Sales Reps Photo (1) Sales Reps Photo (1)

3 Beverage Sales Archetypes to Watch in 2025

The world of beverage sales is shifting. It’s not just about pushing product anymore—it’s about influencing, storytelling, and building long-term loyalty across fragmented channels. As beverage sales strategies evolve to meet new consumer expectations, the roles and personas driving growth are changing, too. 

At Protis Global, we’re seeing a new wave of sales talent rise to the top. These professionals aren’t just executing—they’re translating founder vision, forging retailer trust, and embedding themselves into local markets. 

Here are three beverage sales archetypes that every brand should understand—and how to hire them in 2025.

The Evangelist: Building Belief from the Ground Up

This sales archetype doesn’t wait for consumers to catch on. They create the buzz. 

Evangelists are passionate, founder-aligned operators who act like the brand is theirs. They thrive in emerging categories like functional beverages, low-dose THC drinks, and better-for-you sodas. Think of them as your on-the-ground educators—turning skeptical buyers into brand believers. 

Traits to look for: 

  • Experience launching underdog products in competitive regions 
  • Deep local market knowledge, especially in on- and off-premise accounts 
  • High tolerance for ambiguity and low-resource environments 

Hiring tip: Evangelists don’t always look polished on paper. Look for candidates who speak with conviction and clearly articulate why your brand matters.

Field Sales Photo

The Router: Master of Market Mechanics

As beverage sales trends in 2025 continue to blur traditional route-to-market strategies, the Router archetype is becoming invaluable. 

This is the candidate who understands DSD, hybrid, and distributor overlay models inside and out. They know how to navigate the increasingly complex infrastructure behind product placement, retailer compliance, and regional expansion. They’re not just selling—they’re optimizing the machinery behind every sale. 

Traits to look for: 

  • Background in working with multiple distribution models 
  • Strong track record with retail operations or supply chain integration 
  • Comfort working cross-functionally with operations and finance 

Hiring tip: Ask how they’ve handled complexity before. Routers shine when they’ve had to solve for misaligned incentives between sales and fulfillment.

The Analyst: Scaling with Precision

This archetype brings the spreadsheet and the swagger. 

Analysts are the connective tissue between strategy and field execution. They don’t just talk targets—they model them, test them, and adjust quickly. In a world where data and field realities often clash, these leaders bring alignment. They know which beverage sales roles need headcount and which need automation. 

Traits to look for: 

  • Proficiency with sales analytics tools (Power BI, Looker, Salesforce, etc.) 
  • A history of turning sales data into actionable go-to-market pivots 
  • Strong collaboration with marketing and trade teams 

Hiring tip: Test for their understanding of sales ROI—not just volume. Analysts are obsessed with efficiency and scale. 

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What This Means for Your Hiring Strategy 

These archetypes aren’t just job titles—they’re hiring frameworks. 

If your team is built entirely with legacy field reps, you may be under-optimized for today’s beverage sales strategies. If you’re only hiring analysts, you might lack the field-level intuition that drives real-time decision-making. 

In 2025, beverage brands are competing on more than flavor and brand identity. They’re competing on how well they activate across diverse regions, how quickly they adapt to feedback loops, and how clearly they can demonstrate velocity to retail partners. 

It starts with the right people. 

How to Use Archetypes to Rethink Your Org Chart 

It’s not just about placing these archetypes into existing org charts—it’s about redesigning the chart. 

Here’s how leading brands are adapting: 

  • Evangelists are being hired earlier and positioned as community builders—not just sales reps. 
  • Routers are being embedded in strategic markets to bridge sales and ops in real time. 
  • Analysts are being brought into director-level roles to shape national expansion plans with data-first strategies. 

By thinking in archetypes instead of just titles, you open the door to hires that fit your growth stage and regional goals—not just your HR framework. 

Final Thoughts 

Beverage sales is no longer a one-size-fits-all function. Whether you’re scaling a THC seltzer brand, a probiotic soda, or a hydration line targeting Gen Z, the talent you place in-market will determine your velocity and longevity. 

