For some beverage companies an A grade bodes well, excellent even. But for others, like Brown Bottling Group, an A is good, but never good enough. “Let’s create a new A,” says Kevin Carter, COO of Brown Bottling Group, a family-owned distributor of Pepsi-Cola and Dr Pepper products throughout central and south Mississippi.

The feeling is mutual for the company’s new partner, Wis-Pak, recognized as one of the most successful cooperative companies in the soft drink industry.

“We have a producer who is our partner; we are on the same page,” says Carter of the partnership that developed last year.

Last fall, Wis-Pak opened Pepsi South bottling facility in Hattiesburg, Miss., one of the five cities in Mississippi where Brown Bottling has operations. The company is headquartered in Ridgeland. The 236,000-square-foot plant produces 350,000 cases of Pepsi and Dr Pepper products a week. The plant has three production lines producing cans in a variety of sizes as well as take-home multi-packs in addition to 12-ounce to 2-liter PET bottles.

“We have a unique relationship with Wis-Pak. They are our supplier, we are their customer, and as a shareholder, we are also an owner. Our relationship with Wis-Pak must take into consideration all three perspectives, which in turn promotes alignment with them in our objectives,” says Carter.

Carter goes on to explain how this partnership will have a positive effect on Brown Bottling’s business: allowing the company to better manage its supply chain, to ensure product supply and gain greater efficiency, which overall results in a positive impact on the bottom line.

“Wis-Pak’s production processes utilize the most up-to-date technology in the industry. Because of its production efficiency and ability to fulfill our orders in a timely manner, we are able to reduce our number of days of inventory on hand and limit any out of stocks,” Carter says, which enables Brown to provide the freshest of products to its retail customers and consumers.

Along with freshness, Brown Bottling is providing value-package options. The company released 16-ounce 99-cent PET bottles of Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Diet Mountain Dew, Dr Pepper and Diet Dr Pepper throughout its territory in February. “Early results are encouraging,” Carter says. “We are seeing a significant improvement in single-serve category metrics. We are cautiously optimistic and will continue to monitor the situation very closely.” There is no doubt that Brown Bottling will find new ways to continue to raise the bar.

From Beverage World March 15, 2010

In a web-only sidebar to the UpClose article on Brown Bottling Group in Beverage World’s March 15 issue find out how the company continues to raise the bar for its employees through health and wellness programs.

Brown Bottling Takes Employees to New Limits

Employees of Brown Bottling Group are competing in one fierce contest, but it’s not the usual salesperson-type boasting rights kind of contest. It’s called the 2010 Slim Down, and it’s the bottler’s version of NBC’s inspiring reality show “The Biggest Loser.”

Trish Reid, benefit specialist for the Ridgeland, Miss.-based Brown Bottling Group has worked each year, since 2006 when she joined the team, to come up with a campaign or program to promote health and wellness among employees. The 2010 Slim Down competition began March 1. It’s a 90-day program with 30-day, 60-day and 90-day weigh-ins.

Similarly to the TV show, winners for each weigh-in will be determined by weight loss in relation to body fat percentages.  

“This is an important program because it gets everyone mentally prepared for changing the rest of their life,” Reid says. “That’s the message we are sending to everyone. This isn’t a 90-day program; this is a forever program.”

This program is intended to help some of Brown Bottling’s 400 employees lower their blood pressure and teach them about nutrition, two issues, says Reid, that are concerns throughout the company.

“In 2007, the company held a Health Risk Assessment for its employees, a type of health fair where we went around to all of our office locations and found that blood pressure and nutrition are our top two problems across the organization,” she says.

In the past, Reid has organized other programs such as “Know Your Numbers,” which gives employees the need-to-know basics of knowing their cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar. Reid also mails monthly health and wellness and employee benefit newsletters and organizes guest speakers to discuss health-related issues.

Throughout the 2010 Slim Down competition, a coach from Beachbody, which offers in-home fitness and weight-loss solutions, is donating time to work one-on-one with employees to help them achieve their personal goals via e-mail.

And what’s a little friendly competition without a reward? The winners of the 30- and 60-day weigh-ins will receive a monetary prize, says Reid, and the winner of the overall competition will receive a three-day vacation with an additional day off. That’s right, and bragging rights, too.