Transcom Beverages Ltd, the exclusive franchisee of PepsiCo in Bangladesh, has won the “Global Bottler of the Year” award for 2016 in recognition of its outstanding business results and performance.

The award has recently been announced at PepsiCo's annual Global Franchise Forum in Rome.

In 2009, Transcom Beverages also won the “International Bottler of the Year” award after starting bottling operations in 2000.

The bottler of the year award has been part of PepsiCo's international business for over 25 years.

This year the contenders were from amongst the top performing bottlers from each of PepsiCo's four geographic sectors -- Asia, Middle East and North Africa, Europe Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and North America beverages.

PepsiCo Chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi handed over the trophy to Transcom Group Chairman and CEO Latifur Rahman at a colourful ceremony at Hotel Sheraton in Italy on June 22.

Transcom Group's directors Shahnaz Rahman and Simeen Hossain; Transcom Beverages Director Arshad Waliur Rahman, Managing Director and CEO Golam Quddus Chowdhury and Deputy Managing Director Khurshid Irfan Chowdhury and Transcom Consumer Products Manager Zaraif Ayaat Hossain attended the programme.

Among others, PepsiCo's CEO for Asia, Middle East and North Africa Sanjeev Chadha, PepsiCo India's Senior Vice President (beverage category) Vipul Prakash and PepsiCo Bangladesh's Country Manager Manish Muley were also present.

PepsiCo's business in Bangladesh has been delivering solid results and leading the soft drinks market in Bangladesh over the past few years, with 7UP being recognised as the Best Beverage Brand for seven years in a row by Bangladesh Brand Forum.

Transcom Beverages has also won “Bottler of the Year” award in the PepsiCo India region for six years.

Vipul Prakash said, “Bangladesh is an important market for PepsiCo and we have had a long standing relationship with the Transcom Group.”

“We believe that our partnership is well poised to take advantage of the fast growing packaged food and beverage market in Bangladesh.”

In his acceptance speech, Latifur Rahman dedicated the award to the memory of his grandson, Faraaz Ayaaz Hossain, who made the ultimate sacrifice by refusing to abandon his friends during the Holey Artisan terrorist attack in Dhaka on July 1, 2016.

Transcom Beverages is the sole franchisee of PepsiCo in Bangladesh for bottling, distributing and marketing of world renowned brands like Pepsi, 7Up, Mirinda, Mountain Dew, Diet Pepsi, 7up Lite, Slice and international drinking water brand Aquafina.