Business Development & Co-Packing Manager
Cana Plus | North York, Ontario
On-site
About Us
Cana Plus provides food co-packing, private label, and white label services, helping brands bring their products to market through practical manufacturing and packaging solutions.
We are looking for a hands-on Business Development & Co-Packing Manager to grow this business and manage customer projects from the first inquiry through production and delivery.
About the Role
You will be the main point of contact for new and existing co-packing customers. You will identify opportunities, build relationships, prepare proposals, and coordinate with our production team to turn customer requirements into successful projects.
This role combines business development, marketing, sales, account management, and production coordination. You should be comfortable discussing food products, packaging options, production requirements, pricing, and timelines with both customers and internal teams.
Key Responsibilities
- Identify and approach potential customers for co-packing, private label, and white label services.
- Generate leads through LinkedIn, direct outreach, networking, industry events, and other relevant channels.
- Respond to inquiries, qualify opportunities, and manage the sales pipeline from initial contact to closing.
- Understand each customer’s product, packaging specifications, order volumes, target market, and launch timeline.
- Work with production, procurement, and management to assess feasibility, costs, minimum order quantities, and lead times.
- Prepare quotations and proposals, negotiate commercial terms within approved guidelines, and follow up on opportunities.
- Coordinate samples, packaging sourcing, artwork approvals, production trials, and project readiness.
- Maintain a clear handover of approved specifications and customer requirements to production and quality assurance.
- Monitor project progress and communicate updates, changes, and delivery expectations to customers.
- Coordinate with production and quality assurance to address issues and support customer satisfaction.
- Develop long-term customer relationships, secure repeat orders, and identify opportunities to expand accounts.
- Maintain accurate CRM records, sales forecasts, project updates, and follow-up activities.
- Help develop marketing materials that clearly communicate our services and capabilities.
Qualifications
- Experience in business development, B2B sales, or account management within food manufacturing, co-packing, private label, packaging, or a closely related industry.
- Practical understanding of food production and packaging processes, or a demonstrated ability to learn them quickly.
- Ability to manage multiple customer projects and coordinate across sales, production, procurement, and quality assurance.
- Strong communication, negotiation, presentation, and relationship-building skills.
- Confidence working with pricing, costing, quotations, and commercial proposals.
- Strong organization, attention to detail, and consistent follow-through.
- Experience using CRM systems, LinkedIn, and Microsoft Office or Google Workspace.
- Ability to work independently and take ownership of opportunities from first contact through delivery.
Preferred Assets
- An established network of food brands, importers, distributors, or retail customers.
- Experience with dry foods, powders, spices, teas, or similar packaged products.
- Familiarity with pouches, jars, bottles, labels, and retail packaging.
- Familiarity with SQF, HACCP, and food safety requirements.
- Experience supporting product launches and packaging development.
What Success Looks Like
- A growing pipeline of qualified opportunities.
- New customers and profitable projects.
- Accurate quotations and well-defined customer requirements.
- Smooth coordination between customers and production.
- On-time project execution and strong repeat business.
How to Apply
Please apply through LinkedIn with your résumé and a brief introduction describing your relevant experience in B2B sales, food manufacturing, co-packing, or private label projects.
- Cana Plus welcomes applications from qualified candidates of all backgrounds. Accommodations are available upon request during the recruitment process.
