Job: Senior Sales Manager (Herbal Tea Ingredients)

Company description

Our client is a privately held importer and wholesale distributor of premium herbal and botanical ingredients for the specialty tea and beverage ecosystem in North America. The business serves an established base of approximately 150 customers, including specialty tea manufacturers, beverage companies, wholesale and foodservice distributors, and contract manufacturers. Operating with a small, entrepreneurial team, our client has built a reputation around product quality, reliability, and long-term customer partnerships.

Objective of the Role

The Senior Sales Manager will lead and execute all commercial activities for the company, with full ownership of sales performance and customer relationships across the North American market, with the exception of a few key accounts the President will still manager. This is a highly autonomous role suited for an experienced industry professional who is effective in a soft-sell, service-oriented environment. The mission is to protect and deepen existing customer relationships while developing new business opportunities within the botanical ingredients and specialty tea markets. The role is designed for a candidate with the potential to grow into broader leadership responsibilities over time.

Ideal Profile

The ideal candidate is a relationship-driven sales professional with meaningful experience selling ingredients (not finished goods) into tea, beverage, foodservice, and related channels. They are comfortable operating independently, prioritizing and managing a large account base, and coordinating effectively with a small internal organization. The profile is consultative, credible with senior buyers, and disciplined in follow-through. Existing relationships in the specialty tea and botanical ingredient ecosystem are strongly preferred, including familiarity with accounts such as large tea manufacturers and national distributors.

Responsibilities

• Own and grow an established wholesale customer portfolio, including retention, expansion, and structured account planning.
• Identify and develop new wholesale accounts across tea manufacturing, beverage, foodservice distribution, and contract manufacturing channels.
• Build and execute annual sales plans aligned with revenue, margin, and customer growth objectives.
• Lead customer engagement through regular outreach (calls, video meetings, and selective in-person visits), ensuring high service levels and long-term partnership development.
• Monitor market dynamics impacting botanical ingredients (availability, quality, pricing, and regulatory considerations) and translate insights into customer communication and planning.
• Coordinate closely with the President on forecasting, purchasing priorities, and inventory planning, providing accurate pipeline visibility and demand signals.
• Represent the company at select industry events and key customer meetings as needed.

Requirements

• 7+ years of experience in ingredient sales, wholesale distribution, or specialty tea and botanical markets.
• Demonstrated ability to manage and grow an established book of business with minimal oversight.
• Strong communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills, with a customer-service mindset.
• High organization, accuracy, and consistency in execution, including forecasting and pipeline discipline.
• Comfort working in a small-company environment where the role is hands-on and broad in scope.
• Ability and willingness to travel domestically (limited) and internationally for onboarding with overseas supply partners early in tenure.