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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.

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Ali Bin Ali Holding proudly sponsors U.S. Independence Day celebration in Doha

Further cementing its longstanding bond with the United States Embassy in Qatar, Ali Bin Ali (ABA) Holding once again came forward to sponsor the annual U.S. Independence Day celebration hosted by the U.S. mission in Doha. Making the partnership even more special, Ali Bin Ali Beverages (Pepsi) this year supported the event with its products.

Nearly 1000 people from various walks of life attended the annual U.S. Independence Day celebration on May 18, 2023, at the Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC). Apart from senior members of Ali Bin Ali Holding Management team, the guests included leaders representing the Qatari government, business and civil society sectors, as well as diplomatic missions in Doha.

As a prelude to the main event, Timmy T. Davis, Ambassador of the United States of America to the State of Qatar, hosted a special meet-and-greet session for the sponsors to appreciate their support in bringing the event together. Representing Ali Bin Ali Holding, Group Chief Financial Officer Mr. Iftekhar Ahmad and Chief Operating Officer – ICT Mr. Mohamad A. Ebrik were present at the event.

Ambassador Davis thanked Ali Bin Ali Holding for continuing to support the annual celebration, which this year has grown in size and style, with the generosity of sponsors.

The 2023 U.S. Independence Day celebration was a first of its kind. The theme of the event was the city of New Orleans which also happens to be Ambassador Davis’s hometown. The idea was to let the guests experience the city’s vibrant live-music scene and spicy, singular cuisine reflecting its history as a melting pot of French, African and American cultures.

The US embassy in Qatar transformed the Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC) into the vibrant streets of New Orleans, Louisiana and Pepsi vending machines were placed strategically throughout the venue space to make it an organic part of the street set-up.  Ambassador Davis sang and danced at the event, joining a number of performers on a huge parade float that entertained the crowd.

For Qatar’s first Mardi Gras, three musicians performed American music throughout the night – the Doha-based “AFCENT Band” of the US Air Force Central Command, and two bands visiting from the US: New Orleans go-go funk and brass band “Brass-A-Holics”, and Minneapolis, Minnesota bluegrass act “Barbaro”.

ABA Holding, one of the market leaders in distributing American products in Qatar, has always made it a priority to support the U.S. Embassy in its endeavors. The 2023 U.S. National Day celebration was the perfect occasion to celebrate this partnership, which has only strengthened over the years.

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ABA Beverages becomes the exclusive soft drink & water partner for Lusail Winter Wonderland

Ali Bin Ali Beverages, the sole manufacturer of Pepsi products in Qatar, has signed an agreement with Estithmar Holding to become the exclusive soft drink and water partner of Lusail Winter Wonderland. The newly realized partnership between the two entities will bridge the gap between supplier and buyer by providing direct access to Pepsi’s quality products, assuring reliability of supplied products, and ensuring a continuous supply of products.

Speaking during the signage, Mr. Marc Karam, the General Manager of Ali Bin Ali Beverages, shared ABA Beverages’ enthusiasm for the new arrangement between the two companies. “We are delighted to partner with Estithmar Holding for Lusail Winter Wonderland, the world-class creator of moments together and memories forever, who are bringing unique magical family experiences to Qatar. There is no better match for us than Lusail Winter Wonderland. We will, together, further contribute to the billion smiles a day PepsiCo puts on the faces of consumers worldwide with our wide range of snacks and beverages, as well as the amazing rides and activities found on Al Maha Island,” Mr. Karam stated.

Mr. Karam pointed that the new development was important in realizing Qatar’s Vision 2030 of promoting sustainability through environmentally responsible choices such as using recycled PET Aquafina water bottles, which ABA Beverages produces.

At the formalization of the contract, Mr. Henrik Christiansen, the Chief Executive Officer of Estithmar Holding, explained that the addition of Pepsi as one of the theme park sponsors further enhances the visitor experience in ensuring that a range of Pepsi products are available across the park for visitors to enjoy during their visit. “We are pleased to welcome Pepsi as our exclusive soft drink partner of Lusail Winter Wonderland. The unique attraction has become a must-visit spot and the place to be for families and communities in Qatar. Ultimately, our aim is to contribute to a lasting legacy in support of the national strategy for tourism in Qatar.”

Lusail Winter Wonderland is the latest entertainment hotspot located on Al Maha Island. The exceptional theme park by Estithmar Ventures, a subsidiary of Estithmar Holding, collaborates with international brands to bring unique experience to Qatar. The 100,000-square-metre state-of-the-art theme park features exciting branded amusement rides such as Ooredoo 5G Rollercoaster, a giant 53-meter Ferris Wheel named Ain QNB, the first outdoor Ice Rink in the region – Tazaloj Al Rayan, the Doha Bank View, the Qatar Airways Festive Forest in addition to the Snow Slope, Arctic Splash, Snow Rockets, Octo-Jet and more. Lusail Winter Wonderland offers an array of entertainment concepts and fun-filled activities that are age appropriate for various groups – children, teenagers, adults and families.

