Nackard Pepsi Wins 2025 Bottler of the Year
The Flagstaff-based bottler earned the Donald M. Kendall award for the second time, following its 2002 win.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Philanthropy
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Nackard Pepsi, based in Flagstaff, Arizona, received the 2025 Donald M. Kendall Bottler of the Year award, recognizing the top independent Pepsi-Cola bottler in the United States and Canada. The company, which was a finalist for three consecutive years, previously won the award in 2002.
Why it matters
The award is presented to the leading independent Pepsi-Cola bottler and weighs business results, operational excellence, employee engagement and community involvement. Winning it again signals sustained performance by a regional bottler among roughly 80 in North America.
Nackard Pepsi serves approximately 3,000 customers across approximately 41,000 square miles, and it was a finalist for three consecutive years before this win. The extraction does not report revenue or sales figures for the company.
The players
Palmer Nackard
Palmer Nackard is the president of Nackard Pepsi and the grandson of company founders Fred Nackard and Monica Nackard.
Nackard Pepsi
Nackard Pepsi is a Pepsi-Cola bottler founded more than 80 years ago and headquartered in Flagstaff, Arizona.
The details
Palmer Nackard, the company's president and grandson of founders Fred Nackard and Monica Nackard, traveled to New York to accept the award. Nackard Pepsi serves schools, businesses, entertainment venues and retailers throughout Northern and Eastern Arizona and supports more than 450 philanthropic causes annually.
Timeline
2002: Nackard Pepsi won the Bottler of the Year award for the first time.
2025: Nackard Pepsi received the 2025 Donald M. Kendall Bottler of the Year award.
Philanthropy Track
Independent bottlers are judged on business results alongside community involvement, and Nackard Pepsi's repeat recognition under the Donald M. Kendall award places its local giving within that national benchmark. The company's support for more than 450 causes annually reflects the community criterion the award weighs.
Customers in Northern and Eastern Arizona who buy Pepsi products through schools, businesses, entertainment venues and retailers are served by Nackard Pepsi's distribution network. The award recognizes community involvement, which reflects ongoing local giving by the company.
The takeaway
Community involvement is one of the criteria used to select the nation's top independent Pepsi-Cola bottler, showing that local giving can be measured alongside sales and operations.
Further reading
Explore more Philanthropy coverage from the Flagstaff business community.
Source note: This article includes information reported by AZ Big Media.
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