ZAD Marketing and Distribution, a long-established food and household goods wholesaler and distributor in the State of Qatar, of which Bahrain-based BMMI (Bahrain Maritime and Mercantile International) has a 50% stake, won top awards at the Hershey’s Middle East 2009 Conference in Dubai.

At the annual conference held to commend Hershey’s distributors in the region for exceptional performance, ZAD was presented with 2 out of 6 awards, “The Best Distributor of the Year 2009 in the Middle East” along with “Outstanding & Timely Documentation 2009 in the Middle East”.

The awards were presented to Mike Eastwood, COO, Retail and Distribution at BMMI and Prakash Rajappan, General Manager, ZAD, by Peter Smit, Hershey’s VP Managing Director Asia & ME, and Tim Dunigan, VP Sales Hershey International.

Commenting on receiving the award, Prakash Rajappan said, “It is an honour to accept this award as it is a true recognition of the team's tireless efforts with the Hershey’s brand. Each member of ZAD is extremely happy and proud of this achievement and that their work is being recognised and awarded. These awards are encouraging, to say the least, and will motivate us greatly in reaching greater heights.”

Mike Eastwood added, “This is without doubt a momentous occasion for us. Both these awards are testimony to the team’s dedication to the BMMI mission of ‘winning the hearts and minds of our customers by delivering exceptional service’. We will continue to invest heavily in providing our employees will all the necessary training and development which I truly believe has been instrumental in helping us to achieve these commendations.”

In 2007, ZAD was awarded for “Consistent and Highest Growth 2007 in the Middle East” by Hershey's, the number one chocolate company in North America with a worldwide turnover exceeding $5 billion.