The St. Louis, Missouri, beverage concentrates plant celebrated two years of no lost-time injuries this week and our plant in Victorville, California, celebrated four years with no lost-time injuries this month. The team in Victorville celebrated with In-N-Out burgers and new t-shirts, pictured here. Congratulations!
Teams across North America continue to adapt to the new normal of safety protocols at work. Daniela, a health and safety coordinator in Tlajamulco, Mexico, recently shared how her team came up with a creative solution to keep their PPE clean and reduce the risk of physical transmission by labeling hooks to hang face masks and face shields during lunch and hydration breaks. In addition, each employee walks through a sanitizing shoe mat and uses hand sanitizer before entering the cafeteria to prevent the spread of germs. Acrylic screens have been placed between tables to reduce the risk of airborne contagion, while promoting safe social interaction, and alcohol spray is always nearby to disinfect surfaces.
The Williston, Vermont, team recently went above and beyond to keep employees safe and healthy by providing additional masks for all of their employees to use outside of work. Diane, a production lead cleaner, distributed the masks to the team along with their favorite beverages. Diane is a leading example of how to support her team during COVID-19 and continues to put her team first.
The Fresno, California, Direct Store Delivery team has seen a significant volume increase versus their original plan for the year – and has still complied with every new safety protocol. This small crew has stepped up to the plate to serve our customers while keeping safety as a top priority, including social distancing, wearing masks and increased hygiene practices.
Keurig Dr Pepper teams across North America continue to find creative ways to keep themselves and each other safe and healthy. The Direct Store Delivery team in San Leandro, California, gets ready for the day by doing stretching exercises before every shift starts (pictured above). The Columbus, Ohio, site safety team has been taking advantage of sunny skies and conducting meetings outside, six feet apart with face coverings.
While Keurig Dr Pepper is sending PPE to all of our facilities, some employees have stepped up and used their own resources to help keep their coworkers safe and healthy. Ron, an immediate consumption manager, used his 3D printer to make plastic face masks for district managers and vending managers in Outstate Missouri. Distribution supervisor Shad and his wife Angie volunteered to make 30 protective face masks for drivers that work out of the Cedar Rapids branch, while merchandising manager Nick made an additional 30 face masks for this facility.
As part of our efforts to keep our employees safe and healthy, we’re piloting temperature screening technology as a supplement to screenings by healthcare workers at 10 of our manufacturing locations. The thermal screening camera collects the infrared energy emitted by objects, similar to night vision goggles. It’s safe (temperature readings are taken without close contact with the screeners), fast (temperature readings are taken as the employee walks toward the camera), private (images and data are not saved or recorded) and accurate (thermal imaging is accurate within +/- 0.3 Celsius).
With supply of hand sanitizers tight and our frontline teams in need to stay safe, our supply chain and R&D teams sprang into action and transformed an in-house capability into a way to self-manufacture hand sanitizer. At our R&D pilot plant in Irving, Texas, team member Doug set up a cross-functional team from supply chain, R&D, legal and packaging to determine how to manufacture hand sanitizer to be available to our teams in facilities and in the trade. In less than a week, they identified and procured the ingredients required to manufacture a WHO/FDA-based formula, established safety protocols and secured regulatory approvals to enable the handling of hazardous materials at the pilot plant; determined primary and secondary packaging and secured a donation of labels from a local packaging company. The result? The ability to ship 240 gallons of hand sanitizer per day to KDP locations, enabling our teams to continue to safely provide essential products for our customers and communities without interruption.
In partnership with WorkCare, Inc., a team of board-certified occupational physicians, Keurig Dr Pepper has built and implemented online health screenings for all our employees working in our facilities and out in the trade. These online health screenings, backed by medical professionals, provide assurance that employees are coming to work healthy and offer critical feedback necessary to help them stay safe. Our partnership with WorkCare is just one representation of our continued priority to keep employees safe and healthy.
Our Environmental Health and Safety team has been working hard to ensure our 100+ Keurig Dr Pepper Direct Store Delivery (DSD) sites have the necessary equipment and nursing staff to implement temperate check screenings to help keep our employees safe. Additionally, employees across our frontlines continue to develop creative ways to protect our team. For example, Sal, a fleet manager based out of our Los Angeles facility, built a barrier prototype to aid in protecting healthcare workers during temperature checks across all Keurig Dr Pepper California locations.
In Ukiah, California, account manager Steve, along with his wife Jennifer, recently took it upon themselves to make masks for the entire Ukiah DSD crew to wear in the trade, after KDP approved the voluntary use of cloth masks to curb the spread of COVID-19. In addition to being manufactured according to CDC specifications, each mask has an inside pocket for an extra filter and includes instructions on how to wash and dry them daily.
Thanks to a mighty KDP team at our Avenel, New Jersey, site, more than 48,000 bandanas were shipped to KDP locations across the country to keep our teams safe in our facilities and the trade. It took 11 team members 10 hours on Friday to pack and ship nearly 180 boxes, on top of keeping up with everyday operations.
Team members at the Windsor, Virginia manufacturing plant recently constructed a new health screening facility, now called the “Happy Barn.” In order to comply with the facility’s social distancing guidelines, the room was designed with two separate screening entrances, as well as required thermometers in the climate-controlled environment. They also secured a window air conditioning unit as well as a heater to maintain the appropriate temperature, installed lighting to facilitate early morning and night screenings, and built OSHA-compliant steps to reduce the risk of a trip or fall. If the details of the facility weren’t impressive enough – the team built the structure all within a 24-hour period!
