Danone has been awarded the top prize at Woolworths’ annual Supplier of the Year Awards.
The global food and beverage company took out the 2019 Overall Supplier of the Year Award as well as the Chilled, Bakery and Deli awards in Sydney on Tuesday night.
“In a competitive market Danone is driving above-market growth with its continued product innovation and deep understanding of the changing needs of our mutual customers,” Woolworths Supermarkets Managing Director Claire Peters said.
“We are impressed by Danone’s customer and category focused approach, which has seen them partner with us to launch exclusive products that are helping bring new customers into the category.”
Other winners
The Supplier of the Year Awards recognised suppliers to Woolworths in 14 categories.
The Sustainability Supplier of the Year Award went to BioPak in recognition of its design of Woolworths’ compostable bakery trays. The innovative trays have helped support the removal of 505 tonnes of plastic packaging from the in-store bakery over the past 12 months.
The trays are made with sugarcane fibre – a by-product of the sugar refining industry – that is certified home compostable and recyclable. In addition to supplying trays to Woolworths, BioPak also supplies sugarcane pulp trays to a number of Woolworths’ fresh fruit and vegetable suppliers.
The Longlife Supplier of the Year winner was Boundary Bend, producers of premium Australian extra virgin olive oil brands Cobram Estate and Red Island. Boundary Bend faced a number of challenges including crop damage and subsequent low yields to execute a plan that delivered exceptional growth and market share.
Other winners included Siggi’s Yoghurt and Darrell Lea for the Product of the Year Award, and P&G who was named Large Supply Partner of the Year. Frewstal were awarded Protein Supplier of the Year, and Mackays Banana Marketing Co were awarded Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Supplier of the Year.
Ms Peters concluded: “Strong collaborative partnerships are critical to our ability to meet the needs of our mutual customers.”