Sales Manager / Business Development – Specialty Food Ingredients

Fairfield, New Jersey, Meat, Poultry & Seafood Applications | Food Safety & Shelf-Life Solutions About A&B Ingredients A&B Ingredients is a specialty food ingredient manufacturer focused on innovative, clean-label ingredient solutions for the food industry. Our portfolio includes natural antimicrobial ingredients, shelf-life extension solutions, and functional ingredient systems designed to help food manufacturers improve product safety, quality, and performance. We are seeking an experienced Food Ingredient Sales Manager / Business Development professional to expand our ingredient business within the meat, poultry, and seafood processing industries. The ideal candidate has a proven track record of selling food ingredients to manufacturers of meat, poultry, and seafood products, established relationships with technical and commercial decision-makers, and experience developing new business through consultative, solution-oriented selling. This is primarily a new business development role for someone who understands how ingredients are evaluated, formulated, validated, and ultimately adopted by food manufacturers. *** This position is remote. Hybrid and office-based is also available Key Responsibilities New Business Development · Identify and develop new sales opportunities for A&B's specialty food ingredients within the meat, poultry, and seafood industries. · Leverage existing industry relationships to introduce A&B's ingredient solutions to food manufacturers, processors, and formulators. · Target manufacturers of ready-to-eat meats, deli meats, processed poultry, sausage, ham, turkey, seafood, and other prepared protein products. · Identify opportunities to replace competitive ingredient systems or introduce new solutions that improve food safety, shelf life, clean-label positioning, product quality, or cost-in-use. · Develop relationships with seasoning companies, ingredient blenders, and other strategic partners serving the protein processing industry. · Generate new business through direct prospecting, industry networking, trade shows, conferences, and customer referrals. Technical Ingredient Sales & Customer Development · Work with customer R&D, Product Development, Food Safety, Quality Assurance, Procurement, and Operations teams to identify ingredient needs and opportunities. · Understand customer formulations, manufacturing processes, product challenges, and performance requirements to recommend appropriate ingredient solutions. · Collaborate with A&B's technical team to coordinate ingredient sampling, formulation evaluations, plant trials, shelf-life studies, and product validation. · Guide opportunities through the full ingredient qualification and commercialization process, from initial contact through approval and first commercial orders. · Communicate the technical and economic benefits of A&B's ingredients, including functionality, efficacy, labeling advantages, and cost-in-use. · Present proposals, negotiate commercial terms, and convert development opportunities into recurring ingredient sales. Account Management & Growth · Develop long-term relationships with ingredient buyers, product developers, food scientists, and technical decision-makers at food manufacturing companies. · Expand business with existing customers by identifying additional applications, manufacturing facilities, and product lines. · Work closely with customers to resolve technical or commercial questions and support successful ingredient implementation. · Maintain strong customer engagement after commercialization to identify opportunities for additional ingredient sales. Product Knowledge & Market Development · Develop expertise in A&B's portfolio of clean-label antimicrobial ingredients, natural preservation systems, and shelf-life extension solutions. · Understand the functionality and applications of vinegar-based ingredients, buffered vinegar, cultured ingredients, organic acids, and other preservation technologies. · Monitor competitive ingredient offerings, emerging technologies, regulatory developments, and changing customer preferences within the protein processing industry. · Identify unmet customer needs and communicate market opportunities to A&B's R&D and product development teams. · Contribute to the development and commercialization of innovative ingredient solutions for meat, poultry, and seafood applications. Sales Planning & Execution · Develop and execute a sales strategy focused on acquiring new ingredient customers and growing revenue within the assigned market. · Build and maintain a qualified pipeline of ingredient sales opportunities. · Manage multiple technical sales projects involving formulation work, qualification procedures, and extended approval timelines. · Maintain accurate customer activity, opportunity tracking, and sales forecasts using CRM tools. · Coordinate with A&B's Customer Service, Supply Chain, Operations, and Accounting teams to support successful commercialization and ongoing customer supply. · Meet or exceed established sales and new business development targets. Qualifications Required Experience · 5+ years of successful B2B sales or business development experience selling food ingredients to food manufacturers, preferably within meat, poultry, and seafood applications. · Demonstrated success developing new accounts and generating revenue from ingredient sales. · Established relationships with food manufacturers, processors, or ingredient companies serving the meat, poultry, and seafood industries. · Experience selling functional food ingredients, antimicrobials, preservation systems, seasonings, ingredient blends, or related specialty ingredient technologies. · Understanding of the technical sales process for food ingredients, including formulation evaluations, customer testing, plant trials, and product qualification. · Ability to work effectively with R&D, Food Science, Food Safety, Quality Assurance, and Procurement professionals. · Strong prospecting, relationship-building, presentation, negotiation, and account development skills. · Willingness to travel to customer facilities, industry events, and trade shows. The Ideal Candidate We are looking for a motivated, results-driven sales professional who understands the specialty food ingredient business and knows how to develop new opportunities with meat, poultry, and seafood manufacturers. This individual should bring an established industry network, a strong record of opening new ingredient accounts, and the ability to translate technical ingredient benefits into commercial opportunities. The right candidate is comfortable working through complex technical sales cycles, collaborating with food scientists and product developers, and building lasting partnerships that result in profitable, recurring ingredient business. Preferred Qualifications · Experience selling clean-label preservation ingredients, natural antimicrobials, or shelf-life extension technologies. · Familiarity with Listeria control, food safety challenges, and shelf-life requirements in processed meat, poultry, and seafood. · Knowledge of ingredient technologies such as vinegar, buffered vinegar, cultured ingredients, organic acids, lactates, and diacetates. · Existing relationships with R&D and ingredient procurement teams at major protein processors. · Experience working with technical service and product development teams to commercialize new ingredient applications. · Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Meat Science, Animal Science, Chemistry, Business, or a related field.