence decided to bring this wonderful tea directly from its country of origin in Africa to American tea lovers and consumers. [Possibly:] I have also read on your website that sustainable sourcing is part of your company policy - hence our tea would be a perfect fit. 

I have attached [a brochure / product images] and look very much forward to receiving an expression of interest or any questions you may have.

Kind regards,

[your name / details]