Califia Farms · 6 hours ago
Business Development Manager, Away From Home, Central
Greater Chicago Area
Full-time
Onsite
Mid Level
$85K/yr - $100K/yr
3+ years expCalifia Farms is a company focused on plant-based beverages, and they are seeking a Business Development Manager to drive new operator acquisition and growth in their Away From Home foodservice business. The role involves identifying and developing partnerships with foodservice operators, executing targeted sales strategies, and enhancing brand visibility across various segments.
Food and BeverageNutritionOrganic Food
Responsibilities
Lead and grow Away From Home foodservice sales across the assigned territory, delivering new operator acquisition and incremental volume growth
Serve as Califia Farms foodservice brand representative and local market expert, ensuring strong brand presence and relevance across key channels
Execute targeted market and operator sales plans aligned to channel goals and strategic initiatives
Assess local market dynamics, including competitive activity and operator trends, and translate insights into territory performance improvement and quarterly planning
Prospect, develop, and sell to new foodservice operators within assigned markets, with a strong focus on café, bakery, breakfast, and other beverage-centric accounts
Participate in channel trade shows and local market events to generate qualified leads, support operator conversion, and strengthen market presence
Develop and maintain a new business pipeline, providing clear visibility into opportunity timing, expected volume, and overall impact
Maintain disciplined pipeline management, forecasting, and reporting using Salesforce and Power BI
Own and actively manage key performance metrics, including qualified leads, new account conversion rates, menu placements, and customer retention
Produce quarterly market and performance summaries highlighting sales activity, competitive trends, and volume contribution
Qualification
Required
Bachelor's Degree preferred with 3+ years of foodservice sales experience in CPG or beverage; experience in plant-based, dairy alternative, or emerging brands strongly preferred
Proven success in a hunter or business development role, with a track record of winning new operators, securing menu placement, and driving SKU authorization
Strong pipeline management and forecasting capabilities, with hands-on experience using CRM tools such as Salesforce
Working knowledge of independent and broadline distribution and familiarity with route-to-market CPG foodservice sales models
Analytical and strategic thinker with the ability to identify, evaluate, and prioritize high-value sales targets and translate data into actionable territory strategies
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to sell, influence, and build credibility with foodservice operators and decision-makers
Ability to travel approximately 40–50% based on market needs
Benefits
Employee benefits program
Company’s bonus program
Company
Califia Farms
Califia Farms operates as a natural beverage company.
201-500 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageTotal Funding
$340MKey Investors
Qatar Investment AuthorityAmbrosia InvestmentsAccord Equipment Finance
2020-01-15Series D· $225M
2019-01-01Private Equity
2018-07-02Series Unknown· $50M
Leadership Team
Robert Estes
Chief Information Officer
Recent News
2026-01-22
Company data provided by crunchbase