On-Trade Controller: Build a Premium Non-Alcoholic Brand

Mother Root is the Ginger non-alcoholic aperitif. We harness the power of apple cider vinegar to serve up a dose of good feelings. Our mission is to redefine what it means to drink well and feel good - with drinks that are complex, delicious and rooted in nature. Fresh from securing three offers on BBC Dragons’ Den, we’re on an exciting growth journey — scaling from a £7m brand today towards £50m+ in the years ahead, with 230% year-on-year growth already underway. With our small but mighty team, we’re building one of the UK’s fastest-growing non-alcoholic brands, both online and in retail. We’re bold, inclusive and ambitious. We value creativity, curiosity and collaboration — and we believe work should be joyful, purposeful and full of flavour.

We’re looking for an experienced On-Trade Controller to build and prove Mother Root’s UK on-trade channel through a focused, high-quality portfolio of flagship accounts. Reporting into the Head of Sales, and working closely with the CEO and COO, this role will own all UK on-trade activity end-to-end, establishing the blueprint for scalable future growth. Mother Root already has placements in some of the UK’s most respected food-led pubs, restaurants and hotels. The immediate opportunity is to fully activate these accounts, build deep relationships, and establish clear performance benchmarks - before selectively expanding into new flagship venues. The objective is not rapid, indiscriminate scale, but to build a tightly curated on-trade presence that delivers long-term brand and commercial value. This role will define what “success” looks like in on-trade for Mother Root, and shape how the channel develops over time. This person will be highly commercial, deeply thoughtful about brand and hospitality, and comfortable operating autonomously in a scale-up environment. They will think like a founder of the channel - building not just distribution, but a repeatable and scalable model for success.

What You’ll Do

• Build and deliver Mother Root’s UK on-trade strategy end-to-end, aligned with wider business and brand goals.
• Establish and prove the Mother Root Perfect Account Model - defining where we win, why, and how to scale it.
• Define and lead a phased route-to-market strategy, including both direct supply and wholesale partnerships, to maximise early momentum, learning, and long-term scalability.
• Establish clear performance benchmarks including bottles per account per week, reorder frequency, activation ROI, and overall channel contribution.
• Own and fully activate Mother Root’s existing on-trade accounts, ensuring strong relationships, visibility, menu presence, and repeat order velocity.
• Build deep relationships with key operators, GMs, bar managers and group buyers.
• Ensure Mother Root is properly represented on menus, positioned appropriately, and consistently served to a high standard.
• Identify opportunities to increase performance within existing groups and flagship venues.
• Identify, secure and grow relationships with the right premium pubs, restaurants, hotels and hospitality groups.
• Prioritise quality and performance of accounts over volume of distribution.
• Leverage your network and strategic outreach to secure flagship placements that reinforce brand positioning.
• Select, onboard and manage wholesale partners where appropriate, ensuring strong alignment and performance.
• Negotiate commercial terms, pricing, and support structures that balance brand integrity with long-term commercial sustainability.
• Build the playbook and inform future scale.
• Track performance and extract learnings to inform future channel expansion.
• Build compelling flagship case studies that demonstrate Mother Root’s success in hospitality environments.

First 12 months success will include

• Fully activating and improving performance across Mother Root’s existing on-trade accounts.
• Establishing a tightly curated portfolio of approximately 50 high-quality flagship accounts.
• Defining clear benchmarks for account performance and improving velocity across the portfolio.
• Establishing appropriate wholesale partnerships to support scalable growth.
• Developing a clear, repeatable blueprint for national on-trade expansion.

What You’ll Bring

• Proven experience in senior on-trade commercial roles (Controller / Senior Manager level) within a drinks business.
• Strong existing network across UK premium pubs, restaurants, hotels and hospitality groups.
• Track record of opening accounts and successfully growing their long-term performance.
• Experience building or scaling an on-trade channel, rather than inheriting a mature one.
• Strong commercial judgement on where to invest time, effort and resources.
• Experience working with distributors and managing route-to-market strategy.
• Highly autonomous and comfortable building new channels in fast-moving, scale-up environments.

Nice to have

• Experience launching or growing a premium challenger brand.
• Experience in non-alcoholic, low-alcohol, wine or premium spirits categories.
• Experience building early-stage channels or working in founder-led businesses.
• Experience mentoring or managing others.

You’ll Thrive Here If You

• You are commercially sharp but brand-led in your decision-making.
• You prioritise quality, performance and long-term brand equity over short-term distribution wins.
• You enjoy building new channels from the ground up.
• You care deeply about hospitality and how brands show up in real-world environments.
• You are both strategic and hands-on in execution.
• You are comfortable with ambiguity and motivated by building something meaningful.

Benefits & Perks

• Share options programme.
• Annual Leave: 25 days per year.
• Summer Hours: Early finish Fridays (June–August).
• Work From Anywhere: Up to 2 weeks per year.
• Pension: 5% matched contribution.
• Cycle Scheme: Bike or Lime/Forest Pass.
• Personal Development: £300 annual allowance for approved training.
• Wellbeing Support: Access to Spill app & Heka allowance (£40/month) + birthday/work anniversary boosts.
• Annual Team Trip: Gastronomical & wellbeing-focused team away trip.
• Parental Leave: Competitive maternity/paternity package.