At our facilities across North America, our teams are coming together quickly to implement new protocols designed to keep our employees safe while they deliver essential products to our customers and consumers.
Maintaining a six-foot distance between individuals, as recommended by the CDC’s social distancing guidelines, is one key to keeping our employees healthy. Teams across our network are finding new and creative ways to maintain that separation. At our manufacturing plant in Essex, Vermont, team members Rich Rathbun, Production Coach, and John Leggett, Senior Production Manager, demonstrated the use of six-foot visual cues installed throughout the facility to keep team members collaborating, while at a safe distance. In Windsor, Virginia, our employees reconfigured large amounts of the facility and furniture to meet the spacing guidelines. At our manufacturing plant in Sumner, Washington, the team transformed one break room into three in just a few short hours and outfitted several conference and training rooms to give employees enough room to take a break safely as they work hard to keep our customers supplied.
Earlier this month, the Essex, Vermont teams partnered together to set a single day production record. This was an extraordinary effort and accomplishment by everyone involved. The Sumner, Washington team also hit records on shift scrap rate. This is another example of how are supply chain teams are working hard to meet demand and deliver big!
KDP U.S. manufacturing teams worked from the Sumner, Knoxville, Windsor, Essex and Williston plants as they started shipping to Nestle last week. This is part of the new Nestle coffee partnership in which Nestle is taking over distribution for the Starbucks non-retail café business, and it has been an ongoing project for over nine months involving hundreds of people from all three organizations. Our teams have worked tirelessly to facilitate a successful and seamless partnership. Leading up to go-live, site quality and operations teams managed significant change effectively including comprehensive site audits and the introduction of new processes, systems and requirements. As expected, this multifaceted transition presented challenges, and the teams have consistently demonstrated resilience and resolve amidst complexity and adversity. Collectively, the efforts and accomplishments by the site quality and operations teams have been remarkable. We are successfully establishing the strong foundation necessary to sustain a collaborative and productive partnership with Nestle. We also recognize the outstanding efforts of many others in distribution, production, customer care, IT and project teams across KDP that came together to make this possible. Scott, logistics manager, said “after close to 15 years with the company, I truly have never been more proud to be a part of the KDP team than I was this past weekend.” This is a great example of living the TEAM FIRST value and delivering big!
Keurig Dr Pepper teams across the country are gearing up for fall and getting into the Halloween spirit! Account manager Brian and merchandiser Ali have been busy setting up a Sunkist pumpkin display at a Kroger in Louisville, Kentucky, while Joel and account manager Gary recently created a Halloween build at Kroger in Rockwall, Texas. The Frisco, Texas, team leveraged fall decorations to create a CORE display as well. Take a look at the photos above from all of the displays!
Sondie, regional vice president, learned about an assisted living center in Gatesville, Texas, that was sharing photos of its residents in an effort to secure pen pals for them amid the pandemic lockdown. One of the residents, Miss Billie, shared her love for Dr Pepper, so Sondie engaged Michael, branch manager in Waco, Texas, who jumped into action to deliver several cases to the facility for Miss Billie and the residents to enjoy. The local news station picked up the story, and from the photos above, it’s clear that KDP made her day. Thank you for going above and beyond to deliver for our most loyal consumers!
Our merchandising and account management teams continue to deliver big during the pandemic and provide cool solutions for consumers to beat the summer heat. The Ventura team out of San Fernando, California, secured a prime location for the sixteenth cooler bank at the Naval Base Commissary in Port Hueneme, California. The display includes festive red, white and blue floor LED lights.
Anthony, a merchandiser in Racine, Wisconsin, recently went out of his way to find a beloved product for a consumer. Diet Sun Drop is not currently in production in the Racine area, but when a consumer asked about it, Anthony was ready to help. He sought out a 12-pack of the product and offered it to the consumer. She was so pleased that she called the branch to say thank you, posted a rave review to her Facebook page and even called a local radio station to compliment Anthony. To this consumer, a small act of service meant the world.
To help shoppers stay cool and hydrated this summer, the Direct Store Delivery team in Riverside, California, installed new coolers at a local Wal-Mart in Beaumont. Recognizing that an eight-door cooler bank was not enough for the California heat, account manager Andrew and his team added another three doors to the display. This was truly a team effort with excellent customer service from merchandisers (left to right) Noe, Guillermo, Ismael, Fredi, Jonathan, Cade, Kristie and Andrew.
Dennis, a product technician at the Sumner, Washington, manufacturing plant, stepped up when his team needed help. He ran an entire production line on his own, maintaining 80 percent operating efficiency while producing nearly 180,000 K-Cup pods, only stopping for breaks and lunch. Due to Dennis’s commitment to excellence, the line was able to stay running and complete an additional boost to production.
At the beginning of the pandemic, Keurig Dr Pepper lab technicians had to get creative in order to keep up with increased consumer demand. Technicians out of our Burlington, Massachusetts, pod quality lab, Brian and Evan, volunteered to come back to work after the building was closed. They completed qualification testing for two new suppliers needed to provide raw materials to prevent any disruption to production. The quality team worked with the facilities team to ensure safe operations during this time.
Our Dallas Direct Store Delivery team was challenged to create a unique display showing Texas pride and strength. At a Kroger in Dallas, Account Manager Nick, Lead Account Manager Marcus and Merchandiser Gabriel built a Texas Strong display out of Dr Pepper and Diet Dr Pepper cans.
