Field Sales Representative

Candid Wines, LLC; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 55,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Vision insurance

401(k) after first year

Mileage/parking allowance

Sample budget

Job summary

Candid Wines, LLC in Chicago seeks a Sales Representative for the North and West Suburbs to manage 60+ accounts, grow existing business, and open new restaurants, shops, clubs, and regional chains across Chicagoland. This full-time field role emphasizes on- and off-premise sales with strong product knowledge.

You will train staff, conduct in-store tastings, and use a mobile toolkit to plan routes, track progress, and maximize sales while enjoying a car‑centric schedule and competitive

Qualifications

• Sold wine in Chicago for at least two years or bought wine for a restaurant or shop and want to move to the other side of the table.
• Have a car, a valid Illinois license and a clean record.
• WSET or Court of Master Sommeliers study welcomed but not required.

Responsibilities

• Look after 60+ existing accounts across the territory and grow what they buy.
• Open new ones: restaurants, independent shops, country clubs and regional chains.
• Run staff trainings and in-store tastings, so a bottle you placed actually sells.
• Plan your week, work your plan using a mobile tool with portfolio, account history, notes, route mapping and progress.

Skills

Wine sales

Account management

Training & tastings

Territory planning

Job description

Sales Representative, North and West Suburbs Candid Wines, Chicago · Full time · Field sales, on- and off-premise

Candid Wines imports and distributes wine from family estates in France, Italy, Austria, Oregon, California and Michigan, and we sell it to the restaurants, wine shops and clubs of Chicagoland. We are hiring one representative for the North Shore, the northwest suburbs and the western suburbs: roughly Evanston to Lake Forest, and Oak Park out to Naperville.

Our expectations are high and our training is hands‑on. Candid's Director of Wine, Alex McNeely, a longtime sommelier and now the winemaker at Poetson in Michigan, leads education about our book and our service‑first approach.

Every week the team tastes together and plans the week's selling. When winemakers come to Chicago, you sit at the table with them. Exceptional reps have received stipends for WSET courses and travelled to Europe within their first 18 months.

What you will sell.

About 560 bottlings, and soon to be significantly more as we welcome in a major importing partner, North Berkeley Imports, bolstering our twenty years of direct partnerships with some of the best in Europe and the US.

Candid Wines is one of the only independent, family‑owned importer‑distributors in Illinois with its own warehouse and delivery team in Chicago. Experienced reps tired of driving to Bolingbrook to salvage a missed order on a Friday afternoon will know why this is an incredible benefit.

What the job is.

• Look after 60+ existing accounts across the territory and grow what they buy.
• Open new ones: restaurants, independent shops, country clubs and regional chains.
• Run staff trainings and in‑store tastings, so a bottle you placed actually sells.
• Plan your week, work your plan. We've built a custom tool for our reps that puts everything you need on your phone: our portfolio, every account's history, visit notes, route mapping, sales progress and study guides.

You will spend more of the week in your car than at a desk, which is why we put the desk on your phone.

Who you are.

You have sold wine in Chicago for at least two years, or bought it for a restaurant or shop and want to move to the other side of the table. You can talk about soil and vintage with a sommelier, then talk margin and turns with a store owner the same afternoon. You follow up in writing. You have a car, a valid Illinois license and a clean record. WSET or Court of Master Sommeliers study is welcome but not required.

Pay.

• Base salary of 55,000–65,000 dollars a year. It rises as your trailing sales grow, so the base you earn in year two reflects the book you built in year one.
• A quarterly bonus, paid on sales and on learning goals we set together.
• Medical, dental and vision insurance, with Candid paying 300 dollars a month toward it once you are eligible, and a 401(k) after your first year.
• Up to 500 dollars a month for mileage and parking, and up to 350 a month for customer spend and samples.

Candid Wines is an equal opportunity employer.

Job Type: Full‑time

Pay: $55,000.00 - $90,000.00 per year

• Health insurance
• Vision insurance