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Ali Bin Ali Beverages and PepsiCo launch 100% recycled Aquafina plastic bottles

In an exclusive event launch on 27th October 2022, PepsiCo and Ali Bin Ali Beverages, with the support of the Government of the State of Qatar, launched the new Aquafina 100% recycled plastic bottles for the first time in Qatar and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The launch, held at the Ali Bin Ali Beverages production plant in Doha, Qatar, was graced by the attendance of Eng. Youssef Al Emadi representing the Minister of Commerce and Industry, and Eng. Hussain Saad Al Kubaisi representing the Minister of Environment and Climate Change.

Special attendance was made by the Vice Chairman and Executive Vice President of Ali Bin Ali Holding, Mr. Nabeel Ali Bin Ali; CEO Africa, Middle East and South Asia at PepsiCo, Mr. Eugene Willemsen; and PepsiCo CEO for the Middle East, Mr. Aamer Sheikh. In addition, other key personnel from PepsiCo and Ali Bin Ali Beverages, as well as other stakeholders from across the region including the media, attended the event.

The launch of the Aquafina 100% recycled bottles came at a momentous time when PepsiCo. and Ali Bin Ali Holding were marking their 60th anniversary of partnership.

In an interview session with the media, Mr. Sheikh pointed that PepsiCo’s vision aims to make the world a place where packaging never becomes a waste. “To achieve its vision, last year, PepsiCo launched pep+ (PepsiCo Positive) a strategic end-to-end transformation that puts sustainability and human capital at the center of how the company creates value and growth by operating within planetary boundaries and inspiring positive change for planet and people,” he stated.

The launch is also an important milestone that sees the private sector contribute to Qatar’s Vision 2030 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals of a sustainable and greener planet. In his speech, the General Manager of Ali Bin Ali Beverages, Mr. Marc Karam, pointed that, “Anything we do to protect our environment is a move towards a more sustainable model, thereby contributing to the Qatar 2030 Vision which is all about sustainability, recyclability, living a better life in our footprint, whether its carbon footprint, plastic, and so forth. This is only a small step with big impact; there are so many other things that we can do more in terms of sustainability. But for us as a leading industry, it is important that we contribute to a more sustainable future in our own field. In fact, we reuse, recycle, and we reduce, that’s how we do it.”

At the end of the meeting, guests were invited to a plant tour where they saw the first run of the product, ahead of the in-market launch. The launch is also a key move in addressing one of the challenges affecting humanity today – environmental degradation. Through it, the brand embraces greener means of manufacturing its products thereby acting on climate change.

The new packaging will launch with the 330ml and 500ml Aquafina bottles.

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Ali Bin Ali Beverages wins two prestigious awards

Ali Bin Ali Holding is delighted to announce that ABA Beverages, the exclusive bottler of PepsiCo in Qatar, has bagged two awards at the 2021 Regional Conference in Dubai. The first, recognizing the top performer in the Total Liquid Refreshment Beverages Growth for the year 2021 and the secondly for the largest most successful water innovation.

The award ceremony hosted by PepsiCo Middle East North Africa (MENA), gathered bottlers from all over the region as well as PepsiCo Regional Leadership and senior executives.  ABA Beverages was congratulated as the 2021 top performer in the below 60 million cases markets category for having achieved the highest share growth in total Liquid Refreshment Beverages. The market share is measured by   Canadean – an independent, global research agency who publishes monthly market survey reports.

The second award recognized the largest, most successful water innovation. ABA Beverages was again selected as a winner for the success of Aquafina in Qatar in 2021, once again confirming the company’s strategic commitment and investment capabilities.

Commenting on the awards, ABA Beverages General Manager, Mr. Marc Karam reiterated that he was delighted to receive the 2 accolades on behalf of the company. Mr. Karam said, “These awards reflect the strong commitment of Ali Bin Ali Holding who have invested ahead of the curve and continued to promote the growth of PepsiCo brands in Qatar. As an organization, ABA has stewarded Pepsi’s brands and range of products with utmost pride and continues to invest in growing the business against all sorts of challenges.”

ABA Beverages General Manager also went on to say “I commend the passion and the drive of ABA Beverages associates. This determined team managed to install and commission a full state of the art line during the pandemic and worked through the lockdown in 2020, gaining 32% Canadean share of market over the course of 18 months. That’s a huge achievement and we can  celebrate it”.

Congratulations to Team ABA Beverages!

