Location: Remote
Travel: Periodic; 12 times / year
Reports To: Foodservice Sales Director

Company Overview

Little Sesame is the fastest growing CPG hummus company in the US. We pride ourselves on crafting high-quality, flavorful, and innovative products. As we continue to expand our presence in the market, we are seeking a dynamic and motivated Foodservice Business Development Manager to join our team and drive penetration and growth within the foodservice channel.

The Role

We are seeking a strategic, high-energy Foodservice Business Development Manager to lead nationwide efforts to drive bottom-up demand across the foodservice channel.

This is a hunter-style, operator-first sales role focused on engaging and activating specific accounts and end users — including restaurants, hospitality groups, campus dining, corporate foodservice, and institutional operators — to build grassroots demand that pulls product through distribution.

This is an opportunity to play a key role in shaping the growth trajectory of a mission-driven, fast-growing brand by identifying influential operators, converting them into advocates, and building scalable demand across key U.S. markets.

Key Responsibilities

Bottom-Up Sales Strategy & Execution

• Grow and execute our national foodservice development strategy focused on driving operator-level adoption to generate pull-through demand.

• Identify, prioritize, and win target accounts across diverse segments: fast-casual and full-service restaurants, universities, K-12, tech campus dining, corporate cafeterias, healthcare, and hospitality.

• Own the full sales cycle: lead generation, relationship building, sampling, product pitching, operator education, negotiation, and deal closing.

• Strategically cluster wins by targeting anchor accounts and influential operators within key regions to build market presence and momentum.

• Generate detailed weekly reports and sales forecasts to track pipeline development, market trends, and conversion performance.
  
  

Operator Engagement & Account Management

• Cultivate strong relationships with chefs, F&B directors, GMs, culinary decision-makers, and purchasing teams to create loyal customers and brand advocates.

• Serve as the primary point of contact for operator accounts, ensuring exceptional service and support post-close.

• Conduct trainings, tastings, and field visits to support onboarding and drive repeat usage.

• Deliver quarterly business reviews to foodservice team and leadership with key accounts to monitor product success and uncover expansion opportunities.
  
  

Distributor Support & Collaboration

• Drive growth with regional and national foodservice distributors (Sysco, US Foods, etc.) to ensure alignment, availability, and account support — with a focus on regional operating companies.

• Facilitate demos, ridealongs, and promotional planning with distributor reps to increase velocity and adoption.
  
  

Industry Engagement & Brand Representation

• Represent the brand at national and regional food shows, culinary events, and trade expos to generate leads and increase visibility.

• Stay informed on competitive activity, category trends, and emerging menu opportunities.
  
  

Internal Collaboration & Cross-Functional Alignment

• Work closely with marketing, operations, and R&D to tailor product positioning and support successful market execution.

• Provide operator insights and feedback to inform product development, innovation, and go-to-market strategy.

• Participate in sales meetings, product training, and collaborative planning sessions.
  

Who You Are

• A self-motivated, entrepreneurial sales leader with deep knowledge of the U.S. foodservice ecosystem and a passion for building brands from the ground up.

• Skilled in navigating complex sales cycles and securing early wins with high-value, influential operators.

• Organized, persistent, and confident managing a national territory and a dynamic sales pipeline.

• Comfortable working independently in a fast-paced, mission-driven startup environment.
  

Qualifications

• 3–5+ years of experience in foodservice sales, CPG business development, or B2B operator-facing roles.

• Proven success in bottom-up sales strategies — targeting and winning operator accounts to drive distribution demand.

• Strong working knowledge of foodservice distribution and redistributors like Dot Foods.

• Experience across multiple segments (e.g., restaurants, institutional, hospitality, education) is a plus.

• Proficiency in CRM tools (e.g., HubSpot), Microsoft Suite, Google Suite, and internal collaboration platforms (Slack, Asana, etc.).

• Willingness to travel up to 20% to meet with customers, attend events, and support operator growth.
  

Compensation & Benefits

• Competitive base salary + performance-based bonuses

• Generous benefits package and 12 weeks of paid parental leave

• Flexible, inclusive remote work environment

• Opportunity to play a strategic role in scaling a mission-aligned brand across the U.S.
  
  

If you’re a connector, a relationship-builder, and a foodservice expert who thrives in the field and believes in better food for all — we’d love to hear from you. Please send your resume and cover letter to work@eatlittlesesame.com