Breaking Down Salary Trends in Food and Non-Alc Bev: Insights for Founders

In my years of investing in, managing, and providing accounting and financial services for businesses, I've found a truth that resonates in financial, management, and human resource arenas: The right compensation structures are critical to long-term success.

Competitive compensation structures increase employee loyalty and morale, which can enhance productivity, reduce attrition, and decrease hiring and training costs. As an owner or decision-maker in a CPG company, understanding non-alcoholic beverage salary trends can help you create winning compensation strategies.

In searching for food and beverage salary insights to use for strategy purposes, I discovered the Force Brands Salary Report. This can be a valuable resource for understanding compensation trends in the field. At Balanced Business Group, we use benchmarks and research like this to inform our work as we help craft competitive pay structures. 

Using the Salary Multiplier to Adjust for Company Revenue

It's obviously important to consider the size of your business, among other factors, when structuring compensation. I like the Force Brands approach, which includes a salary multiplier that helps CPG businesses of various sizes align salary trends with more practical structures.

Force Brands provides a detailed breakdown of salary ranges for a variety of non-alcoholic food and beverage positions, but it does so within the context of businesses that drive $21-$50 million in revenue annually. By using the salary multiplier, businesses of other sizes can arrive at a more appropriate compensation range.

Company  Revenue

Salary Multiplier

$0-$10m

0.96

$11-$20m

0.98

$21-50m

1.00

$51-$100m

1.08

$101-$500m

1.10

$500m+

1.13

For example, Force Brands provides a salary range for Communications Marketing Managers of $94,000-$147,000. Here's what that might look like adjusted by the salary multiplier for different-sized businesses:

Company  Revenue

Communications Marketing Manager Range

$0-$10m

$90,240-$141,120

$11-$20m

$92,120-$144,060

$21-50m

$94,000-$147,000

$51-$100m

$101,520-$158,760

$101-$500m

$103,400-$161,700

$500m+

$106,220-$166,110

Force Brands notes that it based its data on publicly available information primarily for major employment markets in the United States, such as New York and Los Angeles. Note that compensation trends vary by region, state, and city. 

Trends in Compensation for Non-C-Level Employees

More than 62% of professionals in the non-alcoholic food and beverage industry reported a pay increase in the past year, and 78% of those were related to annual increases rather than switching companies or positions. In looking toward 2025, around half of all employees say they're hoping for a bump in pay of 3%-5%.

While many CPG employees did receive bonuses of some type, most prefer their base pay to reflect a competitive salary. Some examples of average salary ranges from the Force Brands research are included in the table below.

Title & Experience

Average Salary Range

Brand manager (5-7 years of experience)

$99,500-$140,500

Digital content writer (5-7 years of experience)

$94,000-$117,000

Inventory manager (5-7 years of experience)

$142,000-$165,500

Supply chain manager (5-7 years of experience)

$119,000-$151,500

Digital Shopping Manager

$117,000-$153,000

Including employee compensation in CPG as an operations consideration is important, as fair compensation directly impacts loyalty. In fact, loyalty goes up when individuals are given raises:

• Only 62% of employees say they are loyal when they don't receive a raise.

• That goes up to 71% with raises between 3% and 5%.

• When raises are 11% or more, 88% of employees say they are loyal.

Strategies to Stay Competitive in Compensation

Reviewing salary trends and incorporating them into your strategies should be critical finance processes for your business. Here are some tips for staying competitive when it comes to CPG compensation.

Consider Pay in Your Area

Insights like those that come from Force Brands can be helpful in directing overall thoughts on compensation, but it's essential to consider data specific to your company. For example, if you want to hire customer service reps for your local CPG brand, you might not be able to compete with the wages paid in large cities. Take some time to research pay for similar positions in your area, and factor in data, such as local or regional cost of living, to inform your compensation strategies. 

Structure Sales Compensation Correctly

Balance business goals and compensation where appropriate. Consider team goals and practical sales bonus methods to enhance salary opportunities while encouraging performance and company success. BBG can help you structure sales compensation to reward strong employees while driving CPG growth.

Consider Non-Monetary Compensation

Companies in the CPG food and beverage industry often have a mission or vision, and owners should use this in the recruiting process just like they do in selling to customers or raising capital from investors. Employees with values that align with your company mission may find it rewarding to work for you even if you can't offer top-of-market competition.

Don't get me wrong: employees always want to be—and should be—paid fairly. Workers will almost always accept more cash, but fair payment can include non-monetary things like working on a mission they think is important. Ultimately, what I'm saying is that CPG brands should consider everything they bring to the table as an employer, and if all you're bringing is cash, you may need to rethink your strategy. 

Craft a Strong Compensation Strategy With BBG

Keeping up with non-alcoholic beverage salary trends, such as those published by Force Brands, can help you build effective compensation strategies. However, I know from experience that when you're in the trenches of managing your CPG company, it's difficult to keep up with these types of trends. That's why we do it for you.

We keep up with industry trends and best practices in CPG to remain a trusted advisor for food and beverage companies of all sizes. Contact Better Business Group for personalized support in creating effective compensation strategies. 

Author: Pedro Noyola

Pedro Noyola is the CEO of Balanced Business Group (BBG), a company dedicated to helping Founders in the CPG food and beverage industry gain financial confidence. At BBG, Pedro combines traditional accounting with tailored financial guidance, providing industry-specific insights to ensure sustainable growth for passionate food entrepreneurs. He is also an angel investor and a mentor to emerging CPG brands via SKU and TIG Collective. Pedro’s career spans leadership roles at FluentStream, where he helped the company achieve recognition as one of the Fastest Growing Companies in America by Inc., and Telogis, where he was part of a team that grew the company’s recurring revenue from $50 million to $1.2 billion in under five years.

Pedro holds a BA and MPA from The University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He is an active member of the Young Presidents Organization, continually seeking growth in both leadership and learning. Outside of work, Pedro enjoys family time and outdoor activities, drawing personal fulfillment from his roles as a husband and father.