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Recognition for Collaboration, Quality, Marketing to Members & Leadership

The QCS Purchasing awards program recognizes its members and supply partners that go above and beyond their peers in a variety of categories. Recipients gain prestige within the organization and their service areas, highlighting their achievements in member & supply partner collaboration, product quality & food safety excellence, QCS supply partner program marketing to members, and member & supply partner leadership. All of the awards are presented at the QCS Annual Conference and are based on the previous calendar year’s performance.

Best Collaboration (Joint Award w/Member & Supply Partner)

The QCS Best Collaboration Award honors initiatives that deliver excellence through the joint efforts of a member and supply partner working together to either solve a problem or achieve the desired outcome. All entries were jointly submitted by the member and supply partner who took part in the collaboration. These awards are judged on merit by an independent panel of marketing experts. View the attached brochure to learn more. NOTE: the entry deadline has passed. Be sure to begin your planning for 2024!

Below is a recap of the 2023 Best Collaboration Entries. Best of luck!

  • Diversified Foods, Inc. and Producers Dairy: Pantry Fresh Benefits – Growing School Milk Sales and Solving Market Challenges
  • Fastenal and California Dairies: Cost Savings Analysis/First Aid/Alpet Conversion
  • Grainger Industrial Supply and National Frozen Foods/Oregon Potato Company: Grainger’s Documented Value – NFF/OPC
  • Grainger Industrial Supply and Richelieu Foods: Grainger Services for Richelieu Foods
  • ORBIS Corporation and Prairie Farms Dairy: Driving Continuous Improvement through Collaboration and Innovation
  • Source Wurx and Pacific Coast Producers: Source Wurx’s Digital Hub Ensures Organization and 24/7 Access to Files
  • Vital Pack/Paragon Films and Shamrock Foods: Stretch Film Improvements

Supply Partner Program Promotion to QCS Members (Supply Partners only)

New for 2023! QCS Supply Partner Program Promotion Award will honor QCS supply partner organizations’ creative QCS member-based marketing campaigns that communicate the provided value, benefits, and advantages to QCS members. This is a great way for QCS supply partners to promote their program’s solutions, products, and value-added services to the QCS membership. These awards are judged on merit by an independent panel of marketing experts. View the Supply Partner Program Promotion to Members flyer here for complete details. NOTE: the entry deadline has passed. Be sure to begin your planning for 2024!

Below is a recap of the 2023 Supply Partner Program Promotion to QCS Members. Best of luck!

  • Diversified Foods, Inc: Pantry Fresh Benefits – Growing Incremental Sales and Solving Market Challenges
  • Ecolab: Ecolab and QCS Double Digital Reach in Joint Podcast
  • Frakco, Inc.: Frakco Enhancements
  • Grainger Industrial Supply: Grainger MRO Value Program
  • IFPC: IFPC and QCS – Decades of Excellence
  • R&B Packaging: QCS Launches Leading Program through Partnership with R&B Packaging
  • Reserve Filter Systems: QCS Purchasing Discounts Website

QCS Leadership Awards (Members & Supply Partners)

QCS Leadership Awards recognize those member companies and supply partners that have been the most engaged and made significant contributions to the QCS community.

For the Member Companies Leadership Award, contributions are measured by the growth of total purchases through QCS programs and growth in the number of programs they participate in.

For the Supply Partner Leadership Award, contributions are measured by the QCS Program Scorecard, which includes, among other criteria, volume growth, member participation, innovation, quality, and service.

QCS Product Quality & Food Safety Excellence Awards (Member)

Irving B. Weber Award for Quality Excellence

The Irving B. Weber Award for Total Quality Excellence is our highest honor for plants participating in the QCS Dairy Quality Excellence Program and the finalist pool is comprised of plants that have won a Dairy Quality Excellence Award. The Irving B. Weber Award recognizes the top-performing plant for superior product quality, as determined by scoring in the quality testing program, operational excellence as indicated by Global Food Safety Initiative audit standards, and outstanding employee safety practices. This plant stands out as having reached the goals to which all exceptional businesses aspire.

Dairy Quality Excellence (DQE)

The winners of our Dairy Quality Excellence awards have shown an exceptional ability to navigate these obstacles while maintaining superior product quality in the categories of Fluid Milk, Extended Shelf Life (ESL) and Aseptic Milk, Cultured Products, and Ice Cream. QCS Dairy Quality Excellence Awards recognize the top-quality performers in the QCS Purchasing Cooperative’s Quality & Food Safety Program and are based on scores achieved in monthly product testing.

Congratulations to the following Dairy Quality Excellence Award Winners!

  • Cultured Products Category: Umpqua Dairy Products Company, Roseburg Oregon
  • ESL & Aseptic Product Category: Alqueria Dairy, Medellin Columbia
  • Fluid Milk Category: Hiland Dairy Foods Company, Kansas City, Missouri
  • Ice Cream Category: Lochmead Dairy, Junction City, Oregon

Merit Awards

The Merit of Excellence Awards is presented in the following categories: fluid milk, ice cream, and cultured products. Because our Merit of Excellence Award compliance levels is well above industry standards, this creates a significant but rewarding challenge. Open to members enrolled in the QCS Q&FS program.

Plant Assessment Award

The QCS Quality & Food Safety Plant Assessment Awards are granted to participants that achieve a formal Quality and Food Safety Audit score of 96% or higher. These annual assessments are quite rigorous – some may say ‘brutal’ – and are conducted by an accredited, approved third-party food safety auditing firm. Plants receiving this award have demonstrated a level of organizational excellence and quality assurance that is not only commendable but also assures that QCS Members represent the highest standards in the industry. Open to members enrolled in the QCS Q&FS program.

Orange Juice Outstanding Product Quality Award

Since 2017, the QCS Orange Juice Product Contest has been the perfect venue for our orange juice producers to demonstrate excellence and compete with their peers within the QCS community. Each year, orange juice samples from our members are evaluated and scored by an expert panel at the USDA facility in Winter Haven, Florida. QCS would like to express its appreciation to the USDA staff for their ongoing support of this contest and for enabling our organization to once again recognize our top orange juice producers!  This award is open to all QCS members.

Congratulations to the 2023 Orange Juice Product Quality Award Winner: Prairie Farms Dairy, Inc., Anderson, Indiana.

Egg Nog Award

This annual contest takes place during the height of Egg Nog season in December. The evaluations were based on consumer preference and conducted by a diverse panel of individuals including the staff of Mérieux NutriSciences Lab. Scores were based on body, appearance, and flavor. The award is open to all QCS members.

Congratulations to the 2022 Egg Nog Award Winners:

  • Oberwies Dairy, North Aurora, Illinois
  • Royal Crest Dairy, Denver, Colorado

View Past Awards Winners

QCS Purchasing

QCS Purchasing