 

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PepsiCo awards ABA Beverages for exceptional performance during Covid-19 pandemic

Ending the pandemic-hit year on a positive note, Ali Bin Ali Beverages won the prestigious PepsiCo Award. The award recognized employees and bottling partners for living their professional lives by PepsiCo values. The team leadership, management and frontliners were also recognized for their dedication and performance under Covid-19 duress.

In November 2020, at a special dinner gathering held at ABA Hospitality’s Em Sherif Restaurant, PepsiCo’s Senior Leadership awarded ABA Beverages team for their tremendous efforts since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Nothing was more fitting than to recognize the total engagement of ABA Beverages employees and supervisors who were locked in at the Street 2 Plant in the Industrial Area, and had the responsibility to run the two filling lines without being able to return to their homes and families for 10 long weeks.

Ahmad Suleiman, a recently hired young production supervisor, exhibited maturity and composure, making the right decisions on many critical occasions. Julito Calimpong De Asis and Thavaseelan Thangarajah both exhibited admirable motivation, focus and calm. Eracleo Malco Hinola’s wife gave birth to their son while ‘Leo’ was locked up at the plant and doing his duty.

A team of 50 people found themselves unable to leave the site, working diligently to ensure a continuous supply of beverages. As a result, at no point during the Covid-19 crisis did the consumers in Qatar find themselves unable to get their favorite beverages in their regular shopping place.

Even the installation and commissioning of a newly acquired, state-of-the-art filling line was halted by the lockdown. Initially, Madhu Sethumadhavan and his team worked remotely to guide the technicians on site, then eventually joined them to complete the installation and start production of Aquafina water without the planned help of the equipment supplier.

President & General Manager of PepsiCo Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan, Mr. Aamer Sheikh, said: “The ABA Beverages team’s clear focus to get things done has had a large part to play in our joint success at being able to steady the supply chain, stay the course on make, sell & deliver, and reinforce our commitment to our consumers by providing their favorite beverage at a place of their choice.

“While dealing with various operating restrictions, the team acted with integrity, kept employees and consumers safe, and made donations that have made a positive impact where it was needed. We are pleased to recognize the truly heroic efforts of the ABA Beverages team during these exceptional times. While we may not be fully out of the challenges yet, there is no better time than while it is still fresh in our minds to say a simple thank you to the ‘PepsiCo Heroes’.”

The Division also used the occasion to internally recognize and celebrate the dedication and commitment of many more heroes during the Covid-19 pandemic. Sabine Winner Neuhaus, Abdel Hamid Chariout, Ahmed Salmaan, Tarek Hassan Elashry, Hesham Mahmoud Reda, Jerry Moan Koshy, Anan Mahdi Masoud, Antesh Bakshi, Nabil Hassan Ekky, Ihab Moustafa Amin, Dileep Sadasivan Pillai and through them all their teams were awarded for their good work.

After taking on the challenges related to the blockade, the implementation of the excise tax on carbonated beverages and the Covid-19 pandemic, the ABA Beverages leadership and employees are ready for more. Hopefully, these challenges will be positive ones such as the 2022 World Cup as well as the line extensions planned for the next three years.

 Well done Team ABA Beverages, you made the whole Group proud!

 

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ABA Beverages holds special FORWARD workshop to initiate UAT 

Ali Bin Ali (ABA) Holding’s FORWARD application has already gone live in 12 different divisions and is stabilizing at an impressive pace. Now, Beverages – one of the most important business divisions of the Group – is gearing up for the rollout early next year, and the team is taking all possible steps to make it foolproof.

 

As the first step towards the implementation of the solution in ABA Beverages, the FORWARD team and consultation partner Intrasoft organized a one-day workshop on November 11, 2018. This will be followed by around three weeks of User Acceptance Testing (UAT) on the ABA Beverages premises. 

 

The workshop was led by the senior management of ABA Beverages along with support from the ABA PMO team and Intrasoft. The main purpose of this workshop was to explain the methodology and the approach to UAT itself. 

 

The occasion was also used for communicating some directives to the Beverages staff, from Executive Project Sponsor Mr. Mohamad A. Ebrik, General Manager Mr. Marc Karam and the PMO in general. The UAT will be an overall orientation explaining the whole ERP process before they Go Live in February 2019. 

 

Welcoming everyone to the FORWARD journey, Mr. Ebrik said: “You should be proud of being part of the team/ project that will, for the very first time in Ali Bin Ali Holding, transform the manufacturing process.”

 

Mr. Marc, who has been very enthusiastic about the project, said: “Embracing change is one of the critical components of success and the foundation of progress. The change and progress project FORWARD is bringing will fuel the success of ABA Beverages for years to come. It will also transform you as professionals. FORWARD will provide you with critical experience and contribute to your personal development. Don’t miss that opportunity to reinvent yourselves.”

