GMA honors PepsiCo, E. & J. Gallo Winery for innovation

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) and its Associate Member Council (AMC) have awarded E. & J. Gallo Winery and PepsiCo Inc. with the 2012 CPG Awards for Innovation and Creativity. The award is given annually to companies that have demonstrated creativity, innovation, and have made a significant impact on the industry knowledge base.



“GMA is proud to recognize and celebrate the creative thinking and innovation that powers the great companies and leaders in our industry,” said GMA president and CEO Pamela Bailey. “It is ingenuity such as that demonstrated by E. & J. Gallo and PepsiCo that allows our industry to grow, thrive and most importantly, satisfy its consumers.”



E. & J. Gallo Winery took the Division A (for companies with total sales of less than $3 billion) award for creating the most comprehensive in-store wine education platform to date, the “Climb the Vine” program. This non-branded education and merchandising program was designed to demystify wine and make it approachable to the average American shopper.



PepsiCo received the coveted honor in Division B (for companies with total sales of $3 billion or more) for its most ambitious sustainability project to date – transforming a 25-year-old Frito-Lay facility in the middle of an Arizona desert into a near-net zero manufacturing plant.



The official award presentations were made today by Greg Smith, Global Lead Partner, KPMG LLP, and chair of the GMA Associate Member Council, during the Leadership Luncheon at the GMA Executive Conference in Colorado Springs, Colorado.