Business Development Manager – Food Service

Lassonde; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in the food industry is seeking a Business Development Manager to drive sales growth and manage customer relationships in Ontario. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in the food sector, excellent communication skills, and a proactive, entrepreneurial mindset. This role includes a competitive salary, benefits, and opportunities for advancement within the company.

Benefits

Car provided

Cell phone and Internet allowance

Access to group insurance and pension plan

Telemedicine services

Employee assistance programs

Recognition and wellness programs

Qualifications

• 5 years of experience in a similar position or a Bachelor's degree.
• Good knowledge of the food industry.
• Experience in healthcare segment/nutrition is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Achieve targets for new food service customers and sales growth.
• Manage relationships with food service distribution partners.
• Collaborate with internal teams for new business acquisition.

Skills

Communication

Computer skills

Self-sufficient

Motivated

Result oriented

Positive mindset

Entrepreneurial mindset

Education

Bachelor of Commerce (Business/Marketing or Finance)

Tools

MS Teams

MS Office

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

Business Development Manager – Food Service

The Business Development Manager will ideally be working from their home-based office within 125 km of Toronto – GTA, Ontario where the bulk of the business is generated.

Reporting to the Foodservice Sales Director Ontario Western Canada, the Business Development Manager is results driven and sales focused. As a Business Development manager, you will be responsible for seeking new customer opportunities, growing our sales and product offerings such as Fairlee, Oasis and SunRype within the region.

We are looking for energetic people to develop new and grow existing sales in Ontario through commercial, non-commercial accounts, regional chains, while supporting distributors and independent operators in branded and private labels for juice and food.

Job advantages

• Car provided.
• Cell phone and Internet allowance.
• A competitive salary with opportunities for advancement and career development.
• Access to a group insurance plan & a pension plan with employer contributions.
• Telemedicine & employee and family assistance program.
• Recognition & wellness programs for employees.

Key activities

• Business Development & Sales Growth:
  • Achieve regional targets for new food service customers, case growth, and net sales.
  • Expand commercial and non-commercial food service accounts, including targeted regional chains.
  • Identify and secure new regional chain partnerships to grow market share.
  • Negotiate and renew contracts in collaboration with finance and legal teams.
• Customer & Partner Management:
  • Manage and grow relationships with Ontario food service distribution partners.
  • Secure new distributor listings and drive sales through compliance.
  • Present product offerings to distributor sales teams, commercial/non-commercial customers, independent restaurants, and regional chains.
  • Provide tailored branded and private label solutions to meet customer food and beverage needs.
• Cross-functional Collaboration & Execution:
  • Collaborate with internal teams to support new business acquisition.
  • Prepare and deliver impactful sales presentations and execute marketing initiatives.
  • Maintain up-to-date contract records in the Lassonde Trade system.
• Market Insights & Industry Engagement:
  • Lead and participate in regional industry events, trade shows, customer presentations, and account blitzes.
  • Share relevant regional and competitive market insights with internal stakeholders.

Required training and experience

• Bachelor of Commerce (Business/Marketing or Finance) or 5 years of experience in similar position.
• Good knowledge of the food industry (distributors, regional and national chains; experience pertaining to health care segment and/or nutrition is beneficial).

Skills sought

• Demonstrates good communication and computer skills (MS Teams, ppt, Excel, MS Office, etc.).
• Self-sufficient, motivated and result oriented.
• Positive and Entrepreneurial mindset.

Specifics of the position:

• Travel is required in this position primarily throughout Southern Ontario.
• Must be able to lift 50 lbs. or 22 kg.
• Valid Driver’s license.

Lassonde, all in good taste!

Working at Lassonde is about being involved, giving meaning to your work and doing things right. And that’s because Lassonde takes care of its people. Choosing Lassonde means joining a century-old company founded in Quebec that embodies strong values such as respect and integrity. It also means finding a family spirit at the heart of a North American company, thriving alongside dedicated people and being proud of the tasty, quality products that we offer our clients and consumers. At Lassonde, anything is possible.

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