A large retailer in Fort Worth, Texas, ran out of water due to the high consumer demand at the beginning of this crisis, and Keurig Dr Pepper delivery teams sprang into action. Account managers Javier and Brian, along with district manager Jeff, replenished the store and were rewarded with an entire aisle dedicated to evian. This “customer first” attitude is representative of the Keurig Dr Pepper team as we deliver for customers and consumer every day.
Keurig Dr Pepper is in the fortunate position where demand for our product remains strong, even increasing in certain categories. We depend on our delivery teams and in store merchandisers to keep shelves stocked with our brands at retail stores across the country. Check out some of the most recent product displays created by our dedicated teams that keep our brands top of mind – and even remind consumers about social distancing.
In Louisville, Kentucky, a small gesture went a long way when District Manager Jacob brought breakfast to Damon and others on the front line to thank them for continuing to “fight those empty shelves.” Damon and team fueled up to stock our brands and keep consumers happy.
Calvin, district manager in Irving, Texas, shared that the Irving sales team and merchandisers are working with energy and pride to meet ongoing consumer demand in stores. “They’re working hard to place product in high-traffic areas and building quick displays in great locations,” he said. Because of this spirit in Irving and across the company, Keurig Dr Pepper continues to deliver for our customers and consumers.
Our KDP field team goes into retail stores every day to deliver the drinks our customers want, with a smile and a positive attitude. District Manager Ariana, in southern California, challenged her team to take “shelfies” with their merchandised product to motivate them and have a little fun. Here, Enzo delivers CORE water and poses proudly with the display. Thanks to our heroic frontline employees, shelves across the country remain stocked with KDP brands.
KDP has been in the incredibly fortunate position that demand for our product has remained strong, even increasing in certain categories. To help fulfill customer demand and keep product on shelves, Joe was one of six district managers in Houston, Texas, that brushed off their commercial driver’s licenses and jumped behind the wheel to help their team deliver product. This “team first” attitude is representative of our management team and we thank the Houston district managers for a job well done.
KDP’s large and diverse distribution network is facing the challenge of keeping our customers stocked, but our teams are rising to the occasion and going above and beyond to get our products out as demand continues to grow. A recent example the week of March 23 was an effort by our Direct Store Delivery (DSD) team in Las Vegas, Nevada, to drive three trucks to our Vernon, California, facility to pick up much needed product. Jesus Rendon, Operations Supervisor, Eric Marcial, Inventory Coordinator, and Roxanna Centeno, Operations Manager, each drove ten hours on a Saturday after an exceptionally busy work week. With quick support from Vernon forklift operators, they loaded up and got back to Las Vegas to ensure customers’ orders were fulfilled on time.
Almost 55,000 CORE Hydration bottles were donated to Good360, an organization that helps drive impact locally and distribute donated goods. This product donation will help in the wildfire relief efforts on the West Coast. The CORE bottles were from a recent packaging test production run that was performed in the plant that had little storage space. They either had to quickly find a home for the product or dispose of it. Kathryn, Catherine, Connie and Elizabeth stepped up to ensure the product did not go to waste.
The Grupo Peñafiel team in Tlajomulco, Mexico, continues to show gratitude to our frontline heroes by delivering beverages and messages of thanks to nearby hospitals. This small token of appreciation goes a long way. Thank you for providing for our communities!
Keurig Dr Pepper employees raised US $230,000 to benefit our communities, exceeding our giving total from last year by more than 5%. In doing so, we supported over 650 non-profits across North America, with KDP matching each employee’s donation as they supported causes most important to them. During a challenging time for so many, employees reached out and dug deep to make a difference for others by providing for our communities as ONE KDP.
Teams across Mexico continue to Fuel the Frontline with donations to various medical facilities. In the last few weeks, the Tecamac plant has made several product donations to three nearby hospitals. Similarly, our team in Tehuacán, Puebla, recently made its third donation of Keurig Dr Pepper products to the city’s six most prominent medical units, all of which were accompanied by messages of support written by team members at the plant.
To celebrate National Hospital Week, Keurig Dr Pepper launched a campaign to encourage consumers to express their thanks and appreciation to healthcare workers on social media. For every post of gratitude that included #FuelingtheFrontline, we provided a cup of coffee to a hospital worker, up to one million cups. To kick off the campaign, we unveiled this inspiring video across our social media channels: https://www.keurigdrpepper.com/en/fuel
The campaign is part of the Company's Fueling the Frontline initiative that has donated Keurig brewers and coffee to thousands of breakrooms in more than 350 hospitals across the country, with more than two million cups of coffee and other beverages donated since the COVID-19 crisis began.
Thank you to healthcare workers everywhere for your resilience and compassion during these challenging times. We appreciate you.
Keurig Dr Pepper employees from the Twinsburg, Ohio, facility wanted to express their gratitude to first responders at the City of Warren Fire & Rescue. The team came together and donated cases of High Brew and Forto coffee shots to these essential workers in their community.
Our Des Moines, Iowa, team helped to fuel their local healthcare workers by sending a variety of our great products to the doctors, nurses and staff caring for COVID-19 patients at Mercy Hospital and Methodist Hospital in Des Moines. The team didn’t stop there. They also donated cases of Snapple 100% Juice to the Des Moines public school district for the drive-up lunch program that provides lunches to children and families in need.
