Sanitarium, the brand behind iconic Australian favourites like WeetBix, has been named Woolworths' Supplier of the Year.
Sanitarium Health Food Company is a wholly Australian-owned business, producing its products locally with an emphasis on helping Australians eat healthier.
Woolworths Director of Buying Paul Harker said: "Sanitarium shares our ambition to support the wellbeing of the communities we serve, continuing to develop new healthier options across the grocery aisles.
"Sanitarium's dedication to customers also drove their rapid response in the early stages of the pandemic. Their teams quickly consolidated production and pack sizes to keep up with demand and ensure their products made it to our shelves as quickly as possible."
Woolworths' annual Supplier of the Year Awards were held in Sydney yesterday and recognise excellence across the thousands of suppliers the supermarket partners with to deliver high quality food and everyday needs to its customers.
Rivalea Australia was recognised as Woolworths' Sustainability Supplier of the Year for its high animal welfare standards and impressive carbon reduction innovations. Rivalea has partnered with Woolworths over the last 30 years, providing high quality pork from its farms across New South Wales and Victoria. Rivalea's methane capture program is an example of best practice on-farm emissions reduction, delivering an environmental benefit equivalent to taking 9,000 cars off the road each year. The methane collected is converted to electricity which powers most of its largest farm and processing plant.
Paul Harker added: "As Woolworths works to create a better tomorrow through its own wide-ranging sustainability initiatives, the efforts of suppliers like Rivalea can make a meaningful difference to communities, animals and the environment throughout the broader supply chain."
Hanes was awarded New Product of the Year for its Bonds Bloody Comfy Undies, a new line of period underwear that has helped meet the growing demand in the developing category. The Bonds team worked closely with Woolworths in the initial stages of product development. Launched in July, Bloody Comfy Undies has seen a strong response from customers and has helped reduce stigma around period products.
The Woolworths Supplier of the Year Awards recognised suppliers to the supermarket across a range of categories:
- Overall Supplier of the Year: Sanitarium
- Sustainability Supplier of the Year: Rivalea Australia
- New Product Launch of the Year: Bonds Bloody Comfy Undies - Hanes
- Supply Partner of the Year: Henkel
- FoodCo Supplier of the Year: Ontex Manufacturing
- Protein Supplier of the Year: Princess Pastoral Co
- Fruit & Veg Supplier of the Year: Gibb Brothers
- Chilled, Bakery & Deli Supplier of the Year: D'Orsogna (Deli)
- Longlife Grocery Supplier of the Year (Large): Sanitarium
- Longlife Grocery Supplier of the Year (Small - Medium): Freudenberg
- Account Manager of the Year: Julia Clarke - Chobani
- ISP of the Year: Cameron dela Cruz - ABC
Paul Harker concluded: "This has been an unprecedented year for the communities we serve across Australia. The strong collaborative partnerships we have with our suppliers allowed us to work together quickly and effectively during the pandemic to ensure our customers could access the everyday essentials they needed.
"Thank you, to our thousands of suppliers who have stood shoulder to shoulder with us in putting customers first, rapidly increasing production, pivoting to the projects that mattered most and thinking creatively to solve complex logistical challenges."
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