On-Trade Controller

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.
• Develop a tightly curated portfolio of high‑performing, category‑defining venues.
• 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.
• Full P&L responsibility for your accounts.
• Ensure route‑to‑market decisions support both near‑term learning and long‑term scalability.
• Develop a repeatable, scalable on‑trade playbook, including ideal account profile, menu positioning, serve strategy, pricing, and activation approach.
• Track performance and extract learnings to inform future channel expansion.
• Build compelling flagship case studies that demonstrate Mother Root’s success in hospitality environments.
• Feed insights back into the wider business across sales, brand, marketing and product.

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.
• Lots of free Mother Root.