Beam Suntory honors Independent Stave Company as 2015 Supplier of the year
Beam Suntory honors Independent Stave Company as 2015 Supplier of the year
Deerfield, IL – July 14, 2016 – Beam Suntory has named Independent Stave Company its 2015 Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) Program Supplier of the Year. Beam Suntory’s SRM Program was established in 2013, with 15 of the company’s key suppliers, based on their contributions to innovation, quality, service, risk mitigation, and cost.
ISC crafts the oak barrels in which Beam Suntory ages Jim Beam® Bourbon, the world’s No. 1-selling bourbon, as well as other iconic and award-winning Beam Suntory bourbons such as Maker’s Mark®, Knob Creek®, Basil Hayden’s®, Baker’s®, and Booker’s®.
Independent Stave Company was singled out for recognition from thousands of Beam Suntory suppliers for delivering quality improvements annually, strong collaboration with Beam Suntory plants and product development, and increased resource allocation to ensure new products are delivered on time.
“ISC has been a tremendous long-term partner to Beam Suntory, aligning closely with our business needs, and demonstrating a commitment to continuous improvement,” said David Hunter, global chief supply chain officer. “They have invested assets and resources to maintain their competitiveness and to support our growth and innovation agenda.”
“High quality barrels are a critical element in crafting our great bourbons and we appreciate the skill and dedication that the ISC team brings to bear in support of our business,” Hunter added.
In addition to providing barrels to age Beam Suntory bourbons, ISC partners closely with Beam Suntory brands to create oak staves to spec that create surprising flavors in super-premium expressions of well-known bourbons, such as Maker’s 46®.
ISC was founded in 1912 as a stave manufacturing company in the Missouri Ozarks. The company began making barrels in the 1950s. Today ISC’s cooperages in Kentucky and Missouri craft a wide range of oak barrels and oak products to support the bourbon industry.
“We are truly honored to have been selected as Supplier of the Year by one of our oldest and most trusted partners,” said Brad Boswell, ISC President and fourth-generation cooper. “I would like to thank all ISC associates for making this possible. Your commitment to craftsmanship and innovation is the foundation on which our successful relationship with Beam Suntory has been built.”
The award was presented at Beam Suntory’s annual SRM Conference held on May 31st at Beam Suntory’s Urban Stillhouse in Louisville, KY.
“We’ve had an exciting decade navigating the bourbon renaissance in partnership with Beam Suntory, and we couldn’t be more excited about what the future holds,” Boswell said.