The Drinks Association’s second Supply Chain Forum of 2025 was held in Melbourne on 10th and 11th September, bringing together senior supply chain leaders from across the drinks industry. Hosted by Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP), the two-day event delivered a full program of presentations, industry discussions and site visits.
Forum Chair Tara Hamilton, Supply Planning Manager APAC at Campari, opened proceedings by welcoming delegates and highlighting the value of collaboration and shared learning across the sector.
The agenda began with Asahi Beverages, where Rita Nador, General Manager Employee Experience, and Sherlyn Prakash, General Manager Safety and Wellbeing, outlined the company’s award-winning wellbeing and diversity, equity & inclusion programs – initiatives that earned recognition at this year’s Australian Drinks Awards. Their presentation explored practical approaches for embedding DE&I into supply chain culture and fostering both physical and mental wellbeing.
Delegates then heard from Mark Emery, Director Client Service, Advantage Group, who presented insights from the 2025 Advantage Engagement Survey. His session focused on supply chain performance, unpacking supplier and customer expectations, benchmarking results and strategies to build stronger partnerships.
Workplace safety was the theme of the next session, with WorkSafe Victoria’s Jaison McIntyre, Group Leader Operations, and Chris Langley, WorkSafe Inspector, discussing emerging compliance priorities. Through real-world case studies, they shared tools and resources to support safer practices across warehouses, logistics and distribution.
Attention then shifted to technology and standards. GS1’s Andrew Steele, Director - Retail, and Peter Davenport, Principal Advisor - Retail, Food & Beverage showcased the latest developments in supply chain technology, interoperability and data traceability, underscoring their role in boosting efficiency and transparency across the industry.
The day concluded at CCEP’s Mentone distribution centre, where attendees toured the facility and saw firsthand the new Volvo electric prime mover, one of 30 recently added to the Linfox/BevChain fleet. The centre operates with 80 full-time staff, holds capacity for 42,000 pallets and services 16,000 customers.
In the evening, participants enjoyed dinner at the Forresters Way Hotel, providing a relaxed setting for networking and conversation.
Day two opened with a fully guided tour of CCEP’s production facility, giving members an inside look at one of the largest beverage operations in Australia.
The presentations that followed included Australian Vintage’s Head of Supply Chain, Mark Alexander, who shared the company’s path to B Corp certification and the sustainability initiatives that secured the Best Environmental Sustainability Award at the 2025 Australian Drinks Awards. His presentation was followed by Mario Gonzalez, Head of Supply Chain at Fever-Tree, who detailed the company’s priorities and growth strategies.
The morning concluded with a wrap-up from Forum Chair Tara Hamilton before delegates moved to the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). A guided tour took attendees through the iconic venue, including exclusive access to the MCC members’ rooms, the Jameson corporate box and one of the 50 keg rooms, showcasing the 75m beer lines and a range of the MCG’s bar facilities, courtesy of Delaware North.
The forum attracted both long-standing members and new participants, all of whom found the two days highly valuable and insightful. Planning is already underway for the next Supply Chain and Logistics Forum, set for May 2026.
Thank you to attendees: Aaron Backman - ALM, Rob Machado – Asahi Beverages, Mark Alexander – Australian Vintage, Steve Richardson – Australian Vintage, Justin Gibson - Bacardi, Tim Xu - Bacardi, Lee Rowland - Brown Family Wine Group, Luke Meli - Brown-Forman, Tara Hamilton – Campari, Michael Whitford – CCEP, Orlaith Spooner – CCEP, Sophie Medak – CCEP, Stuart Dunstall – CCEP, , Brett Harmston – Lion, Geoff Torney – Paramount Liquor, Vanessa Thomas – Pernod Ricard, Marianne Stewart – Sazerac, Mario Gonzalez – Fever-Tree, Alfred Battiato – BevChain, Jamie Single – BevChain, Clint Terbogt – BevChain, Peter Davenport – GS1, Andrew Steele – GS1, Nathan Arneil – Harders, Jacques Roux – Harders, Brad Greer – Mainfreight, Tinika Tipene – Mainfreight, Glen Brown – Hillebrand Gori, Chis Liu – Hillebrand Gori