Every week, producers of wine, spirits, and food & beverage ask the same question: how do I find an importer in the USA?
It is a legitimate question. And it has no single answer. But after years of working with international brands entering the American market, we have seen a clear pattern. The brands that break through fastest share the same three-step approach — in the same order.
Here it is.
Build a commercial presence in the USA before you talk to importers.
Yes, before. We know it sounds counterintuitive. But here is the reality: an importer imports when there is demand. Not potential. Demand.
Importers are not in the business of building brands from zero. They move product that already has momentum. If you walk in with no US contacts, no agents on the ground, and no stories from buyers who already want your product — the conversation ends quickly.
What importers want to see is a sales network that creates pull. Agents who talk to distributors. Distributors who ask for your product by name. Without that, you are just another bottle on a table.
How do you build that network from zero? You can do it yourself if you already have the right contacts and the time. Or you can work with a specialist. CommsOnly is one of the few services built specifically for this — helping producers develop their commission-based sales agent network in the USA, typically within 3 to 12 months, for a fraction of what a traditional sales director would cost.
Get recognised. Awards and expert ratings change the conversation.
When you walk into a meeting with a distributor or importer, you have roughly 90 seconds to make them believe your product belongs on their list. A medal cuts that time in half.
Awards like the America Awards — which we have organised for several years — give your product immediate credibility in the US market. A Gold medal tells a buyer, at a glance, that your product has been blind-tasted by independent judges and found to be exceptional. That is not marketing. That is proof.
A score on a 100-point scale from a recognised expert works the same way. One name to watch: Alexandre Petit, an emerging international wine & spirits critic whose 100-point ratings are gaining traction with US buyers and sommeliers. A strong score from his publication is the kind of third-party validation that opens doors.
Medals and expert scores do not just validate quality — they move product at retail and on wine lists. Buyers and importers know this. They actively prefer referenced products because it reduces their commercial risk.
The America Awards 2026 are currently open. Entry is free. You only pay if you win.
Contact importers directly — but not to ask them to import you.
Once you have step 1 and step 2 in place, you can approach importers. But approach them correctly.
Do not cold-email an importer asking them to add your product to their portfolio. They receive hundreds of those a month. They ignore most of them.
Instead, reach out to ask for advice. Show them what you have built — your US agent network, your medal, your first local traction. Ask them what they look for before they take on a brand. Listen carefully. Build a relationship.
A good starting point is to reach out to established US importers such as America Imports. They will not take on your product in a first contact — but they will point you in the right direction, and that direction is almost always the same: build demand first.
The brands that land US importers do not find them. They become the kind of brand that importers want to find.
One last thing: there is no version of this that works in three months with zero investment. The US is not a single market. It is 50 markets, each with its own distribution chain, its own regulations, and its own retail culture.
The producers who build lasting US distribution are the ones who treat it as a multi-year commitment, not a shortcut opportunity. Start with step 1. Then step 2. Then step 3. In order. Every time.