diff --git a/pillar/__init__.py b/pillar/__init__.py
index 2627692e..3b0da365 100644
--- a/pillar/__init__.py
+++ b/pillar/__init__.py
@@ -462,6 +462,7 @@ class PillarServer(BlinkerCompatibleEve):
             'pillar.celery.tasks',
             'pillar.celery.algolia_tasks',
             'pillar.celery.file_link_tasks',
+            'pillar.celery.email_tasks',
         ]
 
         # Allow Pillar extensions from defining their own Celery tasks.
diff --git a/pillar/celery/email_tasks.py b/pillar/celery/email_tasks.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e6612c2a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pillar/celery/email_tasks.py
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+"""Deferred email support.
+
+Note that this module can only be imported when an application context is
+active. Best to late-import this in the functions where it's needed.
+"""
+from email.message import EmailMessage
+from email.headerregistry import Address
+import logging
+import smtplib
+
+import celery
+
+from pillar import current_app
+
+log = logging.getLogger(__name__)
+
+
+@current_app.celery.task(bind=True, ignore_result=True, acks_late=True)
+def send_email(self: celery.Task, to_name: str, to_addr: str, subject: str, text: str, html: str):
+    """Send an email to a single address."""
+    # WARNING: when changing the signature of this function, also change the
+    # self.retry() call below.
+    cfg = current_app.config
+
+    # Construct the message
+    msg = EmailMessage()
+    msg['Subject'] = subject
+    msg['From'] = Address(cfg['MAIL_DEFAULT_FROM_NAME'], addr_spec=cfg['MAIL_DEFAULT_FROM_ADDR'])
+    msg['To'] = (Address(to_name, addr_spec=to_addr),)
+    msg.set_content(text)
+    msg.add_alternative(html, subtype='html')
+
+    # Refuse to send mail when we're testing.
+    if cfg['TESTING']:
+        log.warning('not sending mail to %s <%s> because we are TESTING', to_name, to_addr)
+        return
+    log.info('sending email to %s <%s>', to_name, to_addr)
+
+    # Send the message via local SMTP server.
+    try:
+        with smtplib.SMTP(cfg['SMTP_HOST'], cfg['SMTP_PORT'], timeout=cfg['SMTP_TIMEOUT']) as smtp:
+            smtp.send_message(msg)
+    except (IOError, OSError) as ex:
+        log.exception('error sending email to %s <%s>, will retry later: %s',
+                      to_name, to_addr, ex)
+        self.retry((to_name, to_addr, subject, text, html), countdown=cfg['MAIL_RETRY'])
+    else:
+        log.info('mail to %s <%s> successfully sent', to_name, to_addr)
diff --git a/pillar/config.py b/pillar/config.py
index 11a5a0ab..261b12e5 100644
--- a/pillar/config.py
+++ b/pillar/config.py
@@ -230,3 +230,11 @@ DEFAULT_LOCALE = 'en_US'
 # never show the site in English.
 SUPPORT_ENGLISH = True
 
+
+# Mail options, see pillar.celery.email_tasks.
+SMTP_HOST = 'localhost'
+SMTP_PORT = 2525
+SMTP_TIMEOUT = 30  # timeout in seconds, https://docs.python.org/3/library/smtplib.html#smtplib.SMTP
+MAIL_RETRY = 180  # in seconds, delay until trying to send an email again.
+MAIL_DEFAULT_FROM_NAME = 'Blender Cloud'
+MAIL_DEFAULT_FROM_ADDR = 'cloudsupport@localhost'
diff --git a/pillar/tests/__init__.py b/pillar/tests/__init__.py
index 453cb21d..3e026a56 100644
--- a/pillar/tests/__init__.py
+++ b/pillar/tests/__init__.py
@@ -67,20 +67,26 @@ class PillarTestServer(pillar.PillarServer):
         Without this, actual Celery tasks will be created while the tests are running.
         """
 
-        from celery import Celery
+        from celery import Celery, Task
 
         self.celery = unittest.mock.MagicMock(Celery)
 
-        def fake_task(*task_args, **task_kwargs):
+        def fake_task(*task_args, bind=False, **task_kwargs):
             def decorator(f):
                 def delay(*args, **kwargs):
-                    return f(*args, **kwargs)
+                    if bind:
+                        return f(decorator.sender, *args, **kwargs)
+                    else:
+                        return f(*args, **kwargs)
 
                 f.delay = delay
                 f.si = unittest.mock.MagicMock()
                 f.s = unittest.mock.MagicMock()
                 return f
 
+            if bind:
+                decorator.sender = unittest.mock.MagicMock(Task)
+
             return decorator
 
         self.celery.task = fake_task