About Imbibe
Imbibe is a dynamic, high-growth food and beverage development company based in Niles, Illinois. We specialize in developing, creating, and manufacturing beverage flavors, ingredient systems, and finished food and beverage products. Our mission is to design ingredients with impact for the food and beverage industry.
Since our founding in 1963, Imbibe has been at the forefront of flavor innovation and product development. We offer a comprehensive range of services, including full product development, taste modulation, and finished product solutions. Our state-of-the-art campus features an Innovation Center and Pilot Plant that enable us to tackle industry-wide taste and texture challenges, ensuring that our clients receive the highest quality products.
At Imbibe, we pride ourselves on our entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to continuous improvement. Our values of collaboration, accountability, and entrepreneurship drive us to deliver exceptional results for our clients. We also believe in giving back to the community. Through various initiatives we support efforts to combat food insecurity in the Chicagoland area by donating ingredients and our time.
If you're passionate about the food and beverage industry and eager to make a meaningful impact, Imbibe is the place for you. Let's create something extraordinary together!
Summary of Position
The Business Development Manager is responsible for identifying and cultivating new business opportunities to drive Imbibe’s growth. This role is heavily focused on early-stage pipeline development, market and customer research, CRM hygiene, and prospect engagement. The ideal candidate will be self-motivated, detail-oriented, and adept at uncovering potential partnerships and initiating conversations with key stakeholders across the beverage and ingredient industries.
Essential Job Duties
- Conduct in-depth market research to identify and prioritize potential customers, marketing, and industry trends.
- Manage and maintain CRM data integrity, ensuring accurate records of leads, contacts, and prospective activity.
- Identify and qualify new business opportunities aligned with Imbibe’s strategic goals and product capabilities.
- Assess and quality inbound marketing-generated leads by initiating contact via email and phone, with the goal of securing first-stage sales meetings.
- Support Sr. Business Development Managers and Sales Leadership in early-stage opportunity development and handoff.
- Develop prospecting lists and collaborate with marketing on targeted campaign execution.
- Prepare briefs, meeting prep materials, and summaries to support business development team planning and prospective engagement.
- Track and report on key performance indicators including outreach activity, lead conversion, and CRM compliance.
- Participate in industry trade shows and conferences.
- Ensure compliance with all company policies and procedures.
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in business, marketing, or related field.
- 3+ years in business development, lead generation, sales operations, or related role.
- Strong communication skills – written and verbal – with a knack for connecting with new people.
- Detail-oriented with strong organizational and time management skills.
- Proficiency in CRM, LinkedIn Sales Navigator, and internal project software.
- Strong knowledge of MS Office suite.
- Ability to work collaboratively and thrive in a fast-paced and dynamic environment.
- Ability to remain in a stationary sitting position 75% of the time.
- Ability to communicate information and exchange ideas with high attention to detail and accuracy.
- Ability to observe details at close range.
- Ability to travel approximately 50% of the time.
Working Conditions
- Office setting
Compensation & Benefits
The salary range listed represents the expected earnings for this role. The low end of the range reflects the starting salary for candidates with less experience or qualifications that meet the basic requirements for the position. The high end of the range reflects potential earnings for candidates with extensive experience, specialized skills, or qualifications above the standard requirements for the role.
Imbibe supports employee well-being and professional growth by offering a comprehensive benefits package that includes the following:
- Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision care
- 401k retirement plan with company contribution and match
- FSA and HSA account
- Generous company holidays, PTO, and sick time
- Onsite gym and wellness opportunities
- Paid parental leave
- Life and disability insurance
- Learning and professional development opportunities
Top Skills
What We Do
Since 1963, Imbibe has been accelerating the growth of the food and beverage industry by designing and supplying custom ingredients as an unrivaled R&D partner. Imbibe’s end-to-end food and beverage product development services and ingredients enhance upstream and downstream operations. For companies who have limited internal resources to teams with sophisticated development capabilities, Imbibe is able to unlock the potential of the food and beverage industry by creating innovative flavors and ingredient systems that help drive differentiation in purposeful products. Imbibe’s ingredient portfolio includes flavors, stabilizers, functional blends, Pre/Sense™ natural sweeteners, and The Senses™, a suite of taste modulation tools that improve flavor, sweetness perception, and the overall taste and sensory experience. More information on Imbibe’s diverse skillset and services can be found online at imbibeinc.com.
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