 

During this testing phase, the ABA Beverages employees will be assigned different functions of the solution process. They will be covering the functions that are more vital to their business and also have not been implemented earlier in the previous ABA divisions that have gone live.

 

The ERP solution at ABA Beverages is a little different from the one used in other divisions of ABA. In Beverages, FORWARD will be focused on four processes – Supply Chain Planning, Manufacturing & Maintenance, Distribution and Finance.

 

In the first process of Supply Chain Planning for the division, proper planning will be carried out for providing the resources that are needed to produce the beverages products. For example, determining the number of bottles needed according to the demand in the market during a specific time-frame. 

The second process of Manufacturing and Maintenance involves the bottling of the beverages products as well as the maintenance of the overall fleet machinery. 

The Distribution process will help in planning and handling the delivery cycle of manufactured products. During the whole production phase, Finance comes into the picture with transactions to and fro during most of the other processes. 

 

Implementation of these four processes will make their lives easier as it is automating all major daily operations. Around 150 test cases will be tested by 35 users who are expected to generate 500-1,000 transactions across these four processes. An equivalent of 2,600+ man hours are expected to put in during this three weeks of UAT. 

 

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ABA Pepsi Division celebrates Ramadan 2017 with annual Iftar party

Carrying on with its tradition, the Ali Bin Ali Group Beverages Division gathered for the annual Iftar party on June 6, 2017.

More than 500 employees of the ABA Beverages Division attended the party, which was held at Regency Halls in Doha.

Present at the Iftar gathering was the General Manager of ABA Beverages, Mr. Marc Karam, as well as CEOs and General Managers from other divisions.

Mr. Karam awarded excellence and appreciation certificates and gifts to 33 employees for their outstanding performance in the company through their stint with Pepsi Cola.

He also applauded the efforts of every staff member and said, “I would like to thank all of you for your contribution to the success of the Division. ABA Beverages is like one family and the annual Iftar gathering is the perfect occasion for all of us to bond. Let’s work together and keep the Ali Bin Ali Group flag flying high.”

A lucky draw for all the attendees was enjoyed by everyone, adding a fun element to the evening.

Held in the spirit of the holy month of Ramadan, the 2017 Iftar gathering was one of the best the Division has hosted in many years – giving employees an opportunity to come together and bond.

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Team Pepsi wins 14th ABA Cricket Tournament

An exciting show of skills was on display on the pitch as Ali Bin Ali Group held the 14th ABA Cricket Tournament in Qatar recently. The event, through which ABA Group upheld its continued commitment to sports, was won by the ABA Beverages team – Pepsi.

Besides being one of the biggest conglomerate is Qatar, ABA Group provides every possible chance to its employees to grow and realize their potential.

This year, the ABA Cricket Tournament was held at the Careem Cricket Ground from April 13 to 15. A total of 16 teams participated in the keenly contested tournament and the matches were played with great enthusiasm and team spirit.

The ABA Beverages team – Pepsi – emerged victorious by defeating the defending champions, the combined team of International Agencies (IA) and Prime Consumer Products (PCP).

Mr. Mohammed Imran, General Manager for Dohatna, was the chief guest at the tournamnet. Speaking about the event, Mr. Imran said: “It is always a pleasure to watch such exciting tournaments. We are impressed with the kind of response this event generates and happy that our company encourages such sporting activities.”

The excitement generated by the cricket tournament was felt by the fans and spectators who attended the event. The teams ensured that the fun atmosphere was matched by some quality cricket on the field, much to the delight of the game’s followers in Qatar. 

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P.P. Viswanathan awarded the PepsiCo Chairman’s Circle of Champions Award for the year 2016

 

In a very proud moment for the Ali Bin Ali Group, P.P. Viswanathan, Quality Control manager at the ABA Beverages Division, has been honoured with the prestigious PepsiCo Chairman’s Circle of Champions Award for 2016.

The awards ceremony was held at the Westchester Marriott, New York, on September 29. It was arranged by the PepsiCo headquarters and Viswanathan along with his guest was present at the event.

The PepsiCo Chairman’s Circle of Champions Award selects 200 employees globally, out of 180,000-plus employees, based on consistent performance criteria for the past several years.

The recognition for ABA Beverages Division’s Viswanathan is a clear step from PepsiCo to motivate employees to come up to the global standards of performance.

Earlier, informing Viswanathan about the honour, PepsiCo Chairman and CEO Indra K Nooyi had said in a letter that the award is their way of recognising the performance he delivers each and every day. “You embody the kinds of qualities – excellence, determination and perseverance – that have made, and will always make, our company so successful,” she wrote.