For 11 days in April, the Keurig Dr Pepper Mobile Beverage Truck visited 7 hospitals in the Dallas-Fort Worth area – one of our headquarters cities – to bring hot coffee, cold brew and bottled beverage favorites like Snapple and Bai to hard-working hospital staffs. Throughout the tour, over 15,000 beverages were served to more than 6,500 healthcare professionals and support staff right on their hospital campuses. Social distancing and sanitary protocols were in place, and our team was honored to serve these heroes during a small break in their day. Messages of encouragement and thanks were written on cups to show our appreciation for their sacrifices. One of the most poignant messages we received came from Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas: “I am so grateful for the cup of coffee I received today. It was a great break from COVID-related activities.Thanks for helping us feel normal.”
To support the restaurant industry struggling in the wake of this pandemic, we’re helping restaurant workers in need by donating $250,000 to the National Restaurant Association’s Employee Relief Fund. Launched in partnership with Food Network star Guy Fieri, the program provides grants to U.S. restaurant workers impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. To further support this initiative, Dr Pepper unveiled a new spin on its iconic “I’m a Pepper” T-shirt with 100% of all profits going directly back to the NRAEF. The shirts are available for purchase now at www.togetherwepepper.com
Through our Fueling the Frontline program, we’ve donated 25 coffee stations to the Burlington and Middlebury, Massachusetts, locations within the University of Vermont Medical Center system. Samantha, customer service representative, alerted the Keurig team that the ICU at UVM needed a brewer after their coffee maker broke. Keurig Dr Pepper jumped in to help, donating brewers and pods so that the ICU staff now has an opportunity to relax and recharge.
The Van Houtte Coffee Services team in Canada keeps Fueling the Frontline, donating three brewers and 12,000 pounds of coffee to the Grand River Hospital ICU and Emergency in Kitchener, Ontario, to support the ICU and respiratory teams. They received a thank you note that shows just how much comfort a cup of coffee can bring: “A coffee goes a long way for us these days. It picks us up when we are feeling low and there has been a lot of that. The warmth and generosity of the community has been extraordinary. During this time when we have to show up for work afraid, sad, overwhelmed and lonely for our families, these kind gestures mean everything to our staff and keep us going. Thank you!” Can’t hide the smiles behind those masks!
We know that frontline workers are having to make incredible adjustments to all areas of their lives to continue working in the fight against COVID – including travelling to hard-hit areas to help or shelter away from their families to limit exposure to the virus. We wanted to bring some comfort and energy to their days, so we teamed up with several hotels housing frontline workers across the country – including the InterContinental Hotels Group, Marriott and Hyatt families – to supply brewers, coffee, tea and cocoa K-Cup® pods while these essential workers are away from home. It’s a small way for us to give these healthcare heroes a little bit of warmth and a boost during their days working hard for all of us.
The North Park, Illinois, Fire Protection District took to Facebook recently to express its gratitude to our Rockford, Illinois, Direct Store Delivery branch for their donation of carbonated soft drinks and water, including brands Dr Pepper, 7UP, Sunkist and Deja Blue, which was allocated across three fire stations in the area.
Our family of brands are Fueling the Frontline alongside the rest of Keurig Dr Pepper. Partnering with Hugh Jackman, the Laughing Man® Coffee team put together 25 care packages that were shipped out across the country to first responders in hard-hit COVID-19 cities including New York, Chicago, Denver and San Francisco. Each Emergency Department received a thank you note from Hugh himself, four boxes of Laughing Man® Coffee and a coupon for a free Keurig® Brewer.
On April 10th, KDP’s Fueling the Frontline mobile coffee truck made its first stop at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in our dual headquarters city of Plano, Texas. This was the first stop on a ten day tour across the Dallas-Fort Worth area where the truck will bring both hot and cold beverages to eight hospital locations including Parkland, Children’s Health Plano and Baylor Scott & White. Over 500 staff from Texas Health Plano were served at the truck during its stop where they were able to get hot coffee, tea and cocoa, cold brew coffee and a variety of our cold beverage offerings. In total, over a thousand free beverages were served to the hard working medical and support staffs as they continue to fight on the frontlines for the communities of DFW.
Hospitals and healthcare systems across the country are finding creative ways to keep their teams healthy and informed during this crisis. At McLaren Health Management’s six campuses in Michigan, they are conducting “PPE Pit Stops” for staff to restock supplies, disinfect equipment and get answers to questions and concerns regarding the COVID-19 outbreak on their way in to the hospital. After KDP donated more than 50 brewers and almost 10,000 K-Cup® pods to 11 hospitals in their system, they’re now offering hot cups of coffee, tea and cocoa to frontline staffers at these pit stops to help get their shift going… no matter what the weather is!
Seattle, Washington was one of the first cities to be hit hard with the devastating impacts of COVID-19 and KDP wanted to make sure some of their frontline heroes had the energy they needed to help fight this tough battle. Through Fueling the Frontline, we donated just under 100 brewers and almost 20,000 K-Cup® pods to one of Washington’s largest healthcare providers, the University of Washington Medical Center. In downtown Seattle, the UWMC’s Harborview location staff sent a note of thanks, saying: “Thank you so much. What a generous gift to our staff!!! The various ICU’s and units that we delivered them to LOVED them and were very grateful.” We’re grateful for the staff of UWMC and healthcare providers across the country.
Our Fueling the Frontline program recently sent a shipment of brand new brewers and hundreds of hot coffee, tea and cocoa K-Cup® pods to the Emergency Departments of Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital in Pensacola, Florida as they fight hard on the frontline of this pandemic. One of their staff sent a great note in response: “I just wanted to reach out and say a huge THANK YOU! I was overwhelmed when I walked outside and saw all of the goodies that you shipped us! The pediatric and adult ERs were so very thankful for all of the coffee/tea/hot chocolate K-Cup pods that you sent them! Our hospital is extremely grateful, and they could not believe how much you donated. Thank you so much again!
