Sales Area Manager H/F - Approach People Recruitment

Our client is a worldwide industrial player in the chocolate sector that operates upstream in the value chain: it transforms raw cocoa into ingredients that are then used to manufacture the chocolate products we consume.

Sales Area Manager - CDI

Field Sales position ideally based in the south-eastern quarter of France: around Lyon/Grenoble area or Loire, Provence or Savoie.

Reporting to the Country Manager based in Italy (he speaks Italian, English and French), you would be the first one in France on Field (team of 7 people in Italy).

Main Responsibilities

- Management and development of the French B2B professional market (currently €10.5M in 2025, with growth potential)
- Regular visits to existing clients, as well as new business development and related reporting activities
- Sales Developer role focused on managing existing clients (50% industrial + 50% professional) and developing both the professional and industrial channels, working closely with distributors' sales teams
- Current customer base includes large artisans, ingredient distributors, chains, semi-industrial and industrial clients
- Collaboration with HQ Sales teams and other company functions (Marketing, Quality, Planning, R&D) to address specific needs of the French market
- Participation in trade fairs and industry events in France and abroad (in addition to major events, also local fairs attended by distributors), e.g. Sirha, Sigep, Serbotel Nantes, Sirha Paris, Salon du Chocolat, etc
- Possible extension of the scope to French-speaking countries (Maghreb and French-speaking Africa) as well as overseas territories

Profile

- Native French speaker with fluent Italian OR English (one out of 2 is mandatory)
- Field Sales experience of at least 7-10 years addressing Pastry Chefs, Master Chocolatiers...
- Background from companies in the pastry or gelato industry, such as: Irca Group, Pregel, Optima, Fabbri, Di Saronno, Unigrà, Babbi, Valrhona, Callebaut, Puratos, Abi Group, Nutkao, Chocolaterie de L'Opera, Weiss, Michel Cluizel, Elle&Vire, Boiron, Ponthier, PCB, DGF, UNL, Transgourmet