Business Development Manager - Food & Beverage

Location United Kingdom
Discipline: Life Sciences, Chemicals
Job type: Sales Manager
Salary: £Up to £60,000 depending on experience
Contact name: Dr Jeremy Clarke

Contact email: jeremy@merrittrecruitment.com
Job ref: 407
Published: about 4 hours ago

​Business Development Manager – Food & Beverage

UK-based with International Travel

Are you a commercially driven Food & Beverage professional with a passion for ingredients and customer-led growth? This is an opportunity to play a pivotal role in expanding a high-quality botanical extract portfolio across global F&B markets.

Reporting to the Business Manager – Food & Beverage, you will be responsible for identifying, developing, and converting new business opportunities while nurturing long-term customer partnerships. You will manage a structured sales pipeline, lead commercial discussions and contribute directly to revenue growth and margin performance.

Key Responsibilities

  • Identify and develop new Food, Beverage, and Nutrition opportunities across agreed target markets.

  • Build strong, sustainable customer relationships, driving repeat business and portfolio expansion.

  • Manage pricing and commercial negotiations in line with profitability objectives.

  • Monitor market trends, competitor activity, and emerging customer needs, providing clear commercial insight.

  • Represent the business at industry events, exhibitions, and key customer meetings.

  • Collaborate closely with Technical, Quality, Operations, and Supply Chain teams to ensure customer requirements are clearly defined and delivered.

  • Maintain accurate CRM records, forecasts, and pipeline visibility.

About You

  • Proven experience in B2B Food & Beverage ingredients, such as botanical extracts, flavours, or functional ingredients.

  • Strong understanding of ingredient supply chains and commercial negotiation.

  • Experience working with brand owners, manufacturers, or ingredient distributors.

  • Degree in Food Science, Chemistry, Life Sciences, Business, or similar (preferred).

  • Fluent English; additional languages an advantage.

  • Willingness to travel internationally.

  • You must have a full UK driving license.

  • You must have the right to work in the UK as our client cannot support visa sponsorship.

What’s on Offer

  • A key role in a growing Food & Beverage business with clear strategic ambition.

  • Competitive salary with performance-related bonus.

  • Career development within an entrepreneurial, collaborative organisation.

  • Exposure to a differentiated, technically supported botanical extract portfolio.