Australia’s largest family-owned drinks business, Casella Family Brands, is the proud recipient of the 2024 Most Improved Supplier Award. It is the first time the company has received this accolade. The award was presented to Casella in the presence of around 400 attendees at the 2024 Australian Drinks Awards, hosted at the Hilton Sydney on Thursday night.
The Most Improved Supplier Award is determined by the largest change in rank from all suppliers as rated by retailers and wholesalers in the Engagement Program facilitated by the Drinks Association’s Corporate Partner, Advantage Australia.
Advantage Australia’s General Manager, David McLoughlin, said he was delighted to see the Most Improved Supplier of the Year awarded to Casella Family Brands.
“Casella Family Brands has driven a good all-round improvement across a number of areas, especially in collaborative planning in support of retailers strategies, driving growth through innovation, and lifting their supply chain engagement and results,” said McLoughlin.
He added: “It’s pleasing to see them being rewarded for this multi-discipline improvement.”
Mark Churi, General Manager of Domestic Sales at Casella Family Brands and Drinks Association’s Executive Board Director, accepted the award on the company’s behalf. He said: “We feel proud of this recognition from our customers. It’s our customers that give us our drive and our purpose, and it’s our people that make it happen. Thank you on behalf of John Casella and the rest of the organisation.”
The Most Improved Supplier Award was introduced to the Australian Drinks Awards in 2018 to celebrate suppliers who have successfully set and executed a plan of improvement and have been acknowledged by retailers for improving their professionalism and delivery across all areas of their commercial relationship.
The award has been sponsored by ALM every year since its inception.
Kylie Wallbridge, ALM's CEO, presented the award to Casella Family Brands on the night. She said: “ALM is proud to sponsor and present the 2024 Most Improved Supplier of the Year.”
“As a business, we are committed to strengthening our partnerships with the suppliers and the independents we support to uncover new avenues for growth and customer satisfaction. It's fantastic to showcase the finalists who have made remarkable progress in collaborating with retailers, reflecting our shared journey toward success."
“Congratulations to Casella Family Brands on this commendable achievement,” she said.
Following the event, Churi said: “This award is a testament to the hard work, dedication and contribution of team members across the business. I’d like to thank everyone who plays a role in our brands and products, as it is a collective achievement and one we can all be proud of.”
In April this year, Casella made headlines for switching on the largest solar facility in the Australian drinks industry.
The solar facility in Yenda, which produces Casella Family Brands-owned wines such as [yellow tail, Peter Lehmann and Morris of Rutherglen, consists of 8,740 panels and has the capacity to offset 7,800 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually, the equivalent of 1,900 Australian homes or the planting of 325,000 trees. In total, the solar farm will supplement about 35% of the electricity used at the company’s largest production site.
At the time, Founder and Managing Director of Casella Family Brands John Casella said: “As well as reducing our footprint, we are making a direct contribution to the Australian wine industry’s GHG emissions reduction goals via the products we make and supply, as we all strive to ensure a sustainable global wine sector.”
The company’s flagship brand [yellow tail] was named by the International Wine and Spirits Record (IWSR) as the ‘Most Loved Wine Brand’ for the seventh year in a row as part of the Global Wine Brand Power Index 2024. An incredible achievement given the data is representative of over 378 million wine drinkers across 18 countries.
Edwina Bartholomew was MC at the 12th annual Australian Drinks Awards, where 48 awards were distributed to recognise achievement and excellence in the drinks industry, including four Supplier awards: Supplier of the Year, Most Improved Supplier, Category Management and Supply Chain Management.
The Drinks Association congratulates its Category One Member Casella Family Brands on winning the 2024 Most Improved Supplier of the Year Award.
Advantage Australia is a Corporate Partner of the Drinks Association.
The Drinks Association would like to extend its thanks to its generous sponsors for this year’s event.
All the winners from the 2024 Australian Drinks Awards are available here:
