Meet Alison Sherberg, Our Sr. Regional Sales Manager

Meet Alison S. , our eggceptional Sr. Regional Sales Manager for the Foodservice West Division! ?? Alison has been traveling the West Coast supporting our foodservice operators since she joined our flock almost 3 years ago.

Get a peek into a typical workday for Alison over on our Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/C4_R9KiR959/

Let's jump in and learn more about Alison and how her passion for better-for-you food and the environment led her to a rewarding career at Vital Farms!

What's your role?

Sr. Regional Sales Manager, Foodservice West

Where are you based?

Denver, Colorado

How long have you been working at Vital Farms?

3 years in August ??

What made you want to work for Vital Farms?

I sell what I believe in/use myself as I am a very passionate foodie and I love products that are better for you and the environment. When I represented Vital Farms at their former broker, I learned something special about this brand – you do not sell it; you are sharing the story of our family farmers while educating your customers on what it truly means for our girls be pasture-raised. It’s an honor to be a part of a movement that shows you do not have to hurt the hens or peddle a poor quality product in order to take care of the nation’s egg supply.

What do you love most about your job?

I love that I get to travel and appreciate regional foods, especially when visiting new cities I have never been to. I also love the crew I get to work with every day at Vital Farms; this company found not only the best talent I’ve ever seen but also incredible individuals that care which makes it easy to face our daily challenges (and accomplish them). And, of course, the folks I meet and work closely with on a broker, distribution, and restaurant level really seals the deal as I truly feel I have friends across the country thanks to this job.

What does a typical day look like for you?

I always start checking my emails and catching up on anything I might have missed in the past 24 hours. I then go to the gym – either Orangetheory or Bodied – and treat myself to a cold brew on my way home. Some days are back-to-back virtual calls, which can be a mix of internal chats and meeting operators who might be in another state. Other days, I am traveling to other markets on the West Coast to meet with operators in person and work closely with my broker. If I am not traveling and the virtual calls are light, I’ll take advantage by checking in to restaurants who are using our products, along with visiting restaurants in the Denver area that I adore and dropping off sample bags of our eggs to see if they would be open to upgrading to pasture-raised.

What’s it like to work remotely in your role?

I love that I can work from virtually anywhere if there is Wi-Fi and I have my laptop. I thrive in autonomy because I am a self-starter and have a lot of personal goals I want to achieve with our brand within the foodservice space, and it’s great that I can create my own schedule and travel to markets on my own terms. I also have a senior doggo (she’s 20 years old!!), so it gives me the opportunity to focus on her when I am working from home and overall spend a lot of quality time with my family, whereas a 9-5 in an office does not give you any of that freedom.

What led you down your career path to Foodservice Sales?

I never thought I would be in sales; I always had this impression that it was a dishonest living and that the best sales tactics goals were trying to convince someone with white gloves that buying red paint was a sound idea. When I worked as a barista in a coffee shop, I quickly learned that while I was not the person to ask to upsell the customers, I could absolutely create an environment for our customers where they felt cared for and would become daily customers. Foodservice sales are very similar, and I found I can meld my passion for creating an even larger caring environment by meeting new operators, listening to their needs, and creating honest solutions for what they’re looking for. Being a restaurant owner, especially today, is incredibly hard – but restaurants are the true backbone of our society, sharing their stories through food and giving us a fun and unique experience when venturing out of our homes. It is a beautiful thing to work together with restaurant owners and find ways to help them by not only upgrading their eggs but helping on the marketing side to really make the experience special for their customers.

What is your biggest professional accomplishment?

This sounds incredibly sappy, but getting offered a regional sales role at Vital Farms and being entrusted to help pioneer the foodservice piece of our business has been the biggest accomplishment of my career. Prior to this I was working my way up to be considered for a manufacturer role, but this opportunity is better than I could have imagined.

Could you tell us about your involvement in the Foodservice Women’s Alliance?

The Foodservice Women’s Alliance is a beautiful grassroots organization run by the fearless Julie Swift. We envision an equity balanced Foodservice Industry where authentic, diverse, and talented women are empowered to drive their own career paths. Unfortunately, the Foodservice Industry has always been a challenging space for women to find a career and the resources to really be successful have been either incredibly limited or nonexistent. I joined the board because I believe more women are needed in Foodservice and MANY more should be in leadership roles. Too many times have I seen incredible women who are more than qualified not even get a chance to interview for roles and their passion fades because companies simply refused to listen/change their management behaviors. If I accomplish one thing by joining the board, I hope it’s several women breaking the ceiling with me as just one of their many cheerleaders on the sideline.

Is there anything you’re excited about in the world of Foodservice right now?

As a foodie, I’m excited for the emphasis on global flavors with chefs leaning into their mixed backgrounds and creating more fusion dishes. Food can be a culture’s identity, and I think it’s a beautiful thing we can embrace being raised with a layered background and showcase that through new menus like Filipino-British, Japanese-Italian, Korean-Columbian. Also, the focus on sustainability is to take care of the planet by sourcing alternative ingredients and looking into humane certified products.

What do you like to do outside of work?

I love to play music, adventure to new parks/trails with my pups, go to the gym, try new restaurants, check out local events, go to concerts, and road trip to mountain towns in Colorado.

What’s your favorite egg dish, or your favorite way to eat eggs?

My favorite egg dish is poached eggs on a potato and veggie skillet; my favorite ways to eat eggs are breakfast bagel sandwiches and breakfast burritos!

If you could be a hen or a cow, which would you be and why?

I would be a cow on a ranch between Denver and Boulder because they have so much land to graze on, they get to interact with a ton of people and other animals and see the beautiful Flatirons every day!

If you’re a restaurant that caught this spotlight and want to connect, please reach out to [email protected] ! Let’s improve the lives of people, animals, and the planet together, one egg dish at a time ??