Food and Beverage Recruiting and Executive Search

We are Bristol Associates, a boutique executive search firm, founded in 1967. As a core focus since our founding, our Food and Beverage recruitment division has been placing top talent at leading companies in the food industry for over 55 years. Our experienced F&B recruiters successfully complete searches using our comprehensive industry knowledge, advanced recruiting technology, extensive network, and ever-expanding database. We have an excellent track record of placement success and are regarded as one of the top search firms in the industry, recruiting key executives across all functions, both nationwide and globally.

Our Focus
Our vast client base encompasses companies of varying sizes across all areas of the F&B sector and supply chain. We offer hiring expertise to any organization that needs people with the specialized skills and experience required for food industry opportunities. This includes production and manufacturing businesses, R&D organizations, first-stage agricultural suppliers, consumer packaged foods, finished food & beverage product manufacturers (for retail and food service channels), as well as formulated ingredients, food service ingredients, industrial ingredients, nutritional supplement providers, and businesses involved with CBD products. We work with start-ups, turnaround operations, and private equity firms to find the best candidates to fit our client’s unique requirements. Our staffing agency also provides talent acquisition services for culinary positions, kitchen jobs, and other executive roles in the restaurant industry.

Our Scope and Process
Bristol’s retained search and recruitment service includes sourcing, screening, submitting qualified candidates, scheduling interviews, and negotiating employment and compensation packages of selected finalists. As an experienced headhunter agency, we are adept at providing executive recruitment for food management and leadership roles. We also understand the value of diverse teams and can deliver recruitment solutions to help our clients maintain diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace.

Since each search is unique, we personalize our process for each company and role, mindfully tailoring our recruitment strategy to ensure we find, not just a skilled candidate, but high-quality applicants ideally suited to your team. Our commitment to this goal starts by developing an in-depth understanding of our clients’ business needs and culture at the beginning of our relationship. We take the same hands-on approach with candidates we represent, learning their values, workplace preferences, and aspirations so we can match them to relevant openings that further their careers. The connections we form with both our clients and candidates are valued, and we maintain these relationships with great care.

Given our firm’s industry focus and vast database of talent, we have in-depth knowledge of compensation ranges from CEO and other C-suite executives to mid-level management. We regularly advise clients on current job market conditions and consult on matters of compensation including base salaries, bonus programs, commission structures, incentives, benefits, and long-term compensation. We can provide customized compensation information (wage studies) à la carte to our main retained executive search services. The salary data we provide is always anonymous, in that it is tied to job titles and not executives’ names.

If you are an employer in need of a recruiter who understands the food and beverage field inside and out, contact the experts at Bristol today to learn how we can support your food recruiting needs.

Food and Beverage Manufacturing Survey
Since 2020, Bristol has conducted the Annual Food and Beverage Manufacturing Survey, which is designed to help the F&B industry attract, retain, and motivate its talent. Yearly analysis provides insight into professionals’ current attitudes and preferences towards their workplace and the industry at large, as well as how they change over the years and how they relate to overall market conditions. View more about our Survey here.