Head Sales (Fresh Produce)

Company: Jagtap Farms Pvt. Ltd.

Designation: Head – Sales (Fresh Produce)

Department: Sales & Business Development

Reporting To: Managing Director / Director

Location: Manjari Budruk, Pune,,Maharashtra, India

Employment Type: Full-Time

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. Key Responsibilities

A. Sales Strategy and Revenue Growth

- Develop and execute the annual sales strategy for fresh fruits and vegetables in line with the company's business objectives.
- Prepare monthly, weekly and daily sales plans based on product availability, seasonal production, market demand and customer commitments.
- Achieve sales volume, revenue, gross margin and contribution targets.
- Develop a balanced sales portfolio across wholesale markets, organised retail, distributors, institutional customers and other suitable channels.
- Identify opportunities to increase sales realisation through customer segmentation, product grading, packaging, assortment and channel selection.
- Develop market expansion plans across Pune, Mumbai and other relevant markets in Maharashtra and neighbouring states, as commercially viable.
- Reduce dependence on individual customers or market channels by building a diversified customer portfolio.

B. Customer Acquisition and Channel Development
- Develop and manage relationships with:
- Organised retail chains and modern trade buyers.
- Supermarkets, grocery chains and independent retailers.
- Hotels, restaurants, caterers and institutional kitchens (HoReCa).
- Fruit and vegetable wholesalers, commission agents and mandi traders.
- Distributors, resellers and regional supply partners.
- Food processors and other bulk buyers, where applicable.
- Direct-to-consumer and online grocery businesses, where commercially viable.
- Identify, negotiate and onboard new customers based on volume potential, margins, payment reliability and operational feasibility.
- Build long-term supply arrangements, rate contracts and recurring purchase programmes.
- Develop customer-specific product specifications, quality standards, packaging requirements and delivery schedules.
- Monitor customer performance and ensure consistent repeat orders.

C. Daily Market Intelligence and Price Realisation
- Track daily wholesale and retail market prices, arrivals, demand-supply trends and competitor activity.
- Monitor price movements across relevant mandis and destination markets.
- Develop a daily pricing strategy for each major product, grade, customer segment and sales channel.
- Decide the optimal channel for selling available produce based on expected net realisation, after considering freight, commissions, packaging, handling, claims and other selling costs.
- Identify premium markets and customers willing to pay for consistent quality, grading, traceability and reliable supply.
- Share daily market intelligence and price recommendations with the Managing Director and relevant internal teams.
- Respond quickly to market fluctuations, seasonal surpluses, supply shortages and changes in customer demand.

D. Sales Planning and Produce Allocation
- Coordinate with farm operations and procurement teams to understand expected harvest volumes, procurement quantities, product mix, grades and availability.
- Develop rolling sales forecasts and communicate expected demand to operations and supply chain teams.
- Match daily produce availability with confirmed orders, customer forecasts and spot-market opportunities.
- Prioritise product allocation based on freshness, shelf life, customer commitments, quality grade and expected realisation.
- Ensure rapid movement of highly perishable produce to minimise ageing, deterioration and markdowns.
- Develop contingency sales plans for excess production, sudden price drops, order cancellations and supply disruptions.
- Ensure that sales commitments are realistic and aligned with product availability and delivery capacity.

E. Fresh Produce Quality and Customer Specifications
- Work closely with quality and packhouse teams to establish product specifications for size, grade, maturity, colour, freshness, appearance, packaging and permissible defects.
- Ensure that products dispatched meet agreed customer specifications and applicable food safety requirements.
- Coordinate grading, sorting, packing, labelling and dispatch requirements for different customer segments.
- Establish procedures for customer complaints, quality claims, rejections, returns and credit notes.




- Analyse recurring quality issues and work with operations to implement corrective actions.
- Ensure appropriate handling and storage practices throughout the sales and dispatch process, including temperature control where required.
- Develop customer confidence through consistent quality, reliable supply and transparent communication.

F. Realisation, Margins and Wastage Control
- Maximise net sales realisation per kilogram or other relevant unit of measurement.
- Monitor product-wise, customer-wise, channel-wise and market-wise profitability.
- Analyse the difference between gross selling price and net realisation after logistics, market commissions, packaging, discounts, claims and other variable selling expenses.
- Establish minimum acceptable realisation levels in consultation with management, subject to market conditions and produce perishability.
- Minimise losses arising from rejected material, unsold stock, poor grading, delayed dispatch and customer claims.
- Develop appropriate liquidation strategies for short-shelf-life produce without unnecessarily depressing prices across other sales channels.
- Review the financial impact of promotional schemes, customer-specific pricing and channel incentives.
- Work with operations and finance to improve contribution margins and reduce avoidable commercial losses.

G. Institutional and Key Account Management
- Develop and maintain relationships with strategic retail, institutional and bulk customers.
- Negotiate annual or seasonal supply arrangements, commercial terms, service levels and payment conditions within approved limits.
- Coordinate customer onboarding, vendor registration, quality audits, documentation and commercial approvals.
- Monitor order fulfilment, fill rates, delivery adherence, quality acceptance and customer satisfaction.
- Conduct periodic business reviews with key accounts and identify opportunities for additional product lines and higher volumes.
- Manage customer escalations promptly and protect long-term account relationships.
- Evaluate the profitability and creditworthiness of each major customer before entering into significant supply commitments.