One of the first hospitals to receive product from our Fueling the Frontline program was Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). A former KDP employee reached out on behalf of her sister, a nurse at CHOP, detailing that the hard-working staff was in need of coffee since their regular coffee cart services were closed early in March. Working with CHOP’s staff, our team quickly shipped 32 coffee stations packed with new Keurig brewers and multiple boxes of K-Cup pod varieties to be installed at every unit in the hospital. One nurse wrote: “We cannot thank you enough for helping our team on the surgical trauma team during this time!! This is a BLESSING. Know that your team have made SO many Pediatric RNs happy during this very uncertain time!”
We will replenish their coffee supply as they continue to take care of patients and each other on the frontline of this fight. We’re just getting started will have a lot more hospital donation stories to share. Stay tuned!
We’re committed to keeping our employees safe and healthy, delivering for our customers and consumers, and providing for our communities.
Teams across North America continue to adapt to the new normal of safety protocols at work. Daniela, a health and safety coordinator in Tlajamulco, Mexico, recently shared how her team came up with a creative solution to keep their PPE clean and reduce the risk of physical transmission by labeling hooks to hang face masks and face shields during lunch and hydration breaks. In addition, each employee walks through a sanitizing shoe mat and uses hand sanitizer before entering the cafeteria to prevent the spread of germs. Acrylic screens have been placed between tables to reduce the risk of airborne contagion, while promoting safe social interaction, and alcohol spray is always nearby to disinfect surfaces.
The Williston, Vermont, team recently went above and beyond to keep employees safe and healthy by providing additional masks for all of their employees to use outside of work. Diane, a production lead cleaner, distributed the masks to the team along with their favorite beverages. Diane is a leading example of how to support her team during COVID-19 and continues to put her team first.
The Fresno, California, Direct Store Delivery team has seen a significant volume increase versus their original plan for the year – and has still complied with every new safety protocol. This small crew has stepped up to the plate to serve our customers while keeping safety as a top priority, including social distancing, wearing masks and increased hygiene practices.
Keurig Dr Pepper teams across North America continue to find creative ways to keep themselves and each other safe and healthy. The Direct Store Delivery team in San Leandro, California, gets ready for the day by doing stretching exercises before every shift starts (pictured above). The Columbus, Ohio, site safety team has been taking advantage of sunny skies and conducting meetings outside, six feet apart with face coverings.
While Keurig Dr Pepper is sending PPE to all of our facilities, some employees have stepped up and used their own resources to help keep their coworkers safe and healthy. Ron, an immediate consumption manager, used his 3D printer to make plastic face masks for district managers and vending managers in Outstate Missouri. Distribution supervisor Shad and his wife Angie volunteered to make 30 protective face masks for drivers that work out of the Cedar Rapids branch, while merchandising manager Nick made an additional 30 face masks for this facility.
As part of our efforts to keep our employees safe and healthy, we’re piloting temperature screening technology as a supplement to screenings by healthcare workers at 10 of our manufacturing locations. The thermal screening camera collects the infrared energy emitted by objects, similar to night vision goggles. It’s safe (temperature readings are taken without close contact with the screeners), fast (temperature readings are taken as the employee walks toward the camera), private (images and data are not saved or recorded) and accurate (thermal imaging is accurate within +/- 0.3 Celsius).
With supply of hand sanitizers tight and our frontline teams in need to stay safe, our supply chain and R&D teams sprang into action and transformed an in-house capability into a way to self-manufacture hand sanitizer. At our R&D pilot plant in Irving, Texas, team member Doug set up a cross-functional team from supply chain, R&D, legal and packaging to determine how to manufacture hand sanitizer to be available to our teams in facilities and in the trade. In less than a week, they identified and procured the ingredients required to manufacture a WHO/FDA-based formula, established safety protocols and secured regulatory approvals to enable the handling of hazardous materials at the pilot plant; determined primary and secondary packaging and secured a donation of labels from a local packaging company. The result? The ability to ship 240 gallons of hand sanitizer per day to KDP locations, enabling our teams to continue to safely provide essential products for our customers and communities without interruption.
In partnership with WorkCare, Inc., a team of board-certified occupational physicians, Keurig Dr Pepper has built and implemented online health screenings for all our employees working in our facilities and out in the trade. These online health screenings, backed by medical professionals, provide assurance that employees are coming to work healthy and offer critical feedback necessary to help them stay safe. Our partnership with WorkCare is just one representation of our continued priority to keep employees safe and healthy.
Our Environmental Health and Safety team has been working hard to ensure our 100+ Keurig Dr Pepper Direct Store Delivery (DSD) sites have the necessary equipment and nursing staff to implement temperate check screenings to help keep our employees safe. Additionally, employees across our frontlines continue to develop creative ways to protect our team. For example, Sal, a fleet manager based out of our Los Angeles facility, built a barrier prototype to aid in protecting healthcare workers during temperature checks across all Keurig Dr Pepper California locations.
In Ukiah, California, account manager Steve, along with his wife Jennifer, recently took it upon themselves to make masks for the entire Ukiah DSD crew to wear in the trade, after KDP approved the voluntary use of cloth masks to curb the spread of COVID-19. In addition to being manufactured according to CDC specifications, each mask has an inside pocket for an extra filter and includes instructions on how to wash and dry them daily.
