Description

Technical Ingredient Specialist

Fruit & Vegetable Ingredients

Help food and beverage manufacturers solve ingredient sourcing challenges around the world.

Encore Fruit Marketing is looking for a technically minded professional to join our team as a Technical Ingredient Specialist. This is an opportunity for someone with a background in food science, product development, food processing, quality, applications, manufacturing, or ingredient procurement to apply that experience in a customer-facing role.

Unlike a traditional ingredient manufacturer, Encore represents a global network of fruit and vegetable processors. We work with food and beverage manufacturers to understand their applications and connect them with the right processing partner based on specifications, availability, quality, and cost.

This is not a traditional sales position built around cold calls and quotas. It is a consultative role centered on problem-solving, relationship-building, and becoming a trusted resource for customers, suppliers, and the Encore sales team. The business development side is still part of the role, but it starts with understanding what the customer needs and helping them find the right solution.

What You’ll Do

• Work directly with food and beverage manufacturers to solve ingredient sourcing and supply-chain challenges.
• Help customers source processed fruit and vegetable ingredients, including juices, purees, concentrates, IQF products, and more.
• Communicate with customers’ R&D, purchasing, operations, quality, and procurement teams to understand technical and commercial requirements.
• Develop relationships with processors around the world and match customer needs with the right supplier.
• Coordinate samples, technical documentation, and product development support.
• Visit existing and prospective processors to evaluate their capabilities and determine whether they may be a good fit for Encore’s supplier network.
• Stay informed about crop conditions, global supply chains, market trends, and other developments that influence sourcing decisions.
• Visit customers and suppliers and attend industry trade shows to strengthen relationships and identify new opportunities.
• Serve as a technical resource for customers, suppliers, and the Encore sales team.

What We’re Looking For

Previous sales experience is not required. We’re more interested in food and beverage industry knowledge, curiosity, sound judgment, and the ability to build strong relationships.

Relevant backgrounds may include:

• Food science
• Product development or R&D
• Food processing or manufacturing
• Applications
• Quality assurance
• Ingredient procurement
• Technical services
  
  

The right candidate will also be comfortable:

• Learning about new ingredients, applications, processes, and food categories
• Solving technical, sourcing, and supply-chain challenges
• Communicating technical information in a practical and approachable way
• Building long-term relationships with customers and suppliers
• Working independently while collaborating with colleagues and external partners

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in food science or a related field, or equivalent industry experience
• Experience working in the food and beverage industry
• Strong communication, organization, and problem-solving skills
• Willingness to travel for customer meetings, supplier visits, and industry events

Why Encore?

Encore is a small, close-knit company with a broad international reach. We take our work seriously, but we also value a friendly, collaborative environment where people can enjoy working together and maintain a healthy life outside of work.

You’ll represent a diverse network of fruit and vegetable processors instead of being limited to a single manufacturer’s product line. You’ll gain exposure to ingredients and processing capabilities from around the world while working with customers across a wide range of food and beverage categories.

One week you may be helping a beverage company source a juice concentrate. The next, you could be assisting a baby food manufacturer with a fruit puree or identifying an alternative supplier during a crop shortage. The work changes constantly, and your technical knowledge and problem-solving skills will directly help customers bring products to market. 

Salary range: $65,000 - $120,000 annually, depending on experience.

Relocation assistance or a cost-of-living adjustment may be available for candidates relocating to Southern California.