Trading Manager

ABOUT THE COMPANY:

OKO Wholefoods is the flagship brand of Adobha Agro Pvt Ltd, an ISO-certified, FSSAI-registered manufacturer based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu — the heart of India's coconut country. We make a complete range of 16 certified organic and natural coconut products, including cold-pressed coconut oils, coconut milk, cream, milk powder, desiccated coconut, coconut sugar, and coconut flour — crafted for health-conscious consumers in India and globally.

Our products are available across 1,000+ premium retail outlets in Bangalore, Chennai, Coimbatore, Hyderabad, and Vizag, and listed on quick-commerce platforms including Zepto, Blinkit, and Amazon. We hold Organic, Agmark, ISO, and Coconut Development Board certifications and are actively scaling pan-India and internationally.

OKO Wholefoods sits at a pivotal growth stage — and we're looking for a seasoned Trading Manager to help us own that next chapter.

THE ROLE:

We are looking for a battle-tested Trading Manager who has been there and done that — ideally someone who has built, scaled, or transformed a trading operation in the cooking oil or edible oil industry. This is not an entry-level or middle-management role. We want someone who understands the full chain: procurement, pricing, distribution, key account management, margins, and market dynamics.

You will own the end-to-end trading function for OKO Wholefoods, working directly with the leadership team to drive revenue, expand distribution, and position the brand as a dominant player in the premium coconut oil and organic food category.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Own and drive the full trading P&L — volume, revenue, and margin targets across all channels (modern trade, general trade, HoReCa, e-commerce, export).
• Develop and execute a robust distribution strategy to expand OKO's footprint pan-India, particularly in North, West, and East India where we are actively seeking partners.
• Identify, onboard, and manage a network of distributors, super-stockists, and channel partners with strong accountability frameworks.
• Lead key account relationships with modern trade chains, quick-commerce platforms (Zepto, Blinkit, Amazon), and institutional buyers.
• Work closely with procurement and manufacturing teams on demand forecasting, pricing strategy, and inventory optimization.
• Monitor market trends, competitor activity, and consumer behaviour in the cooking oil and organic food space to identify new opportunities.
• Drive export trading — manage international distributor relationships across the Middle East, Southeast Asia, UK, and North America.
• Collaborate with marketing to align trade promotions, in-store activations, and digital campaigns with on-ground sales execution.
• Build, mentor, and lead the field sales and trade team as the business scales.
• Report trading performance, channel analytics, and expansion progress to senior leadership on a regular cadence.

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR:

• 8–15 years in trading / sales / channel management in FMCG
• Prior experience in the cooking oil, edible oil, or food oils industry (strongly preferred)
• Proven track record of building or scaling distribution networks
• Handled both general trade and modern trade channels
• P&L ownership and commercial negotiations experience
• Experience with organic, health food, or premium FMCG brands
• Exposure to quick-commerce platforms (Zepto, Blinkit, Swiggy Instamart)
• International / export trading experience
• Existing relationships with major retail chains in India
• Tamil Nadu or South India market knowledge

SKILLS & ATTRIBUTES:

• Strong commercial acumen — understands pricing, margins, and trade economics deeply.
• Entrepreneurial mindset — comfortable building systems and processes in a fast-growing, lean organization.
• Excellent negotiation and relationship-building skills with distributors, retailers, and institutional buyers.
• Data-driven — able to use sales data and market intelligence to make decisions and course-correct quickly.
• Leadership — able to inspire and hold accountable a field sales team.
• Strong communication in English; proficiency in Hindi and Tamil is a plus.

WHAT WE OFFER:

Compensation: Competitive fixed salary commensurate with experience + performance-linked incentives tied to trading targets. Details discussed during onboarding.

Growth opportunity: Join at a pivotal moment in OKO's scale-up. Build the trading function from the ground up and grow into a senior leadership role as the company expands nationally and internationally.

Impact: Work directly with the founding team. Your decisions will shape the brand's market presence across India and global markets.

Work environment: Dynamic, fast-moving startup culture with strong values around quality, integrity, and sustainability. Chennai-based with travel across India.

LOCATION & WORK TYPE:

Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India · On-site (with pan-India travel expected) · Full-time