HOUSTON, Oct. 15, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sysco Corporation (NYSE:SYY), North America's leading foodservice distribution company, recently honored its top suppliers as part of the 2014 Sysco Supplier Excellence Awards program. The awards, presented at an industry dinner in Houston, recognize Sysco suppliers' commitment, service and marketplace support by category and area of accomplishment.
Devi Seafood was named Supplier of the Year, Sysco's top supplier recognition, for the highest level of performance in areas such as sales growth, profitability, Sysco Brand sales and overall support of Sysco and its customers. This marks the first time in the program's 20-year history that a seafood supplier earned top honors. Devi Seafood's managing director, Potru Brahmanandam, accepted the award.
"Our supplier partnerships are critical to Sysco's ability to deliver on our commitments of superior quality, service, competitiveness and innovation to our customers," said Tom Bené, Sysco executive vice president and chief commercial officer. "These top suppliers are some of Sysco's strongest strategic partners, each of whom aligned with our vision to be our customers' most valued and trusted business partner."
The complete list of 2014 Top Supplier Awards (alphabetical order):
| Company: | Product Category: |
| Alpha Baking Company, Inc. | Bakery & Convenience |
| Devi Seafoods, Inc. | Seafood |
| Ecolab, Inc. | Foodservice Supplies/Chemicals |
| General Mills | Grocery & Commodities |
| Hormel | Pork |
| McCain | Frozen Fruits, Vegetables & Potatoes |
| Pacific Coast Producers | Canned |
| Saputo Dairy | Dairy |
| S&D Coffee and Tea | Beverage |
| Sunkist | Produce |
| Tyson Foods | Poultry |
| Tyson Fresh | Beef |
Additional suppliers were recognized in the areas of supply chain partnership, diversity and sustainability:
- General Mills received the Supply Chain Partner Award for its ongoing collaborative efforts to improve Sysco's end-to-end supply chain.
- Bigelow Tea, a family-owned and -operated premier packer of quality teas, won this year's Heritage Award for top-performing women- and minority-owned suppliers who exhibit excellence in areas such as innovative products, sales growth and promotional support.
- Red Gold, Inc., a supplier of premium-quality canned tomatoes and tomato-based products, won the Supplier Sustainability Award for emphasizing the importance of a responsible supply chain in enhancing Sysco's corporate social responsibility efforts.
Award recipients were chosen from more than 1,400 eligible suppliers worldwide and based on key business performance measures as prescribed by Sysco's U.S.-based distribution companies and the company's corporate Merchandising, Sourcing, Quality Assurance and Supply Chain departments.
About Sysco
Sysco is the global leader in selling, marketing and distributing food products to restaurants, healthcare and educational facilities, lodging establishments and other customers who prepare meals away from home. Its family of products also includes equipment and supplies for the foodservice and hospitality industries. The company operates 194 distribution facilities serving approximately 425,000 customers. For Fiscal Year 2014 that ended June 28, 2014, the company generated sales of more than $46 billion. For more information, visit www.sysco.com or connect with Sysco on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SyscoCorporation or Twitter at https://twitter.com/Sysco.