Coca-Cola lands behind PepsiCo in supplier survey

Fast-food companies ranked Coca-Cola the No. 2 supplier, with an 8-point improvement over its score in 2008. PepsiCo ranked No. 1 among fast-food clients, but its score dropped 9 points in that time.

The results were reported last week in trade publication Beverage Digest.

Coca-Cola argued the survey does not provide an exact comparison with PepsiCo, its primary competitor. PepsiCo is one of the world's biggest snack companies as well as a major supplier of drinks, while Coca-Cola is focused on beverages. Several large Coca-Cola customers such as McDonald's and Wendy's/Arby's did not appear on Kantar's published list of respondents.

"Our sustained leadership as a beverage supplier to the foodservice industry speaks loudly and clearly about our customers’ opinions of us," Coca-Cola said in a statement. "Comparing a company that sells foods and beverages to one that sells only beverages is like comparing apples to oranges, because customer service ratings may apply to one but not the other."

Kanter said one surprising conclusion of the survey of 465 customers was that top suppliers are not rated highly simply because they help operators control costs. Respondents seemed to appreciate manufacturers' ability to help them manage the overall business – both revenue and costs.

"Manufacturers who achieve this level of interaction become true partners and are able to elevate the conversation beyond a cost-based level," Kantar said in an executive summary, adding that elite manufacturers help customers plan more efficiently, pull traffic into stores and convince consumers to spend more.