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Drinks industry jobs and career paths

The global drinks industry supports millions of jobs, from casual bartenders to award-winning winemakers. This is an extremely diverse and dynamic industry, and it’s perfect for anyone seeking a rewarding career in the beverage industry. Drinks industry careers fall into three broad categories: commercial roles, service roles and production roles. Follow the links below to learn more about the...

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Commercial Roles

These roles focus on buying, selling and marketing drinks. We have explained the key skills required for each role, along with the core responsibilities. You will also learn how to advance to more senior positions within each sector, from gaining valuable qualifications to taking on additional responsibilities.

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Service Roles

Service roles focus on selling wines, beers and spirits to the general public. That could be in the on-trade: bars, pubs, restaurants or hotels. Alternatively, you could land a service role in the off-trade, which encompasses independent retailers, large retail chains, supermarkets, cellar door operations and online retailers. We have delved into the most common roles below.

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Production roles

These roles focus on producing wines, beers, spirits and sake. It’s a dynamic sector of the industry, covering award-winning winemakers, master distillers, seasoned viticulturists and much more. We have discussed the key responsibilities of each role below. You will discover the main skills required to flourish in each sector, and we will also discuss career progression.

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Winemaker

A winemaker is responsible for turning harvested grapes into finished wines. That may sound pretty straightforward, but winemaking is a highly complex process that requires creativity, adaptability, hard work and scientific rigour. It’s a hands-on role, which is often far less glamorous than you may expect, but it can also be very rewarding.