PepsiCo Americas Foods Names DePaul Packaging Number One Contract Manufacturer in Country for Quality

Frito-Lay Co-Packer Maintains Best Quality Across All PepsiCo Americas Foods Contract Manufacturers

PORTLAND, Ore., June 21, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- PepsiCo Americas Foods, PepsiCo's food and snack business in North and South America that includes Frito-Lay, announced at the PepsiCo 14th Annual Contract Manufacturing Meeting in Plano, TX last week that DePaul Packaging was number one in quality out of all PepsiCo Americas Foods contract manufacturers across the U.S.

The leadership team of DePaul Packaging, DePaul Industries' food packaging and contract manufacturing division, accepted the 2011 PepsiCo Americas Foods Contract Manufacturing Quality Award at the meeting in Plano, TX. Prior to attending, DePaul Packaging was informed that it was the best quality co-packer of all Frito-Lay co-packers for Back to School season, but was surprised with the news that it was first in quality for all PepsiCo Americas Foods contract manufacturers for the entire calendar year while in Plano.

"We're a bit stunned and extremely proud to learn that we're number one across the entire country for one of our biggest and best customers," says Travis Pearson, Vice President & Chief Operating Officer of DePaul Industries. "It's great to know that the quality work of DePaul is getting national recognition."

PepsiCo Americas Foods measured DePaul Packaging's quality against a number of important metrics and against the 40 other contract manufacturers across the country. To top it off, DePaul Packaging achieved number one in quality while the volume of product it moved for Frito-Lay increased by a sizeable 15% from the previous year—in other words, DePaul moved more product than ever before and still maintained the best quality across the country.

DePaul Packaging employees will celebrate this achievement at its Hayden Island facility in Portland, OR later this month.

About DePaul Industries:
Since 1971, DePaul Industries has focused on its vision of changing the landscape of employment of people with disabilities while growing into the Northwest's most comprehensive outsourcing specialist. DePaul helps people with disabilities to have the opportunity to work through a self-sustaining business model that generates more than 97% of revenue through the operation of three core businesses: food packaging & contract manufacturing, temporary staffing services, and security services. To date, DePaul has trained or employed in excess of 15,000 people with disabilities and paid wages and benefits of more than $200 million.

DePaul Industries' Food Packaging & Contract Manufacturing division, DePaul Packaging, operates a 100,000 square foot facility on Hayden Island just north of Portland, Oregon, specializing in services meeting total supply chain needs—from pallet kitting and assembly, to dry fill and pouch fill capabilities, to shrink sealing and labeling, to distribution and logistics. DePaul Packaging was honored as the Northwest Food Processors Association prestigious Food Processor of the Year in 2009. DePaul's staffing division also has been successful in creating employment opportunities in food packaging for disabled veterans, leveraging skills and leadership inherent to this group. For more information, visit http://www.depaulindustries.com.

About PepsiCo Americas Foods:
PepsiCo Americas Foods (PAF) is PepsiCo's food and snack business in North and South America. Its portfolio of businesses includes Frito-Lay North America, Quaker Foods & Snacks, Sabritas, Gamesa, and Latin America Foods. For more information, visit http://www.pepsico.com.

SOURCE DePaul Industries