General Manager, Hugo Tea

We are seeking a General Manager of Hugo Tea to lead the next chapter and thoughtfully scale a beloved artisan tea brand. This Kansas City–based role holds end-to-end responsibility for strategy, operations, and culture, with full P&L accountability. The ideal candidate is a VP-level leader with an entrepreneurial mindset and strong operational discipline, motivated by values-driven growth and excited to shape the future of an already thriving brand.

Salary - $90,000 - 100,000 plus bonus potential

The General Manager leads Hugo Tea with full P&L accountability and end-to-end oversight across product development, branding, marketing, sales, production, and distribution. This role is both strategic and entrepreneurial— balancing disciplined business management with the creative and operational vision to grow a specialty tea business that complements FairWave’s coffee portfolio. This role serves as both general manager and category strategist, responsible for driving profitable growth, ensuring compliance with all food safety and certification standards, and developing new opportunities for innovation within the specialty tea category. This includes leading Hugo Tea’s national wholesale business, managing capital projects for new product lines, and supporting integration with FairWave systems and processes while preserving the brand’s unique identity and craft-driven ethos.

Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & P&L Ownership

•  Lead Hugo Tea as a fully accountable division head, responsible for strategy, growth, and profitability.
•  Develop annual and multi-year strategic plans that expand market share and brand equity in both wholesale, CPG, and consumer channels
•  Partner with FairWave leadership to align tea strategy within the broader collective while maintaining the brand’s independence and authenticity.
• Deliver performance updates in the monthly operating review meeting with senior leadership.

Operational Management

• Oversee daily operations across compliance, inventory, production, fulfillment, quality and sales.
•  Manage division budgets, capital investments, and operational plans to achieve aggressive growth and EBITDA targets.
• Identify and implement cost-optimization initiatives across operations to improve efficiency and margin

Regulatory & Quality Oversight

•  Serve as the primary owner for FDA, FSMA, and Organic Certification compliance.
• Lead annual audits and inspections, ensuring full documentation and adherence to FairWave’s food safety and quality standards.

Brand & Market Growth

• Strengthen the Hugo Tea brand position in the U.S. specialty beverage industry.
• Expand national distribution through both wholesale and consumer channels.
• Identify new product and format innovations that extend the brand into emerging tea and wellness categories.
• Lead wholesale sales efforts by managing seller(s), guiding pipeline development, and ensuring achievement of sales targets

Qualifications

Education & Experience

• MBA preferred but not required.
• 5 years of experience leading food or beverage businesses with full P&L accountability, ideally in specialty tea or coffee, CPG, or natural foods.

Functional Expertise

• Deep knowledge of international sourcing, quality control, and product development in regulated food environments.
• Experience operating across product management, brand marketing, operations, and finance.
• Proven success leading capital-intensive projects and scaling growth-stage brands.

Leadership & Collaboration

• Strong leadership presence with the ability to influence across a matrixed, multi-brand organization.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills across all organizational levels.

Compliance & Technical Aptitude

• Expert in FDA, FSMA, and Organic Certification processes.
• Comfortable navigating food manufacturing systems, traceability documentation, and safety protocols.