Name: Eluney Gonzalez
Age: 23
Job title: National account manager
Company & location: Better Nature, London
Education: Naturopathic Nutrition, CNM, London
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? As a child, my dream was to become an actress. Though looking back, I think I saw it more as a shortcut to fame than anything else!
Why did you decide to go with a career in food & drink? I’ve always embraced a free-flowing approach to life, and my career in food and drink evolved by chance. It all began when I saw an ad in Ombar Chocolate’s newsletter for a brand ambassador role. I decided to apply and before I knew it, I had used this role to make my first sale to a cinema chain and secure a new distributor. This evolved into a sales executive role and I found myself fully immersed in the world of food and drink.
Looking back, I’m grateful I stayed open-minded and took every opportunity.
“That initial conversation where you tell people about your products really is just the tip of the iceberg”
Explain your job to us in a sentence (or two): My role involves building and maintaining strong relationships with key retailers to ensure Better Nature has every opportunity to shine in the market and establish a strong presence. Additionally, I’m responsible for monitoring our performance and finding innovative ways to drive growth.
What does a typical day look like for you? Fortunately my days are quite varied, which I really enjoy. However, most days include reviewing our performance, preparing customer presentations, and attending meetings. And often I’ll need to get involved in some tempeh tasting, as we’re developing lots of new products at the moment, which is a fun perk.
Tell us how you went about applying for this job: I was approached by a brilliant recruiter who introduced me to one the most energetic and driven people I’ve ever met: our co-CEO, Chris.
After a half-hour Teams call, Chris invited me to the next stage of the process: to pitch to a buyer in a roleplay style. Then the final stage had a fun twist: I was asked to meet the team and bring along a supercharged lunch for them using tempeh.
I made tempeh sushi which went down very well. It was actually my first time making sushi, with tempeh or not, so perhaps a bit of a bold move from me, but it paid off!
What’s the best part about working for a food & drink company? The best part about working for a food and drink company is the opportunity to be part of something that has a real impact. I love seeing how our products can make a difference to people’s health by offering a gut-friendly, healthy alternative to other protein staples.
I also like that the industry is always evolving, and I’m grateful for the chance to network with so many passionate people – from founders to buyers – and learn from different perspectives.
And what’s the biggest misconception people have about working in food & drink? I think one of the biggest misconceptions is that selling is as simple as just telling someone about your product.
In reality, it’s much more about building strong relationships, understanding the market, strategically positioning the product to meet the needs of both retailers and consumers and ensuring you service the relationship with the retailers as well as possible. That initial conversation where you tell people about your products really is just the tip of the iceberg.
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What advice would you give to other young people looking to get into the food & drink industry? My advice would be to listen, stay curious and remain persistent. Persistence is what will help you push through the tough times. I also think building strong relationships and having passion make the journey much smoother – it’s a very competitive but thrilling industry to be a part of.
What’s your ultimate career dream? My ultimate career dream is to co-found my own mission-driven company. With a background in nutrition, I’ve always been passionate about the idea of launching a product that is not only delicious but also functional. I see food and drink as a powerful tool to support people’s health and wellbeing, and creating something that aligns with my values is key.
My priorities would be to ensure the company is sustainable – both environmentally and commercially – and that it offers me the opportunity to work from anywhere. Whether from a beach, a café in a new city, or travelling around, I want the flexibility to enjoy life while doing something I’m passionate about. For me, that’s the ultimate dream!
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