Thanks to a mighty KDP team at our Avenel, New Jersey, site, more than 48,000 bandanas were shipped to KDP locations across the country to keep our teams safe in our facilities and the trade. It took 11 team members 10 hours on Friday to pack and ship nearly 180 boxes, on top of keeping up with everyday operations.
Team members at the Windsor, Virginia manufacturing plant recently constructed a new health screening facility, now called the “Happy Barn.” In order to comply with the facility’s social distancing guidelines, the room was designed with two separate screening entrances, as well as required thermometers in the climate-controlled environment. They also secured a window air conditioning unit as well as a heater to maintain the appropriate temperature, installed lighting to facilitate early morning and night screenings, and built OSHA-compliant steps to reduce the risk of a trip or fall. If the details of the facility weren’t impressive enough – the team built the structure all within a 24-hour period!
At our facilities across North America, our teams are coming together quickly to implement new protocols designed to keep our employees safe while they deliver essential products to our customers and consumers.
Maintaining a six-foot distance between individuals, as recommended by the CDC’s social distancing guidelines, is one key to keeping our employees healthy. Teams across our network are finding new and creative ways to maintain that separation. At our manufacturing plant in Essex, Vermont, team members Rich Rathbun, Production Coach, and John Leggett, Senior Production Manager, demonstrated the use of six-foot visual cues installed throughout the facility to keep team members collaborating, while at a safe distance. In Windsor, Virginia, our employees reconfigured large amounts of the facility and furniture to meet the spacing guidelines. At our manufacturing plant in Sumner, Washington, the team transformed one break room into three in just a few short hours and outfitted several conference and training rooms to give employees enough room to take a break safely as they work hard to keep our customers supplied.
Keurig Dr Pepper teams across the country are gearing up for fall and getting into the Halloween spirit! Account manager Brian and merchandiser Ali have been busy setting up a Sunkist pumpkin display at a Kroger in Louisville, Kentucky, while Joel and account manager Gary recently created a Halloween build at Kroger in Rockwall, Texas. The Frisco, Texas, team leveraged fall decorations to create a CORE display as well. Take a look at the photos above from all of the displays!
Sondie, regional vice president, learned about an assisted living center in Gatesville, Texas, that was sharing photos of its residents in an effort to secure pen pals for them amid the pandemic lockdown. One of the residents, Miss Billie, shared her love for Dr Pepper, so Sondie engaged Michael, branch manager in Waco, Texas, who jumped into action to deliver several cases to the facility for Miss Billie and the residents to enjoy. The local news station picked up the story, and from the photos above, it’s clear that KDP made her day. Thank you for going above and beyond to deliver for our most loyal consumers!
Our merchandising and account management teams continue to deliver big during the pandemic and provide cool solutions for consumers to beat the summer heat. The Ventura team out of San Fernando, California, secured a prime location for the sixteenth cooler bank at the Naval Base Commissary in Port Hueneme, California. The display includes festive red, white and blue floor LED lights.
Anthony, a merchandiser in Racine, Wisconsin, recently went out of his way to find a beloved product for a consumer. Diet Sun Drop is not currently in production in the Racine area, but when a consumer asked about it, Anthony was ready to help. He sought out a 12-pack of the product and offered it to the consumer. She was so pleased that she called the branch to say thank you, posted a rave review to her Facebook page and even called a local radio station to compliment Anthony. To this consumer, a small act of service meant the world.
To help shoppers stay cool and hydrated this summer, the Direct Store Delivery team in Riverside, California, installed new coolers at a local Wal-Mart in Beaumont. Recognizing that an eight-door cooler bank was not enough for the California heat, account manager Andrew and his team added another three doors to the display. This was truly a team effort with excellent customer service from merchandisers (left to right) Noe, Guillermo, Ismael, Fredi, Jonathan, Cade, Kristie and Andrew.
Dennis, a product technician at the Sumner, Washington, manufacturing plant, stepped up when his team needed help. He ran an entire production line on his own, maintaining 80 percent operating efficiency while producing nearly 180,000 K-Cup pods, only stopping for breaks and lunch. Due to Dennis’s commitment to excellence, the line was able to stay running and complete an additional boost to production.
At the beginning of the pandemic, Keurig Dr Pepper lab technicians had to get creative in order to keep up with increased consumer demand. Technicians out of our Burlington, Massachusetts, pod quality lab, Brian and Evan, volunteered to come back to work after the building was closed. They completed qualification testing for two new suppliers needed to provide raw materials to prevent any disruption to production. The quality team worked with the facilities team to ensure safe operations during this time.
Our Dallas Direct Store Delivery team was challenged to create a unique display showing Texas pride and strength. At a Kroger in Dallas, Account Manager Nick, Lead Account Manager Marcus and Merchandiser Gabriel built a Texas Strong display out of Dr Pepper and Diet Dr Pepper cans.
A large retailer in Fort Worth, Texas, ran out of water due to the high consumer demand at the beginning of this crisis, and Keurig Dr Pepper delivery teams sprang into action. Account managers Javier and Brian, along with district manager Jeff, replenished the store and were rewarded with an entire aisle dedicated to evian. This “customer first” attitude is representative of the Keurig Dr Pepper team as we deliver for customers and consumer every day.
Keurig Dr Pepper is in the fortunate position where demand for our product remains strong, even increasing in certain categories. We depend on our delivery teams and in store merchandisers to keep shelves stocked with our brands at retail stores across the country. Check out some of the most recent product displays created by our dedicated teams that keep our brands top of mind – and even remind consumers about social distancing.
