Paid $100 Interview (60 Minutes) – Foodservice & Retail Beverage Persona Interview Participants

Overview

We are conducting confidential industry research with experienced professionals in the foodservice and food retail beverage industries.

Our research is focused on ambient and refrigerated beverage products, including coffee, tea, juice, ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages, functional beverages, private label beverages, and foodservice beverage programs.

We are seeking qualified professionals to participate in a one-time, paid 60-minute virtual interview focused on how organizations evaluate suppliers, manage sourcing decisions, launch innovations, develop products, manage categories, and build successful supplier partnerships.

We will be conducting 10 interviews total, and this research project is expected to be completed by August 15, 2026.

Selected participants will receive $100 USD for a completed 60-minute interview.

The interview will be recorded solely for internal research purposes. Recordings will not be publicly distributed, and all responses will remain confidential.

This is not an ongoing consulting engagement. This is a one-time interview opportunity associated with a defined market research project that will conclude on August 15, 2026.

Compensation

$100 USD for a completed interview

60-minute virtual interview

One-time engagement

No preparation required

No additional work or follow-up deliverables expected

Research project scheduled to conclude by August 15, 2026

Project Timeline

We are actively scheduling interviews now and expect all interviews to be completed by August 15, 2026. Qualified candidates will be contacted to schedule a single 60-minute interview during this research period.

Industry Focus

Food Retail

We are particularly interested in professionals working within:

Grocery Retailers

Supermarkets

Regional Grocery Chains

National Grocery Chains

Club Stores

Convenience Retailers

Private Label Organizations

Food and Beverage Brands that sell into grocery retailers

Foodservice

We are particularly interested in professionals working within:

Quick Service Restaurants (QSR)

Fast Casual Restaurants

Contract Dining

Convenience Foodservice

Beverage Categories

Coffee

Tea

Juice

Ready-to-Drink (RTD) Beverages

Functional Beverages

Refrigerated Beverages

Shelf-Stable / Ambient Beverages

Private Label Beverage Programs

Who We Are Looking For

Food Retail Professionals

Preference will be given to candidates who currently work for, or have recently worked for:

Grocery retailers

Supermarket chains

Regional or national food retailers

Private label retail organizations

Consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies that sell products into grocery retailers

Beverage brands that sell products into grocery retailers

We are especially interested in:

Private Label Category Managers

Category Managers

Category Directors

Brand Managers responsible for products sold through grocery retailers

Retail Buyers

Procurement and Sourcing Leaders

Target roles include:

Category Manager

Category Director

Private Label Category Manager

Private Label Director

Buyer

Senior Buyer

Procurement Manager

Director of Procurement

Director of Purchasing

Strategic Sourcing Manager

Supply Chain Manager

Supply Chain Director

Product Development Manager

Innovation Manager

Brand Manager

Marketing Manager

Foodservice Professionals

Preference will be given to candidates who currently work for, or have recently worked for:

Quick Service Restaurants (QSRs)

Fast Casual Restaurant Chains

Multi-Unit Restaurant Groups

Foodservice Operators

Beverage Program Operators

Target roles include:

Buyer

Procurement Manager

Director of Procurement

Director of Purchasing

Strategic Sourcing Manager

Supply Chain Manager

Supply Chain Director

Materials Manager

Category Manager

Product Development Manager

Innovation Manager

Culinary Innovation Leader

Chef

Beverage Manager

Beverage Category Manager

Brand Manager

Marketing Manager

Interview Topics

The conversation may include:

How suppliers are identified, researched, and selected

Supplier qualification requirements

Product quality expectations

Packaging requirements and preferences

Supplier reliability and service expectations

Innovation and new product development

Ambient and refrigerated beverage trends

Category management strategies

Supply chain and sourcing challenges

Value-added services suppliers can provide

Sustainability and sourcing considerations

Internal stakeholders involved in purchasing decisions

Characteristics of best-in-class suppliers

Factors that build trust and long-term supplier relationships

Professional goals, challenges, and success metrics

Ideal Candidates

The strongest candidates will have direct experience:

Selecting or evaluating suppliers

Managing beverage categories

Managing private label programs

Developing food or beverage products

Purchasing ingredients or finished goods

Leading sourcing or procurement initiatives

Managing supplier relationships

Selling branded or private-label products into grocery retailers

Launching products within food retail or foodservice channels

Preference will be given to candidates who have direct decision-making authority or significant influence over supplier selection, sourcing, procurement, category management, product development, or beverage innovation initiatives.

Confidentiality

To ensure unbiased feedback:

The sponsoring company will remain anonymous

Interviews will be recorded for internal research purposes only.

Recordings will not be publicly distributed

Individual responses will remain confidential

Participants may decline to answer any question they are uncomfortable discussing

Why We Are Conducting This Research

The objective of this research is to better understand how foodservice and food retail professionals evaluate suppliers, manage category growth, launch innovations, and make sourcing decisions.

Insights gathered from these interviews will be used to develop buyer persona research, market intelligence reports, and internal go-to-market resources designed to help commercial, marketing, product development, and leadership teams better understand industry needs, challenges, supplier expectations, and buying behaviors.