Sales Manager - Foodservice - Wandering Bear Coffee

WHO WE ARE

Wandering Bear (wanderingbearcoffee.com) offers extra strong, surprisingly smooth, conveniently and sustainably packaged organic coffee that’s always fresh and easy to enjoy – however you take your caffeine. Our products are built for customization of the at-home coffee occasion, and we are a leader in multi-serve cold brew.

We’re a high-growth, private-equity funded company. We have been in operation since 2014 and over that time have scaled the business from a small brewhouse in Queens, NY to a nationally distributed brand sold in all 50 states. We have always executed an omni-channel strategy, though our channel mix has evolved quite a bit over the years. Today, our direct-to-consumer eCommerce channels account for nearly 60% of sales, but it is in our wholesale channels (i.e. grocery & foodservice) where we have experienced the most explosive growth over the past two years and where we expect to drive the most growth over the near term.

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR

We are looking for a strategic, enthusiastic, experienced Foodservice Sales Manager to own and execute the growth strategy for our Foodservice sales channels specifically with our new 3:1 Concentrate. This role will report directly to the VP of Sales - Foodservice.

The Foodservice Sales Manager is a strategic sales role with a broad range of responsibilities. They will be tasked with growing both our commercial (cafe, QSR, etc.) and distribution footprint (e.g. Sysco, PFG, Gordon) within the foodservice channel. They will be responsible for building a sales pipeline and winning new business, managing & growing existing customer accounts, supporting key distributor and operator partners, and working with the VP of Sales - Foodservice and Internal Team on inventory management, forecasting, new product development, and promotion strategies. The Regional Sales Manager will also play a key part in identifying, launching and managing a broker for the Foodservice Channel. 

The ideal candidate will have a killer sales instinct and relentless perseverance; they should be hyper organized and methodical about their sales activity; they should possess extraordinary verbal and written communication skills.

The ideal candidate will have a network of existing, relevant customer relationships that they can call on to drive immediate impact for Wandering Bear.

This is a remote position that can be done from anywhere in the US. That said, travel is essential in this role; candidates should be comfortable traveling up to 50% of the time. Because we are a remote team, proactivity, accountability and (over)communication are critical and should be second nature.

YOUR IMPACT

●        Grow our Foodservice Channel. Onboard new Foodservice distributor partners in key markets. Educate broker sales and account management teams about Wandering Bear, develop and implement promo programs to accelerate growth within their account bases, provide day-to-day support

●        Win new “marquee” 3:1 Concentrate customer accounts. Target areas are within C&U, Healthcare, Restaurant Chains, Cafes, Smoothie/Juice Chains, Independent Distributors, and others. 

●        Support relationship and day-to-day management of key broadline distributor partners (e.g. DOT, Vistar, Sysco), GPOs (e.g. Foodbuy, Sodexo, Guckenheimer), and other non-customer strategic partners

Requirements

●        7+ years experience in food & beverage sales in the foodservice channels

●        Experience selling a branded product or ingredient to large foodservice accounts in such a way that the brand was represented (e.g. on-menu, on POS signage, etc.)

●        Deep familiarity and experience working with Foodservice distributors, both independents and branches of national operators (e.g. Sysco, PFG, Intermix, Odeko)

●        Experience working with master distributors such as DOT Foods

●        Experience working with foodservice operators such as Compass Group companies (Bon Appetit, Restaurant Associates, etc.), Aramark, Sodexo, Guckenheimer, etc.

●        Exceptional sales, negotiation and communication skills

●        Strong analytical skills; must be great with Excel / Google Sheets

●        Strong interpersonal skills—you are able to connect with others to understand their specific needs

●        Generally tech savvy

●        Must thrive in fast-paced environment of continuous change

Benefits

●        Great people who bring themselves to work, work hard and have fun

●        Competitive Base Salary + Bonus

●        Company Health, Dental, Vision and 401k plan

●        100% flexible work location and home-office stipend

●        As much extra strong coffee as you can drink

At Wandering Bear, we pride ourselves on our unique brand of strength. It’s a grounded, self-assured strength that allows us to celebrate the unique POV that each person brings to the table. We believe in a collaborative and inclusive environment. As an equal opportunity employer, we prohibit any unlawful discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, military or veteran status, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability or genetic information. These are our guiding principles and apply across all aspects of employment.