In Louisville, Kentucky, a small gesture went a long way when District Manager Jacob brought breakfast to Damon and others on the front line to thank them for continuing to “fight those empty shelves.” Damon and team fueled up to stock our brands and keep consumers happy.
Calvin, district manager in Irving, Texas, shared that the Irving sales team and merchandisers are working with energy and pride to meet ongoing consumer demand in stores. “They’re working hard to place product in high-traffic areas and building quick displays in great locations,” he said. Because of this spirit in Irving and across the company, Keurig Dr Pepper continues to deliver for our customers and consumers.
Our KDP field team goes into retail stores every day to deliver the drinks our customers want, with a smile and a positive attitude. District Manager Ariana, in southern California, challenged her team to take “shelfies” with their merchandised product to motivate them and have a little fun. Here, Enzo delivers CORE water and poses proudly with the display. Thanks to our heroic frontline employees, shelves across the country remain stocked with KDP brands.
KDP has been in the incredibly fortunate position that demand for our product has remained strong, even increasing in certain categories. To help fulfill customer demand and keep product on shelves, Joe was one of six district managers in Houston, Texas, that brushed off their commercial driver’s licenses and jumped behind the wheel to help their team deliver product. This “team first” attitude is representative of our management team and we thank the Houston district managers for a job well done.
KDP’s large and diverse distribution network is facing the challenge of keeping our customers stocked, but our teams are rising to the occasion and going above and beyond to get our products out as demand continues to grow. A recent example the week of March 23 was an effort by our Direct Store Delivery (DSD) team in Las Vegas, Nevada, to drive three trucks to our Vernon, California, facility to pick up much needed product. Jesus Rendon, Operations Supervisor, Eric Marcial, Inventory Coordinator, and Roxanna Centeno, Operations Manager, each drove ten hours on a Saturday after an exceptionally busy work week. With quick support from Vernon forklift operators, they loaded up and got back to Las Vegas to ensure customers’ orders were fulfilled on time.
The Grupo Peñafiel team in Tlajomulco, Mexico, continues to show gratitude to our frontline heroes by delivering beverages and messages of thanks to nearby hospitals. This small token of appreciation goes a long way. Thank you for providing for our communities!
Keurig Dr Pepper employees raised US $230,000 to benefit our communities, exceeding our giving total from last year by more than 5%. In doing so, we supported over 650 non-profits across North America, with KDP matching each employee’s donation as they supported causes most important to them. During a challenging time for so many, employees reached out and dug deep to make a difference for others by providing for our communities as ONE KDP.
Teams across Mexico continue to Fuel the Frontline with donations to various medical facilities. In the last few weeks, the Tecamac plant has made several product donations to three nearby hospitals. Similarly, our team in Tehuacán, Puebla, recently made its third donation of Keurig Dr Pepper products to the city’s six most prominent medical units, all of which were accompanied by messages of support written by team members at the plant.
To celebrate National Hospital Week, Keurig Dr Pepper launched a campaign to encourage consumers to express their thanks and appreciation to healthcare workers on social media. For every post of gratitude that included #FuelingtheFrontline, we provided a cup of coffee to a hospital worker, up to one million cups. To kick off the campaign, we unveiled this inspiring video across our social media channels: https://www.keurigdrpepper.com/en/fuel
The campaign is part of the Company's Fueling the Frontline initiative that has donated Keurig brewers and coffee to thousands of breakrooms in more than 350 hospitals across the country, with more than two million cups of coffee and other beverages donated since the COVID-19 crisis began.
Thank you to healthcare workers everywhere for your resilience and compassion during these challenging times. We appreciate you.
Keurig Dr Pepper employees from the Twinsburg, Ohio, facility wanted to express their gratitude to first responders at the City of Warren Fire & Rescue. The team came together and donated cases of High Brew and Forto coffee shots to these essential workers in their community.
Our Des Moines, Iowa, team helped to fuel their local healthcare workers by sending a variety of our great products to the doctors, nurses and staff caring for COVID-19 patients at Mercy Hospital and Methodist Hospital in Des Moines. The team didn’t stop there. They also donated cases of Snapple 100% Juice to the Des Moines public school district for the drive-up lunch program that provides lunches to children and families in need.
For 11 days in April, the Keurig Dr Pepper Mobile Beverage Truck visited 7 hospitals in the Dallas-Fort Worth area – one of our headquarters cities – to bring hot coffee, cold brew and bottled beverage favorites like Snapple and Bai to hard-working hospital staffs. Throughout the tour, over 15,000 beverages were served to more than 6,500 healthcare professionals and support staff right on their hospital campuses. Social distancing and sanitary protocols were in place, and our team was honored to serve these heroes during a small break in their day. Messages of encouragement and thanks were written on cups to show our appreciation for their sacrifices. One of the most poignant messages we received came from Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas: “I am so grateful for the cup of coffee I received today. It was a great break from COVID-related activities.Thanks for helping us feel normal.”
To support the restaurant industry struggling in the wake of this pandemic, we’re helping restaurant workers in need by donating $250,000 to the National Restaurant Association’s Employee Relief Fund. Launched in partnership with Food Network star Guy Fieri, the program provides grants to U.S. restaurant workers impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. To further support this initiative, Dr Pepper unveiled a new spin on its iconic “I’m a Pepper” T-shirt with 100% of all profits going directly back to the NRAEF. The shirts are available for purchase now at www.togetherwepepper.com
Through our Fueling the Frontline program, we’ve donated 25 coffee stations to the Burlington and Middlebury, Massachusetts, locations within the University of Vermont Medical Center system. Samantha, customer service representative, alerted the Keurig team that the ICU at UVM needed a brewer after their coffee maker broke. Keurig Dr Pepper jumped in to help, donating brewers and pods so that the ICU staff now has an opportunity to relax and recharge.
