Product Development Manager - Cocktail Mixers & Consumables (Collins)

About The Role:

True Brands is looking for a Product & Brand Manager to lead the development and commercialization of consumable products for our Collins brand, with a primary focus on cocktail mixers, syrups, and garnishes.

This is a hands-on food and beverage product development role for someone who understands both the science behind a successful formulation and the craft behind a great cocktail. You'll develop new products from initial concept and benchtop formulation through testing, sourcing, scale-up, regulatory compliance, and commercial production.

You'll work closely with our Product Development, Global Supply Chain, Operations, and Sales teams, as well as ingredient suppliers and co-packers, to create products that deliver on flavor, quality, cost, and commercial viability. You'll also help explore new consumable categories as the Collins brand continues to grow.

What You'll Do:

• Develop new products: Lead formulation and development of cocktail mixers, syrups, garnishes, and other consumable products from concept through commercialization.
• Apply flavor and cocktail expertise: Develop and refine flavor profiles with an understanding of sweetness, acidity, bitterness, aroma, mouthfeel, dilution, spirit pairings, and cocktail construction.
• Own product specifications: Develop recipes, BOMs, ingredient specifications, shelf-life requirements, and stability standards.
• Scale formulations for production: Work with suppliers and co-packers to move products from benchtop development into successful commercial production.
• Source ingredients and partners: Evaluate ingredients, suppliers, packaging components, and manufacturing partners for quality, cost, and production feasibility.
• Manage regulatory requirements: Ensure formulations, ingredient declarations, allergens, claims, and packaging meet applicable FDA and international requirements.
• Develop to target cost: Partner with Supply Chain to achieve target costs and margins while protecting product quality and flavor.
• Support Sales and National Accounts: Provide technical product expertise, samples, tastings, specifications, and support for major buyer and distributor presentations.
• Manage products through launch: Keep cross-functional development projects moving from concept approval through production and launch.
• Drive continued innovation: Follow cocktail, beverage, ingredient, and flavor trends to identify opportunities for new products and improvements to the existing Collins portfolio.

What We're Looking For:

• 3–5+ years of experience in food or beverage product development, R&D, formulation, or a related field.
• Hands-on experience taking food or beverage products from benchtop formulation through commercial scale-up and production.
• Strong knowledge of cocktails and mixology, including flavor balance, spirit pairings, classic and modern cocktail construction, and current beverage trends.
• Experience with ingredient functionality, shelf-life and stability testing, product specifications, and formulation documentation.
• Working knowledge of FDA food labeling and regulatory requirements; international experience is a plus.
• Experience working with ingredient suppliers, manufacturers, and co-packers.
• Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple products at different stages of development.
• Comfortable partnering with Sales and communicating technical product information to buyers, distributors, and other non-technical audiences.
• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Culinary Science, Chemistry, Product Development, or a related field preferred, or equivalent relevant industry experience.

What We Offer:

• Base Salary: $95,000 - $115,000
• 40% employee discount
• Health, Dental, Vision, and Life Insurance, LTD, 401k with employer match
• Gym benefits
• Large supplemental insurance offerings such as accidental policies and discounted pet insurance plans
• FSA General Purpose Healthcare and Dependent care
• Growth and development opportunities
• Excellent work/life balance
• Accrue 15+ days of PTO per year
• Paid Holidays + Flex Holiday
• Company events

E-Verify

True Brands participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S. If E-Verify cannot confirm that you are authorized to work, this employer is required to give you written instructions and an opportunity to contact Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or Social Security Administration (SSA) so you can begin to resolve the issue before the employer can take any action against you, including terminating your employment. Employers can only use E-Verify once you have accepted a job offer and completed the Form I-9.

EEOC

True Brands is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or any other legally protected status. We are committed to providing a diverse and inclusive workplace where all employees are respected and given equal opportunities to succeed. We believe that our differences enrich our company culture, promote innovation, and enable us to better serve our customers. True Brands is dedicated to creating an environment free from harassment, intimidation, and retaliation and we expect all employees to treat each other with respect and professionalism.