These three beverage sales archetypes aren’t just trends—they’re signals. 

Know them. Hire for them. Build around them. 

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“ Our experience with Protis Global has been very positive. They have strong multi-industry CPG experience and understand our business model and standards. They know the difference between an “A-player” and a “B-player” in several functions, and the honesty around that standard helps us move faster. Mike and team set up a great process, especially in early canvassing and vetting that helps our leaders engage at the right time and make decisions fast. ”

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Executive Vice President, Mark Anthony Brewing Inc.

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Chief Revenue Officer, Glass House Brands

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“Over the last 10+ years my experience with Michael Bitar and the Protis Global team has been exceptional across multiple industries. Michael and his team work to get to the true needs of my hiring plan and partner with us throughout the process. They understand our business, company culture, what success looks like, and then propose candidates that will produce results while also fitting into our team dynamic. Overall it’s a great team and experience and I would recommend to anyone looking to hire top-notch quality candidates reach out to Protis Global and Michael Bitar.”

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Chief Executive Officer, Bespoken Spirits

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SVP, People

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“I have been in the field of human resources for over thirty years, in executive level roles both in-house and in outsourced positions. Michael Bitar is my favorite talent acquisition professional with which I have ever worked. He cares deeply about building a relationship with his clients, learning their business, culture, challenges, and truly understanding the needs of a role requisition. His approach is mirrored by the rest of the Protis team, who are courteous, thorough, and who make you feel like you are their only client. Protis successfully delivered hires for our Chief Commercial Officer role and for three key challenging roles (in both Marketing and Sales). They are simply – the best!”

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Chief Sales Officer

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“Partnering with Protis Global has been a game-changer for poppi. They understood our vision and the unique challenges we faced as a rapidly growing brand. Their expertise in executive search helped us find the right leaders who not only fit our culture but also brought the skills and passion needed to drive accelerated growth. The Protis Global team actively took our feedback and adapted the search so that we could focus on what we do best – creating innovative, healthy beverages that our customers love. They’ve truly become an extension of our team, and we couldn’t imagine achieving our success without the team members they helped us to bring aboard.”

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President of Sales, Spindrift

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“Michael Bitar and the Protis team have been such a pleasure to work with over the years. Not only do they do amazing work with recruiting but we have also developed a partnership between our two companies. Michael and his team provide a crucial role in reviewing my hiring needs at the beginning of each year. Once the review is complete, Michael begins searching for quality candidates that fit the role and culture for Spindrift. He and his team do an outstanding job of finding the right candidates for the position in need. I highly recommend Michael and the Protis team for your hiring needs.”

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John Sacksteder

President, Mark Anthony Brewing Inc

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“From the start, the relationship with Protis Global was different than other recruiting firms.  The team had a deeper level of commitment and desire to learn about our business than I had experienced with other firms. Our company was experiencing a time of exponential growth and our staffing needs were complex. We needed very experienced people across every possible function in the Operation and Supply Chain Teams and we needed them in a hurry. The Protis Global Team mobilized quickly and established a methodology to identify strong candidates and work them through the interview process in a professional and timely manner. Their grit, determination, understanding our needs and culture, sense of urgency and drive to exceed our expectations set them apart from the pack.”

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Chief People Officer at IJW Whiskey

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VP of Supply Chain at Lallemand

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Everyone involved was extremely helpful - Gary, Michael, Ben - thank you!! The team didn't only search for candidates based on the job description, but also the qualities that I look for in candidates. 

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VP of Product Technology & Innovation

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The interview process was smooth and extremely professional. Ben and team represented me as much as they represented the company. 

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CEO, Arla Foods USA

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“We’ve been a Protis Global client for eight years, and during this time have always appreciated the thoroughness of the recruitment process, as the candidates brought to us have been well-vetted, not only from a competency perspective, but more importantly from a [cultural] fit dynamic. Mike and the team have always been highly engaged to ensure they bring us candidates that match our culture. That’s been critical to the success of the candidates that have landed here by way of our relationship with Protis.”

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