My food & drink job: Katie Edmunds, director of US sales, Trip

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Katie Edmunds, Trip

Name: Katie Edmunds

Age: 28

Job title: Director of US sales

Company & location: Trip, London

Education: Geography at University of Manchester

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? This changed a lot over the years – from a vet to a teacher and everything in between!

Why did you decide to go for a career in food & drink? It all started with a student ambassador scheme at Proper Snacks which led to a sales internship. During this time a member of the Proper team shared how he’d initially wanted to work in marketing but discovered the excitement, satisfaction and relationship-building that comes from a commercial role. That really stuck with me.

Explain your job to us in a sentence (or two): My role has been to lead the growth and expansion in the US and build out our community over there.

”As the four of us worked together around the kitchen table, my role naturally flexed to the business’s needs”

What does a typical day look like for you? My days aren’t very typical! I’m either working from our UK office, or I’m off somewhere in the US. A huge part of my role, and one of my favourite parts, is spending time in the US building our community and diving into the market as we grow.

From Austin, where we spent time with the Whole Foods team at their HQ, to Chicago, San Diego, Phoenix and more for trade shows, it is so incredible to travel and share Trip with our community across the pond. We have an incredible team out in the US too, with an offsite coming up in LA later this year, to strategise for 2026 and beyond…

Tell us how you went about applying for your job: When Daniel and Olivia initially started Trip, they brought my brother James on board, and soon after that they asked me to join in sales, right as the brand was very first launching. Olivia and Daniel were so passionate about their mission, and knew they needed to find people that were equally as passionate and committed to making their mission a reality. That started with family and quickly grew.

As the four of us worked together around the kitchen table, my role naturally flexed to the business’s needs, and I ended up wearing many hats, with my role naturally morphing into a more generalist role.

TRIP Mindful Blend Lifestyle

What’s the best part about working for a food & drink company? Creating products that have an impact on our community’s lives, Trip’s mission is to help people find calm in the everyday chaos. We achieve this through our authentically functional recipes that bring together incredible natural ingredients that help you feel good.

One of my favourite Slack channels to catch up on is our ‘Creating Better Days’ thread, where our community team shares messages and feedback from our customers about how they have integrated Trip into their routines, and how it has massively impacted the way they go about their everyday life.

And what’s the biggest misconception people have about working in food & drink? I think what most people don’t realise is that every day, month, and year working at a food & drink brand can vary significantly. Thinking back to six years ago, I was related to everyone who worked at Trip, and we were a brand-new concept with drinks only sold in a few stores and online.

At this point I was working across operations, finance, sales and marketing, getting stuck in to make things happen. Now looking into 2026, Trip will have more than 100 people on the team, achieving more than $200m in sales. My role has now developed so that I work solely on the US business, scaling that side of the brand to its potential. Within food & drink there is always change, and a huge scope of roles – even just within sales it changes monthly as a business grows and evolves.

What advice would you give to other young people looking to get into the food & drink industry? First of all, get involved – there are so many brilliant panels, events and networking sessions where you can listen to and meet experts with different backgrounds, and areas of knowledge. The community within this industry is open and welcoming, so get stuck in.

Secondly, figure out what you’re passionate about, and go for it. There are so many different brands with great products and missions. It is always going to be easier to succeed working for a company you can get behind!

What’s your ultimate career dream? I am so excited about what is coming next at Trip, every year has brought something new and it has been an incredible career journey. I can’t wait to make Trip a huge success in the US, and be part of taking the business from the kitchen table to $200m in sales next year – and beyond! Helping millions of people find their calm.