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ABA Beverages Supports Doha International Basketball Championships


On September 25 – 30, 2023, ABA Beverages was privileged to be part of the sponsors for the Doha International Basketball Championships held at Al Gharafa Arena, Doha. The event, which was organized by Doha Active Sports, attracted 8 teams from across 7 countries: Al Zamalek from Egypt; Sagesse Sports Club Beirut from Lebanon; Meralco Bolts from Philippines; Fath Union Sports from Morocco; Diljah University Sports Club from Iraq; Beirut Club from Lebanon; Al Arabi SC from Kuwait; and Al Ahly from Libya.

As expected, the week-long league delivered moments of full excitement and entertainment to the 25,000 enthusiasts who attended various games and the thousands of fans from the competing countries, streaming the matches online or on TV.

The championships consisted of 19 games including elimination playoffs culminating to the finals which was played on October 1, 2023 between Beirut Club and Sagesse Sports Club Beirut both from Lebanon. In the captivating tussle, Beirut Club scored 90 points against its competitor and was crowned the 2023 Doha International Basketball Champion.

Expressing his gratitude, the General Manager of ABA Beverages, Mr. Marc Karam, expressed the company’s commitment to promoting sports initiatives and grow talent across all ages and gender. “We are delighted to be part of the team supporting the basketball championships and to be part of the community in Qatar that promotes the efforts of International Basketball Federation. Across the years, ABA Beverages has been supporting different sports initiatives within Qatar to increase our prominence and involvement in the games. By investing in sports, I believe our vibrant company promotes the quality of sports produced in the country and creates a positive image among fans, attendees, customers and the media,” said Mr. Karam.

The Doha International Basketball Championships is part of the holistic efforts of Qatar in promoting sports and culture in the country. It is also a build-up to the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup to be held in Qatar. This will be the 20th tournament of the FIBA Basketball World Cup for men’s national basketball teams.

ABA Beverages takes keen interest in giving back to the community by taking an active and positive social role in the activities around the people.

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ABA Beverages recognized for its outstanding quality and food safety achievement


ABA Beverages, the leading player in the bottling industry in the State of Qatar, announced on August 29, 2023 that it had been honored with the prestigious Gold – Quality Excellence Award from PepsiCo International for the 2022 Annual Quality Excellence Awards. The award was in recognition of ABA Beverages’ achievement in scoring at the highest levels on the international Quality and Food Safety scale.

Receiving the Gold – Quality Excellence Award, the General Manager of ABA Beverages, Mr. Marc Karam, together with other members of the management team, explained that this achievement was the result of a sustained and passionate commitment to ambitious quality and food safety targets the team set themselves over the last few years.

“ABA Beverages has recently been achieving Silver Rating Award, almost every year. This is a significant achievement for a 43-year-old plant. We earned the Gold Standard Award after 18 years waiting, since ABA Beverages won it last. I have no doubt that this winning team is able to sustain the Blue Rating in Quality and Food Safety in the coming year as well, and by doing so, earning the Gold Standard Award again,” noted Mr. Karam.

Every year, PepsiCo International gives special recognition to bottling companies worldwide that have impeccable ratings on Quality and Food Safety Standards. In this process, Pepsi picks up market samples, every month, through a third party certified operator. These samples are tested at Pepsi labs in Ireland and China. Based on the test results versus standard requirements, Pepsi then categorizes the results with color codes; the highest being Blue, followed by Green, Orange and Red. Blue has the highest rating parameter of 100%, which ABA Beverages attained in 2022.

Apart from this, the bottling companies undergo impromptu Quality and Food Safety Audit, conducted by AIB International, a third party Audit Company appointed by PepsiCo International. Out of a maximum score of 1,000 points, ABA Beverages scored 925 points in the same year to win the Gold – Quality Excellence Award.

The Gold – Quality Excellence Award is only awarded to companies that have excelled in both the AIB Audit and achieved the BLUE code in the monthly sampling. Other ratings include the Silver and Bronze awards. For perspective, out of a total of more than 260 bottling sites in Africa, Middle East and Asia, only 20 were awarded the Gold distinction for year 2022.

ABA Beverages will continue to strive for excellence and ensure the highest quality production in its state-of-the-art factory whilst sparing no effort to achieve the environmental sustainability goals and contributing to the circular economy in Qatar.