H. Wholesale Market and Trade Sales
- Build a strong network of commission agents, wholesalers, mandi traders and regional buyers.
- Maintain daily visibility of prevailing market prices, demand, payment practices and available buying capacity.
- Develop transparent processes for quotations, dispatches, weighment, invoices, commission settlements and payment reconciliation.
- Evaluate the net realisation from different wholesale markets before allocating produce.
- Monitor market-level deductions, quality claims, shortages, price disputes and settlement delays.
- Reduce dependence on intermediaries wherever direct, commercially viable customer relationships can improve realisation and collections.

I. Logistics, Dispatch and Order Fulfilment
- Coordinate with logistics, warehouse and packhouse teams to ensure timely order fulfilment.
- Plan dispatch quantities, vehicle utilisation, route selection and delivery schedules in line with customer requirements and product shelf life.
- Ensure accurate order picking, weighing, invoicing, documentation and proof of delivery.
- Monitor order fill rates, on-time delivery, transit losses, shortages and delivery-related claims.
- Evaluate freight and distribution costs to improve net realisation.
- Coordinate the resolution of delivery discrepancies and maintain clear accountability across sales and logistics.

J. Credit Control and Collections
- Establish customer credit limits, payment terms and collection plans in coordination with Finance.
- Monitor daily sales outstanding, overdue receivables and customer credit exposure.
- Ensure timely collections from institutional customers, distributors, wholesalers and other buyers.
- Review customer-wise outstanding balances and take appropriate action on overdue accounts.
- Escalate high-risk accounts and recommend credit holds where required by company policy.
- Ensure proper reconciliation of customer accounts, deductions, claims, commissions and credit notes.




- Balance volume growth with collection discipline, working capital requirements and bad-debt risk.

K. Sales Team Leadership
- Recruit, train and manage sales executives, key account managers, market sales personnel and channel development teams.
- Allocate customers, territories, products and sales targets with clear accountability.
- Establish daily sales reviews, market visits, customer meetings and periodic performance assessments.
- Develop sales incentives linked to volume, net realisation, contribution margins, new customer acquisition and collections.
- Build a responsive sales culture suited to the time-sensitive nature of fresh produce.
- Ensure proper customer records, market intelligence reporting and disciplined follow-up.

L. MIS, Reporting and Business Reviews Prepare and present daily, weekly and monthly sales reports covering:
- Product-wise and grade-wise sales volume.
- Sales revenue and average realisation per kilogram.
- Net realisation after relevant variable selling costs.
- Customer-wise and channel-wise sales and contribution.
- Daily market prices and price trends.
- Forecast versus actual sales and demand accuracy.
- Produce availability, unsold inventory and wastage.
- Order fulfilment, quality claims and customer rejections.
- Customer acquisition, repeat orders and account profitability.
- Collections, overdue receivables and credit exposure.

The Sales Head will also present periodic business reviews to the Managing Director, highlighting performance, market opportunities, risks and corrective action plans.
1. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Performance will be measured using a balanced set of commercial, operational and customer-related indicators. . Qualifications and Experience
- Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Commerce, Agriculture, Horticulture, Marketing or a related discipline. An MBA in Sales or Marketing will be an advantage.
- Approximately 8–15 years of relevant sales experience, including at least 3–5 years in a sales leadership role.
- Strong experience in fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh produce distribution, agri-business, organised retail supply, food distribution or allied perishable-product categories.
- Demonstrated track record of managing significant sales volumes and achieving revenue and profitability targets.
- Established relationships with relevant wholesale markets, institutional buyers, retail chains, distributors or food-service customers.
- Experience in daily market pricing, product grading, demand planning, logistics coordination and perishability management.
- Strong understanding of customer credit, collections, margins and working capital management.
- Proficiency in MS Excel and sales reporting systems; CRM or ERP experience is desirable.
- Willingness to travel frequently to farms, packhouses, wholesale markets and customer locations.

. Key Skills and Competencies
- Strong commercial judgement and negotiation skills.
- Excellent knowledge of fresh produce markets and customer buying behaviour.
- Ability to make quick, data-driven decisions in a fluctuating-price setting.
- Strong customer acquisition and relationship-management capabilities.
- Understanding of product quality, grading, shelf life and post-harvest losses.
- Ability to balance sales volume, price realisation, wastage and collections.
- Strong leadership and team-management skills.
- High levels of integrity, urgency, ownership and accountability.
- Effective coordination across sales, operations, quality, logistics and finance.
- Entrepreneurial mindset with a strong focus on profitable growth.

. Authority and Accountability The Head – Sales will be accountable for the sales performance and commercial outcomes of the fresh produce business, within the policies and approval limits established by management. The role will have responsibility for:
- Daily sales planning and customer allocation.
- Recommending product-wise and channel-wise pricing.
- Negotiating customer terms within approved commercial limits.
- Recommending customer credit limits in consultation with Finance.
- Managing the sales team, sales pipeline and channel relationships.
- Allocating available produce across customer channels based on approved commercial principles.
- Monitoring net realisation, claims, collections and unsold inventory.
- Escalating significant price deviations, exceptional discounts, major customer contracts, credit risks and material commercial losses to management.

📌 Head of Sales (Fresh Produce) (Pune)
🏢 JFPL Foods and Beverages
📍 Pune