📝What is your name and what do you do at Arvid Nordquist?

My name is Mikael Öfverstedt, and I am a Key Account Manager for wholesalers and travel retail customers within the Out Of Home business area. Our customers serve end consumers in the hotel, restaurant, and café sectors, as well as in the airline, train, and shipping industries. My job is to optimize the sales of our product portfolio in these channels and create sustainable business relationships that benefit both us and our customers.

📝 What qualities are important in your profession?

As I mentioned earlier, sustainable business is important, and that requires strong business relationships. Building relationships is one of the most crucial tasks, and it involves good dialogue, solid agreements, and the ability to see things from both an outside-in and inside-out perspective. You need to understand the entire chain that our products are part of, so the business feels solid all the way to the end consumer—and that requires a genuine interest in the customer in my role. Business economics and a thirst for knowledge regarding the product portfolio are key factors that must also be mentioned!

📝 What are you most passionate about in your role?

Getting profitable deals in place and making them last over time. That's my overall goal in everything I do. Then there are parts of the everyday work that are particularly enjoyable, such as creating customer-tailored packaging solutions for our products, streamlining the flow of goods transactions, and, of course, building relationships. If our customers are doing well, it increases the chances that we will do well too, but it’s crucial to set the right KPIs so that the relationship is built on long-term sustainability, profitability, and quality.

📝 What is the best part of being a KAM at Arvid Nordquist?

Well, several things! One is that the product portfolio is so versatile, and there’s complexity in the categories, which is a delightful challenge. We sell products in four areas: Coffee & Tea, Wine & Beer, Food, and Non-Food (household products like laundry, cleaning, and similar). Within these areas, there are around 140 brands and well over 1300 products, so there’s always something new to learn and offer our customers. Equally important is the corporate culture, work environment, and the wealth of experience that exists within Arvid Nordquist. If you’re passionate about trade, you can hardly end up in a better place than a company that started from a grocery store in 1884 and has been in the business ever since. It’s motivating to work in an environment with such a rich tradition, experience, and professionalism. And, as the icing on the cake, I get to drink Sweden’s best and most sustainable coffee every day, straight from our own roastery!