One of the sectors hardest hit by COVID was the foodservice industry, and we’re really proud of the way we have partnered with customers to navigate the complex environment we all found ourselves in.
This commitment to customer service has now been recognised by one of our largest foodservice customers Countywide – a co-op owned by more than 100 distributors servicing around 80,000 hospitality outlets across Australia.
After a two-year hiatus, Countrywide held its first face-to-face awards night to recognise its customer partnerships, and we’re thrilled that Anchor Food Professionals – our foodservice brand – was awarded the Overall Supplier of the Year and Best Supplier in the >$20m category for both 2020 and 2021.
Our Director of B2B, Jeff Dhu, says that this is great recognition for the team, particularly as the timeframe relates to the ‘COVID years’ when face-to-face connection was limited.
“When our industry was facing the hardest time in living memory, our team had to step into some pretty tough conversations and make every interaction count, and they never wavered in their commitment to providing the best service they could under some pretty incredible circumstances.
“This is the first time we have won Best Overall Supplier, so to win it amongst this backdrop is a tremendous achievement and I couldn’t be prouder.”
Although Jeff was quick to point out that it wasn’t just the Anchor Food Professionals team that played a role in Fonterra taking home these awards.
“Right across our business our people are pivotal in getting our dairy foods to customers – from our manufacturing sites, through to supply chain, customer service, and finance – and of course where it all starts, with our farmers’ milk.
“Accolades like this aren’t possible without each of us working together, especially through the tough times, and it’s really great to see our industry starting to come out the other side,” says Jeff.