The Van Houtte Coffee Services team in Canada keeps Fueling the Frontline, donating three brewers and 12,000 pounds of coffee to the Grand River Hospital ICU and Emergency in Kitchener, Ontario, to support the ICU and respiratory teams. They received a thank you note that shows just how much comfort a cup of coffee can bring: “A coffee goes a long way for us these days. It picks us up when we are feeling low and there has been a lot of that. The warmth and generosity of the community has been extraordinary. During this time when we have to show up for work afraid, sad, overwhelmed and lonely for our families, these kind gestures mean everything to our staff and keep us going. Thank you!” Can’t hide the smiles behind those masks!
We know that frontline workers are having to make incredible adjustments to all areas of their lives to continue working in the fight against COVID – including travelling to hard-hit areas to help or shelter away from their families to limit exposure to the virus. We wanted to bring some comfort and energy to their days, so we teamed up with several hotels housing frontline workers across the country – including the InterContinental Hotels Group, Marriott and Hyatt families – to supply brewers, coffee, tea and cocoa K-Cup® pods while these essential workers are away from home. It’s a small way for us to give these healthcare heroes a little bit of warmth and a boost during their days working hard for all of us.
The North Park, Illinois, Fire Protection District took to Facebook recently to express its gratitude to our Rockford, Illinois, Direct Store Delivery branch for their donation of carbonated soft drinks and water, including brands Dr Pepper, 7UP, Sunkist and Deja Blue, which was allocated across three fire stations in the area.
Our family of brands are Fueling the Frontline alongside the rest of Keurig Dr Pepper. Partnering with Hugh Jackman, the Laughing Man® Coffee team put together 25 care packages that were shipped out across the country to first responders in hard-hit COVID-19 cities including New York, Chicago, Denver and San Francisco. Each Emergency Department received a thank you note from Hugh himself, four boxes of Laughing Man® Coffee and a coupon for a free Keurig® Brewer.
On April 10th, KDP’s Fueling the Frontline mobile coffee truck made its first stop at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in our dual headquarters city of Plano, Texas. This was the first stop on a ten day tour across the Dallas-Fort Worth area where the truck will bring both hot and cold beverages to eight hospital locations including Parkland, Children’s Health Plano and Baylor Scott & White. Over 500 staff from Texas Health Plano were served at the truck during its stop where they were able to get hot coffee, tea and cocoa, cold brew coffee and a variety of our cold beverage offerings. In total, over a thousand free beverages were served to the hard working medical and support staffs as they continue to fight on the frontlines for the communities of DFW.
Hospitals and healthcare systems across the country are finding creative ways to keep their teams healthy and informed during this crisis. At McLaren Health Management’s six campuses in Michigan, they are conducting “PPE Pit Stops” for staff to restock supplies, disinfect equipment and get answers to questions and concerns regarding the COVID-19 outbreak on their way in to the hospital. After KDP donated more than 50 brewers and almost 10,000 K-Cup® pods to 11 hospitals in their system, they’re now offering hot cups of coffee, tea and cocoa to frontline staffers at these pit stops to help get their shift going… no matter what the weather is!
Seattle, Washington was one of the first cities to be hit hard with the devastating impacts of COVID-19 and KDP wanted to make sure some of their frontline heroes had the energy they needed to help fight this tough battle. Through Fueling the Frontline, we donated just under 100 brewers and almost 20,000 K-Cup® pods to one of Washington’s largest healthcare providers, the University of Washington Medical Center. In downtown Seattle, the UWMC’s Harborview location staff sent a note of thanks, saying: “Thank you so much. What a generous gift to our staff!!! The various ICU’s and units that we delivered them to LOVED them and were very grateful.” We’re grateful for the staff of UWMC and healthcare providers across the country.
Our Fueling the Frontline program recently sent a shipment of brand new brewers and hundreds of hot coffee, tea and cocoa K-Cup® pods to the Emergency Departments of Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital in Pensacola, Florida as they fight hard on the frontline of this pandemic. One of their staff sent a great note in response: “I just wanted to reach out and say a huge THANK YOU! I was overwhelmed when I walked outside and saw all of the goodies that you shipped us! The pediatric and adult ERs were so very thankful for all of the coffee/tea/hot chocolate K-Cup pods that you sent them! Our hospital is extremely grateful, and they could not believe how much you donated. Thank you so much again!
One of the first hospitals to receive product from our Fueling the Frontline program was Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). A former KDP employee reached out on behalf of her sister, a nurse at CHOP, detailing that the hard-working staff was in need of coffee since their regular coffee cart services were closed early in March. Working with CHOP’s staff, our team quickly shipped 32 coffee stations packed with new Keurig brewers and multiple boxes of K-Cup pod varieties to be installed at every unit in the hospital. One nurse wrote: “We cannot thank you enough for helping our team on the surgical trauma team during this time!! This is a BLESSING. Know that your team have made SO many Pediatric RNs happy during this very uncertain time!”
We will replenish their coffee supply as they continue to take care of patients and each other on the frontline of this fight. We’re just getting started will have a lot more hospital donation stories to share. Stay tuned!
We’re committed to keeping our employees safe and healthy, delivering for our customers and consumers, and providing for our communities.
