Job description

Does this sound like you? You’re passionate about coffee and get excited about connecting with new people to share the Spring Valley Coffee story. You understand your role is critical in linking our coffee to the end consumer, taking every opportunity to delight the customer through incredible experiences. You’re a conversationalist as well as a great listener and have the ability to develop relationships with ease; you’re a person whom others often describe as warm, friendly, naturally engaging and passionate. Of course, to do all of this, you need to have high levels of energy, be incredibly organised, persistent when necessary, have a keen attention to detail and a deep desire to succeed - all of which set you apart from the crowd.

If it does, read on...

Role Summary

• role: Wholesale Relationship Associate
• reporting to: Team Leader - Wholesale
• support all account management needs of our customers
• work closely with our existing customers to strengthen relationships through regular and frequent engagement
• build & maintain strong training and support relationships at various levels of a customer relationship
• work as the liaison between customers and internal teams to deliver the Spring Valley Coffee experience
• grow revenue by finding opportunities to solve customers’ problems using Spring Valley Coffee products & services
• build productive, successful, satisfied, relationships with customers
• develop, manage, and coordinate new business opportunities
• manager a broad range of customers including: hotels, restaurants, cafes, supermarkets, offices & bakeries
• represent the brand to our current & future customers

The core competencies, skills & qualifications for this role are:

• demonstrate passion and enthusiasm for coffee
• possess strong initiative, motivation, self-management skills and an immaculate attention to detail
• ability to prioritise, manage multiple work assignments and task-switch in order to achieve assigned performance targets
• ability to work with multiple personality types and individual levels of experience while collaborating across different teams
• possess excellent written & verbal communication skills for all medium (in person, phone, email, WhatsApp) - in order to communicate clearly, directly, succinctly, and honestly
• expert ability to anticipate customer needs
• be excited to and have the ability to work in a high-volume, fast-paced, confidential environment 
• have a positive outlook and happy disposition to life
• have an innate thirst for learning, a desire to grow and be willing to embrace opportunities to thrive
• experience in the premium / specialty coffee industry
• experience in account management or sales preferred
• attain a minimum of C+ or higher at KCSE
• experience using Microsoft and GSuite applications, such as Powerpoint/Slides, Excel/Sheets and Word/Docs is preferred; experience using a customer relationship management tool is also desired

At Spring Valley Coffee, we welcome diversity and celebrate that our communities include individuals from all backgrounds, identities, and walks of life. We strive every day to foster an environment of inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility that supports our employees, customers and communities. We know that embracing diversity makes us stronger, enriches our culture, and allows us to grow together. We encourage candidates with diverse backgrounds, identities, skills, and abilities to apply.

Account Management

• develop & maintain complete proficiency of current coffee offerings, including source information, recommended brewing recipes, and roast profiles
• handle customer account onboarding and ensure complete documentation for all Wholesale customers
• provide account management and support by being the main point of contact to customers on ordering, service & support & payment
• develop and coordinate training, tasting and meet & greet schedules for Spring Valley Coffee team members to all partners 
• provide support to customers base, as needed, by proactively scheduled training, preventative maintenance, and random “health checks”
• proactively assess customer quality standards through in-person market presence such as blind tastings and account visits
• perform targeted visits in an effort to manage existing business and identify pain points for our partners
• undertake research to identify needs or areas of improvement
• coordinate with the Team Leader - Roastery to deliver an incredible customer experience every time
• collaborate with the Designer to create bespoke branding on labels, menus, info cards, etc.
• work with Head Trainer and Team Leader - Wholesale to introduce beverages to Hospitality partners: “coffee of the month”
• proactively track customer sales performance, collection / payment follow-up, and identify new opportunities to engage 
• coordinate daily / weekly / monthly / quarterly / annual customer contact for self, Trainers, Team Leader - Wholesale and CEO
• proactively schedule and manage barista training for Wholesale partners
• assess and understand market trends and the competitive landscape
• maintain data and log activity in our database, ensuring customer information is up to date, and accurate at all times
• from time-to-time, any other responsibilities as assigned by Team Leader - Wholesale

Business Development

• work with Team Leader - Wholesale to develop strategies to increase average revenue per existing customer, through knowledge and utilization of all Spring Valley Coffee product & service offering
• actively research and stay current on food, beverage and coffee industry trends within Kenya and internationally
• have an acute sense of awareness of new openings, closings and the overall buzz within hospitality & supermarket channels
• determine new business opportunities by proactively prospecting and discussing qualified leads with Team Leader
• work with Team Leader to drive new business by peseting & assessing new business opportunities by seeking out key organizational contacts, developing an appropriate sales strategy, and engaging with a view to convert
• maintain an accurate and updated pipeline within our customer relationship management tool 
• prepare personalized sales proposals that identify the specific level of partnership with new customers, including mutual commitments to price, service and/or exclusivity with our wholesale program
• host coffee tastings with potential new customers
• lead negotiations that result in ideal outcomes for both customer and Spring Valley Coffee goals
• collaborate with the Wholesale team to align and execute strategy for business retention and incremental growth in the market
• attend monthly sales meetings

Brand Knowledge & Representation

• develop & maintain a deep, understanding of our coffee, practices, & brand values; be able to effectively communicate these to others
• liaise with social media team to showcase Spring Valley Coffee’s Wholesale partners
• effectively represent the Spring Valley Coffee brand through engagement and outreach
• work with Wholesale partners to support events & activations that are an opportunity to improve brand visibility and drive revenue
• identify & participate in key events and potential brand partnerships that strengthen the Spring Valley Coffee brand, including industry and trade events, collaborative events, etc.
• seek out and participate in community / educational / promotional events that strengthen the Spring Valley Coffee brand