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Become A Vendor With PCC

At PCC, we’re open to new business! We’re always on the lookout for products that will delight our customers and meet our values as a trusted organic and natural products retailer. We welcome the opportunity to work with you on getting new products to market, especially if you are a Seattle-area producer who is just starting out.

QUALITY AND SUSTAINABILITY

We’re known for high standards in product quality and sustainability. Please take a look at our product standards. If your products are a good match, we’d like to know about them. We appreciate the opportunity to meet with you and see your new items, and we can help you find the best way to get your products to market. We review all potential products for quality, pricing and ingredients. All products must meet our product standards. Please check that your products comply before submitting them for review. Our list of ingredients and processing agents for health and body care and food are useful references for ingredients that may or may or may not be acceptable to PCC. We give preference to products that are certified organic, locally produced, and/or Non-GMO Project Verified or are in process of becoming so.

ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS:

  • All suppliers of products containing soy, corn, canola, sugar (from sugar beets), cotton seed oil, Hawaiian papaya, zucchini/yellow crookneck squash, or the White Russet potato are required to supply organic certification or Non-GMO Project verification.
  • All suppliers of chocolate candy confections and baking cocoa are required to complete our agreement for ethically sourced cacao. PCC only carries products from vendors who provide assurance that child slave labor is prohibited and follow International Labor Organization (ILO) Fundamental Conventions on child slave labor.
  • All suppliers of coffee are required to complete our agreement for ethically sourced coffee beans. PCC only carries certified organic and ethically sourced coffee products.
  • All suppliers of products derived from animals are required to submit an agreement verifying that their products do not contain ingredients from cloned animals and/or their offspring.
  • All fresh and frozen raw seafood at PCC is from responsible sources as defined by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program. This means fisheries or aquaculture operations are rated a Green Best Choice, Yellow Good Alternative or are eco-certified to a standard recognized by Seafood Watch. Seafood suppliers must also meet PCC’s Seafood Standard and are required to sign an agreement ensuring compliance.
  • In addition to these broad standards, all fresh or previously frozen Chinook salmon sold at PCC must be sourced in accordance with our PCC Chinook Sourcing Standard. PCC will only procure Chinook from approved fisheries that have been reviewed and approved to meet this standard, which is exempt from Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch ratings and partnership commitments.
  • All fresh meat suppliers must meet PCC’s animal welfare standards and complete the appropriate animal welfare vendor checklist: beef cattle and bison, hogs and pigs, poultry, or sheep/lamb and goats.
  • All egg suppliers must meet PCC’s fresh egg standards and complete the animal welfare vendor checklist for egg laying hens.
  • All fresh milk suppliers must meet PCC’s animal welfare standards and complete the dairy animal vendor checklist. Suppliers of other dairy products, such as cheese or yogurt, must also complete the vendor checklist for dairy animals.

To ensure that your products are given a full and fair evaluation, please mail or drop off a New Item Packet with your samples and the information requested below.

ATTENTION: New Items
PCC Community Markets
3131 Elliott Avenue, Suite 500
Seattle, WA 98121

If we are interested, we will respond to you within 30 days of receiving your samples.

NEW ITEM PACKET CHECKLIST

  • Vendor contact information, including email address and phone number
  • Actual product samples with product UPCs
  • Ingredient lists and nutritional information
  • Delivered cost to PCC; distributor information, if applicable.
  • Proof of product certifications such as Certified Organic, Non-GMO Project Verified, Fair Trade Certified, etc.
  • PCC vendor and supplier agreements, as applicable:
  • Certificate of Insurance, showing a minimum $1 million General Liability policy and listing PUGET CONSUMERS CO-OP as an additional insured, is required before orders for approved products are placed. This is a requirement for all DSD vendors.

Frequently asked questions

How can I verify that PCC received my packet?
Ship your packet with a carrier that offers delivery verification, or drop them off personally at the PCC business office.

When should I expect to hear back about my samples?
Please allow 30 days for a response. If we are interested, we will provide feedback and guidance regarding your products.

How do I get my products to PCC once they are authorized?
Choose from a variety of distributors (see below) or you may self-distribute. You may supply some or all PCC stores.

Who are PCC’s largest or most frequently used distributors?

Beer and Wine
Click Distributing
Columbia Distributing Grape Expectations
Noble Wines, Ltd.
Odom Distributing
Southern Wine and Spirits
Vehrs, Inc.
Vinum Importing and Distributing

Books and publications
NutriBooks
Workman Publishing
Mountaineers Books
Sterling Publishing
Harper Collins Publishers
Random House, Inc.
Ingram Publisher Services
Small Changes

Deli and Bakery
Distribution Partners, Inc. (DPI)
Pacific Food Importers
Peterson
R & K Foods
UNFI

Grocery
Crown Pacific
R & K Foods
Specialty Frozen, Inc.
UNFI

Health and Body Care
Frontier Natural Products Co-op
Northbest Natural Products
Threshold Enterprises
UNFI

Meat and Seafood
Clipper Ship, Inc.
Corfini Gourmet
Mondo’s Meats
Plymouth Poultry

Produce

Northwest Specialty Produce
Organically Grown Company
Pacific Coast Fruit Company
Peterson Fruit Company

How do I get my products authorized at one of these distributors?
Our merchandisers can help facilitate placement of your products with an appropriate distributor.

What is a broker? Do I need one for my product line?
A broker is a representative paid by commission, retainer or a combination of the two. A broker is responsible for negotiating product placement with retailers and distributors, and handling the respective paperwork and follow-up. Brokers can negotiate promotional calendars between manufacturers and retailers, and typically are responsible for placing approved products onto the shelves at the stores. The need and use of a broker is at the sole discretion of the vendor.

May I take samples to the store to see if your staff likes them?
Store staff members are not responsible for new item authorization. Our merchandisers make all new item decisions and approved items are communicated to our stores through a systematic process. Please submit new items to our business office to ensure our merchandisers see the products.

Updated 8/14/2017