Flagstaff-based Nackard Pepsi has earned one of the highest honors in the PepsiCo system: the 2025 Donald M. Kendall Bottler of the Year. This is its second time receiving the award, and its first under the third generation of family leadership.
The award reflects not only strong business performance but also a decades-long commitment to Northern Arizona communities, according to Palmer Nackard, the company’s president and grandson of founders Fred Nackard and Monica Nackard.
Palmer traveled to New York to accept the honor.
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“This honor is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team across every aspect of our operations in Northern Arizona,” Palmer said.
“We are proud to carry forward the traditions of quality product, customer service and community giving that my father, and his father before that, made synonymous with the Nackard Pepsi brand.”
The Bottler of the Year Award recognizes the top independent Pepsi-Cola bottler in the United States and Canada. The honor considers outstanding business results, operational excellence, employee engagement and community involvement.
Palmer said the recognition is special. The company previously won the award in 2002, when his father, Patrick Nackard, led the business. This year’s honor marks a new chapter for the company, validating its transition to a third generation of leadership.
“We did win it once before as an organization in 2002. That was when my dad was running the business,” Palmer said.
“Winning it again under my leadership was a testament to everything my grandparents did for the business and everything my parents did for the business, proving that the company is strong and as strong as it has ever been under new leadership as a family-owned business.”
The award caps an impressive run for the company. Nackard Pepsi has been a finalist for three consecutive years, making it the first bottler to achieve that distinction since the award’s creation.
“Our employees were very excited about winning this,” Palmer said. “To be nominated three years in a row is an achievement in itself, and then, of course, to win it is the ultimate cherry on top.”
Founded more than 80 years ago, Nackard Pepsi now serves approximately 3,000 customers across approximately 41,000 square miles, from Prescott to the Utah border.
Nackard Pepsi serves schools, businesses, entertainment venues like Flagstaff’s Pepsi Amphitheater and retailers throughout Northern and Eastern Arizona.
It supports organizations including Grand Canyon Youth, Lowell Observatory, Creative Flagstaff and High Country Adaptive Sports. It is also a lead donor for the Reserves Downhill Trails Project, which aims to improve mountain biking opportunities in partnership with the Coconino National Forest.
Nackard Pepsi also supports more than 450 philanthropic causes annually through donations, volunteer work, and other forms of assistance. Its efforts focus on increasing access to art, science and recreation throughout Northern Arizona.
“Giving back, being a pillar of our mission, that is a very important part of everything that we do,” Palmer said. “Last year, we gave to 450 organizations across Northern Arizona. We have a philanthropic mission, and it’s to increase access to art, science, and recreation.”
While the company competes against bottlers of all sizes across North America, Palmer said its market presents unique challenges and opportunities.
“There are around 80 bottlers in North America,” he said. “We cover a very unique area, very beautiful area, but rural. Our market’s very rural. We cover Prescott and Flagstaff, and then we have a building in Show Low, but we cover all the towns and everyone in between.”
Palmer believes that commitment to employees and community traces directly back to the values established by earlier generations.
“Part of that is doing things that are best for our employees, doing things that are best for our community,” he said. “Just by following that mission statement, I think is what got us the win for the Bottler of the Year.”
PepsiCo leaders cited those same qualities when recognizing the Flagstaff bottler.
“Nackard Pepsi continues to set the standard for excellence across our bottling system,” said John Short, senior vice president of strategic partnerships, M&A and franchise for PepsiCo Beverages U.S., in a statement.
“Their ability to grow the total PepsiCo portfolio, deepen customer partnerships and consistently deliver results across multiple markets is a clear reflection of the team’s focus, discipline and commitment.”
For Palmer, the award is a celebration of the past and a sign that the family business remains positioned for the future.
“Being a third generation in a family-owned business, no one wants to mess up their family legacy,” he said. “I carry on the mission statement that my grandparents founded the business on.”
