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Business Development Manager | Premium Food Products | Montreal, QC
4-5 days in downtown office plus occasional international travel
 
 
About the Company
 
A Montreal-based international food products marketing and distribution company has been operating for over 30 years under consistent founder ownership. The business sources premium olive and avocado oils globally, overseeing branding, packaging, and quality at origin, and delivers to some of the largest retailers in North America and Asia. An early relationship with one of the world's leading retailers has since grown into one of the most enduring vendor partnerships in the category.
 
 
The company's edge is a proprietary ability to forecast Spanish olive crop yields well ahead of the market. This, combined with a deliberate policy of only working with retailers who share the same quality philosophy. Avocado oil, added to their offering a decade ago, has become a significant growth driver. Top-line revenue has roughly doubled over the past seven years. The team is approximately 20 people, flat, with no account or product silos.
 
 
The Role
 
The company is adding a Business Development Manager to capture growth opportunities the current team cannot fully pursue. Reporting to the Director of Business Development, the first year is weighted toward learning the business, customers, product, and supply chain — with travel and account ownership ramping with credibility. There is no playbook; this hire helps write it.
 
 
Mandate & Responsibilities

• Build and maintain relationships with retail buyers; participate in and over time lead customer meetings
• Own retailer promotion calendars and budgets; manage commercial relationships end-to-end
• Conduct competitive analysis and identify new product opportunities across olive, avocado, and adjacent oils
• Analyze sales data (Circana/IRI, Nielsen, retailer platforms) to optimize and grow current SKUs
• Partner with supply chain on inventory, new product development, and execution
• Travel to Italy and Spain twice yearly for supplier visits and production oversight
• Comfortable applying retail math, currency awareness, Excel, and retailer data platforms
• Develop genuine subject-matter expertise in olive and avocado oil

 
 
Ideal Candidate

• 5-10 years in business development, commercial sales, or consumer goods with exposure to large-format retail
• Background in a broker, distributor, or import/marketing company is a strong plus
• P&L ownership, startup experience, or experience launching products into Canadian retail are assets
• Entrepreneurial orientation: Operates like an owner; comfortable without heavy process or hierarchy
• Strong commercial acumen and data fluency; exceptional communicator with senior retail buyers
• Collaborative, highly adaptable, and genuinely curious about the category
• Bilingual French and English is an asset; strong English is required
• Based in Montreal or willing to relocate; comfortable with regular domestic and international travel

 
 
This role is not the right fit for someone who has spent the majority of their career in large, structured corporate environments, or who prefers defined roles and processes on a team.
 
 
What's You Can Expect From Them

• Compensation: Competitive and calibrated to experience
• Performance upside: Structured bonus tied to outcomes
• Benefits: Comprehensive medical, dental, and insurance coverage; generous time-off policy
• Travel: Monthly domestic customer trips once ramped; twice-yearly producer visits to Italy and Spain
• Growth: Direct access to the founder and senior leadership; strong performance opens the door to broader commercial leadership

 
 
This role might be the right fit if you are entrepreneurial, experienced in the CPG sector, and ready to take ownership of premium product programs during a period of significant growth.
 
 
Interested candidates, please note: Our team checks for new applicants every day and while we would love to be able to engage with each of you personally, given the high volume of applicants we receive, we are only able to contact candidates who are best suited for this role.
 
 
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