At a gala ceremony held at Melbourne’s Timber Yard on May 12, Endeavour Group revealed the winners of the company’s inaugural Supplier of the Year Awards, with over 500 suppliers in attendance.
Nominations for five categories opened to partner suppliers and Endeavour Group staff back in January, while Endeavour Group itself made nominations for a further six categories.
Endeavour Group’s Director of Buying and Merchandising, Tim Carroll, hailed the quality of the awardees.
“The calibre of winners across a broad spectrum of areas – including sustainability, product development and brand activation – reflects the innovative and creative spirit of the broader drinks industry.”
“After a two year break, it was fantastic to see our supply partners in person. We are already planning next year’s event and we can’t wait to do it all again,” Carroll added.
The event was hosted by former Home and Away star, Tim Campbell, while Carroll and Endeavour Group Managing Director and CEO, Steve Donohue, opened and closed the ceremony,
Guests at the Timber Yard enjoyed food and drinks supplied by Australian Leisure and Hospitality (ALH) Group venues from across Australia, while non-alcoholic drinks from Dan Murphy’s Zero% pop-up bar were also on offer.
Carroll believes that the awards were a fitting tribute to the product suppliers that keep Endeavour Group going.
“Our success as a business relies on the outstanding products that producers around the country create and supply us with, and our Supplier of the Year Awards is a great way for us to acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of our valued supply partners,” Carroll commented.
It was a particularly good night for Better Beer, Billson’s and Accolade Wines, which were all double-award winners.
Winners are as follows:
- Sustainability Award: Young Henrys for the microalgae project.
- Product Innovation of the Year: Suntory for -196 Double Lemon NPD.
- Collaboration Award: Brick Lane Brewing Co for its joint projects.
- Best Brand Activation of the Year: Mighty Craft with Better Beer, in collaboration with the Inspired Unemployed.
- Supply Chain Award: Accolade Wines.
- Trend Leader of the Year: Basic Brands & Co. for its ‘Boxtails’.
- Account Team of the Year: Carlton & United Breweries.
- Digital Partner of the Year: Diageo Australia.
- Local Product of the Year: Billson’s Vodka with Portello.
- Exclusive Product of the Year: Better Beer.
- Small Supplier of the Year: Billson’s.
- Large Supplier of the Year: Accolade Wines.
Speaking about the win, Andrew Clarke, MD Accolade Wines ANZ said: “Our number one imperative at Accolade is to be customer centric. We put the customer at the core of everything we do and, in a time, when a global pandemic has impacted the supply chain more than ever before, achieving this award means so much to us.
“It has been a huge effort across every function of our business, right through the entire supply chain. From our world class winemakers creating amazing wines, to leading in category and consumer insights, being at the forefront of innovation, bold in our brand support and shopper initiatives, and progressive with our digital activation.
“I am hugely proud of our team, and it is our promise to our customers that we will continue to create value in the way we partner and continue to deliver world-class products for consumers to enjoy.
“We are building something special here at Accolade and I am proud to see what else we can achieve with our outstanding teams.”