Refreshment Services Pepsi

A network connecting millions of manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, and retailers across industry sectors and geographies, the food and beverage (F&B) supply chain is one of the largest marketplaces of the 21st century. Over the last few years, however, the historically robust chain has witnessed paradigm-shifting changes driven by increasing supply costs, unexpected outages, and burgeoning labor shortages.

Refreshment Services Pepsi, a privately-held independent bottler for Pepsi-Cola products, is successfully navigating these hurdles with its laser focus on streamlining the product supply of F&B firms. It is the leading distributor of Pepsi and other brands of beverages and snacks, with seven distribution centers spread across central and southern U.S.

During the pandemic, Refreshment Services Pepsi played a pivotal role in helping numerous businesses maintain the supply continuum, sending its drivers to pick up products and ensure timely deliveries on behalf of its clients. It also distributed various products through its distribution facilities in smaller towns and communities, dropping their minimum delivery order to better serve family businesses, independent restaurants, and small to medium-sized companies. Essentially, it assisted customers in maintaining desired inventory levels and offered expedited deliveries at low costs whenever they ran out of stock. Refreshment Services also emphasizes selecting relevant products to guarantee precisely built client loads. In contrast, when several of its partners and clients had trouble selling their remaining inventory due to the pandemic, Refreshment Services bought their goods and distributed them among its staff and local food banks.

“Being the finest customer supplier in each of our markets is what we sincerely strive to achieve. We genuinely desire to partner with our clients, comprehend their goals and needs, and be the first company they consider when they are looking for ways to grow their business,” says Mike Bartel, president of Refreshment Services Pepsi.

Refreshment Services distributes Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Pepsi Zero brands, Gatorade, Starbucks, Lipton Tea, and other popular PepsiCo products, and a range of cold juices like Tropicana and Naked Juice. It also offers brewed coffee and tea products, even providing the necessary equipment to help clients maintain the service continuum. More recently, it started distributing Lotus, a plant-based energy drink that many drive-through coffee shops are adding to their menus. Other products it delivers include Torani syrups, snacks, candies, and beverages like alkaline water, natural spring water, and vitamin water.

From a compliance standpoint, it adheres to all FDA regulations, always ensuring that products are stored at appropriate temperatures and closely monitored throughout their journey. It logs the temperature of the goods on bills as they are delivered and leverages specialized refrigeration equipment to transport and distribute chilled goods without exceeding their temperature specifications.

Concurrently, the fully-staffed repair and maintenance shops within each of Refreshment Service Pepsi’s facilities allow it to deliver on the promise of always servicing systems within four hours. In cases where the damage is permanent, clients receive new equipment, a rare occurrence considering its experienced technicians and reps can diagnose and repair problems 95 percent of the time. It also assigns a preventative maintenance worker to each facility who maintains the equipment to minimize breakdownrelated downtime and drive cost savings.

Refreshment Services Pepsi also has a print shop and a media compa (10th Street Media) that enables it to adapt radio or television arrangements on behalf of its customers. If customers want to develop and run digital online commercials, use geo-fencing to target local consumers, or any variety of media needs and plans 10th Street Media from Refreshment Services Pepsi is available to assist its customers with their needs.

Recently, a client expressed interest in its Lotus product and wanted to learn more from Refreshment Services Pepsi. In this instance, it invited the business owner and the management group to its facilities, worked with them to outline the energy drink’s benefits, and quickly built a practice area where they could mix and prepare their beverages using the Lotus product. Later, it made recommendations on how to set up their equipment to help them make customized drinks. When they went live with their version of the Lotus beverage, Refreshment Services dispatched one of its representatives to ensure everything was running smoothly at the client’s site. It also dedicated certain pointof- sale materials that the client could display in their stores to advertise their product in the local community.

Refreshment Services Pepsi’s focus on customer service sets them apart in the market and enables it to remain a prominent player in the F&B distribution industry. Moving forward, it aims to continue to be the best-inclass partner serving its clients with outstanding services by consistently adhering to the principle of “walking the talk.”