Food and Beverage Industry

Food and Beverage Talent 

At FB Recruitment, we know that the food and beverage industry has always relied on people who are operationally excellent—those who can manage volume, stay compliant, and keep production lines moving. But today, forward-thinking food and beverage employers are seeking even more. Businesses now need individuals who bring ambition, long-term vision, and a commitment to growing within the food and beverage sector. In short, we are helping companies secure the career-driven talent that takes food and beverage operations to the next level.

Attracting this type of talent takes more than simply advertising a vacancy. We work with our clients to craft compelling food and beverage opportunities that align with what top professionals want—development, purpose, and culture. As specialists in permanent food and beverage recruitment, we help employers across the UK attract, engage, and retain the best talent in the market.

The Changing Expectations of Food and Beverage Candidates

We see every day how the perception of food and beverage roles is evolving. Historically, many jobs in food and beverage production and operations were viewed as transactional—valuable, but rarely long-term. That landscape is changing rapidly. According to the Food and Drink Federation’s 2024 Talent Trends Report, over 70% of candidates say they now seek food and beverage roles that provide “clear career progression and personal development pathways.”

This shift is both generational and reflective of broader workforce trends. In today’s world, people prioritise food and beverage career security and alignment over short-term convenience. It is no longer enough for food and beverage employers to offer “just a job”—we help our clients present true career destinations within their food and beverage businesses.

What Attracts Career-Focused Food and Beverage Talent?

To secure ambitious professionals, food and beverage companies must understand what makes candidates say “yes” and, crucially, what makes them stay. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) highlights key factors influencing job acceptance in food and beverage:

• Opportunities for internal progression within food and beverage teams
• A sense of purpose and organisational mission unique to food and beverage
• Transparent leadership and management style in food and beverage environments
• Work-life balance and flexibility in food and beverage roles
• Structured onboarding and development plans tailored for food and beverage professionals

We help our clients integrate these elements throughout their food and beverage recruitment process, making your business stand out and appeal to top candidates.

Best Practice 1: Frame Every Role as a Career Step

Many food and beverage job adverts focus only on duties—“manage line output,” “adhere to safety protocols,” “complete checks.” While these are essential, they don’t communicate growth. We work with food and beverage employers to reframe job descriptions around future potential: What does success look like in this food and beverage role? How could someone grow in 12–18 months? Are there leadership or multi-site pathways in your food and beverage organisation? This shift from task-based to trajectory-based messaging is at the heart of our approach.

Recently, we helped a ready meals manufacturer in the Midlands rework their shift supervisor position to highlight progression metrics, team leadership coaching, and cross-functional exposure. As a result, applications increased threefold and the successful hire was promoted to site lead within a year.

Best Practice 2: Clarify Your Development Offer from Day One

Career-minded food and beverage professionals want to know how they’ll be supported from the very start. This includes:

• Structured onboarding for food and beverage roles
• Technical training within food and beverage operations
• Mentoring or coaching from experienced food and beverage professionals
• Cross-training opportunities across food and beverage functions

We coach our clients on how to communicate these opportunities clearly in interviews and job adverts. According to the Institute for Employment Studies (2023), food and beverage businesses with structured onboarding and first-year development plans achieve 29% higher retention in the first year.

Best Practice 3: Make Your Food and Beverage Culture Visible

People are not just looking for good work—they want a great place to work. Culture, leadership style, and team dynamics play a huge role in whether career-driven food and beverage candidates feel at home. We advise food and beverage companies to showcase their values in job adverts, speak authentically about management styles during interviews, and share real-life examples of team success. If your food and beverage business invests in mental health, sustainability, or innovation, we encourage you to promote this, as these are major attractors for today’s candidates.

Best Practice 4: Move Quickly, But Never Hastily

Top food and beverage candidates often have multiple opportunities. While it’s important not to rush hiring decisions, it’s equally important that the food and beverage recruitment journey respects candidates’ time. Our clients benefit from fast, pre-vetted shortlists and our deep understanding of candidate motivations, leadership compatibility, and sector alignment. With our support, a high-volume bakery business recently reduced its time-to-hire for mid-level food and beverage roles from 31 to just 14 days.

Best Practice 5: Follow Up—Even if It’s a “No”

Career-driven food and beverage candidates remember every touchpoint. Even if you decide not to offer them a role, a courteous rejection with feedback keeps them engaged for future opportunities and strengthens your brand as a food and beverage employer of choice.

In a talent-short food and beverage market, candidates are not only evaluating roles—they are evaluating us as employers.

Why Partner with FB Recruitment?

At FB Recruitment, we specialise in placing permanent candidates across the food and beverage industry—from production leads and engineers to quality managers and operations directors. We understand the nuances of each site, each shift pattern, and each business model in the food and beverage sector. Most importantly, we understand what motivates the people behind every food and beverage role.

We partner with food and beverage employers to develop recruitment strategies that go well beyond vacancy-filling. Our focus is on building pipelines of motivated professionals who see your food and beverage business as the next step in their career journey—not a stopgap.

If you are ready to attract the very best career-driven food and beverage talent in the UK, choose FB Recruitment—the trusted experts in food and beverage recruitment. Contact us today to find out how we can help your food and beverage business thrive.