SANTA CLARA, CA - January 4, 2001 - The Coca-Cola Bottlers' Association (CCBA), an independent trade association serving participating member Coca-Cola Bottlers in the U.S., has entered into an agreement with ecFood (www.ecFood.com) in support of its cooperative purchasing programs. Under the agreement, ecFood, a pioneer in Web-based software for sourcing and bidding solutions for the food and beverage industry, will provide a full range of e-procurement software and services including sourcing, supplier rating, negotiated bidding and specification management. The first e-procurement service that ecFood will provide for participating CCBA members is demand aggregation for ingredients and MRO items.
When it was founded in 1914, the primary charge of CCBA, headquartered in Atlanta, was to defend bottlers of Coca-Cola from sham product liability claims. During its 86-year history, CCBA has evolved into an association that represents small and large bottlers. CCBA has greatly expanded its portfolio of member services and activities to include employee benefits, liability insurance and purchasing programs. CCBA also coordinates and supports 11 standing committees that meet regularly to focus on the beverage industry and bottling issues.
Because of our proven knowledge of the beverage industry, we know how to work with our clients to ensure successful e-commerce transactions, said Dave Laukat, CEO of ecFood. ecFood anticipates that CCBA members, particularly when employing our aggregation services, will see immediate savings and long-term efficiencies. We are committed to helping our food and beverage industry customers feel comfortable using new economy tools while maintaining the process of their current business practices.
