Sales Representative - Food Ingredients

Lucas James Talent Partners•Naperville, IL

About The Position

Harvest Food Group is a diversified frozen food company based in the Chicago area, specializing in frozen food manufacturing and the distribution of frozen vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes, and herbs. As our Ingredients business continues to expand, we are seeking a highly motivated, growth‑oriented Sales Representative to aggressively build our customer base by finding and creating new commercial opportunities. This role is ideal for someone energized by prospecting and developing relationships from the ground up within a fast‑moving, entrepreneurial organization.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in business, Food Science, or related field preferred; equivalent experience considered
Minimum 3+ years of relevant B2B ingredient sales experience required - ideally selling frozen food ingredients into industrial markets—with demonstrated success in generating new business
Strong communicator with a positive, customer‑focused, entrepreneurial mindset
Proven ability to work independently and thrive in a competitive, growth‑oriented sales environment
Experience with the full Customer Relationship Management cycle, including prospecting, pipeline development, and closing
Ability to travel 10–25% for customer visits, trade shows, and industry events.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint; experience with Monday.com is a plus

Responsibilities

Drive new business development by identifying, qualifying, and pursuing new customers in the industrial market
Actively prospect through market research, networking, trade shows, outreach and referrals
Build strong early‑stage relationships to convert prospects into long‑term Harvest partners
Develop and execute strategies to expand Harvest’s presence with high‑value new accounts
Become a product expert across our frozen ingredient lines to effectively position solutions for new customers
Create and deliver compelling product presentations and proposals
Manage existing accounts as needed, ensuring continuity and identifying opportunities for incremental growth — while keeping primary focus on new customer acquisition
Collaborate with R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing, and Sales leadership to support customer onboarding, technical needs, and innovations that unlock new opportunities
Participate in forecasting, planning, and market analysis to support sales strategy and operational alignment
Negotiate pricing, terms, and contract details for new business
Represent Harvest Food Group professionally at customer meetings, industry events, and trade shows
Perform other duties as assigned to support growth of the ingredients division