CBL wins highest number of awards yet again at SLIM Brand Excellence Awards

Ceylon Biscuits Ltd. (CBL) triumphed at the SLIM Brand Excellence Awards 2016, held at the BMICH, on 8 November, walking away with eight awards in total, making it the only company to win a clutch as many as eight awards at this year’s ceremony. 

CBL’s flagship brand, Munchee, was bestowed with two Gold awards as ‘CSR Brand of the Year’ and ‘Local Brand of the Year’. Munchee won a further two Silver Awards for ‘Product Brand of the Year’ and ‘Innovative Brand of the Year’, while the newly-launched Munchee Ringo bagged a Bronze award for ‘Best New Entrant Brand’. 

CBL’s chocolate brand, Ritzbury, received three Silver awards for ‘Local Brand of the Year’, ‘Product Brand of the Year’ and ‘Innovative Brand of the Year’, the last two won jointly with Munchee. Overall, CBL was the company that won the highest number of awards this year. CBL has won a record 13 awards at a previous edition of the SLIM Brand Excellence Awards.

CBL’s winning portfolio at the 2016 SLIM Brand Excellence Awards included: Munchee winning Product Brand of the Year – Silver; Local Brand of the Year – Gold; CSR Brand of the Year – Gold; Innovative Brand of the Year – Silver. Whilst Ritzbury won The Product of the Year – Silver; Innovative Brand of the Year – Silver; Local Brand of the Year – Silver and Best New Entrant Brand of the Year – Bronze for Munchee Ringo.

Commenting on the company’s stellar performance at the SLIM Brand Excellence Awards 2016, Ceylon Biscuits Ltd. Group Director/Head of Marketing and Sales Nandana Wickramage said: “We are proud and delighted to earn the distinction of being the only company to win the highest number of awards at the SLIM Brand Excellence Awards this year. Our flagship brand Munchee has repeatedly demonstrated its superiority as a local brand and we remain committed to sustaining this leadership position for what is the country’s foremost brand. We salute our consumers, traders, distributors and other stakeholders for their continued support and patronage that enables us to reach this mark of excellence. This achievement reflects our commitment to our customers and their preference of our products. 

“Of particular significance to us is the fact that Munchee’s CSR programmes have been heralded as the best in the country. The brand focuses on the sustainable pillars of Education, Arts and Culture, Sports, Disaster Response and Uplifting the Community. Projects to prevent school dropouts, workshops for pre-school children and parents, teacher training programmes and edutainment programmes to promote education are ongoing. We believe that our brand excellence emanates from our sustainable and ethical manufacturing practices and corporate stewardship best practices.”

The ‘Munchee Samaga Gamata Sarana’ is an initiative focused on community development activities. However, its contribution by way of providing much needed infrastructure facilities for education stands tall amongst others. The initiative thus far encompasses the building of drinking water systems, construction of school buildings and libraries, donation of computer labs and provision of electricity to schools, construction of mini bridges as well as community centres and community health centres.  Around 100 projects carried out thus far have directly benefitted over 100,000 Sri Lankans in needy areas.

The Munchee Shishyadara project brings many benefits to school children and prevents against dropping out of school. Discussions are held with the key figures involved in the child’s life; the school principal and government officers in the area, and the child is put back in school and provided with financial support to continue his or her studies. Many children have been supported through this initiative.

Another noteworthy initiative of the company is supporting Sri Lanka’s national sport through the National Volleyball Championship at the national level to promote the sport. The ‘CSR Brand of the Year’ was awarded based on Munchee’s contribution towards the well-being and sustainability of the community.

The SLIM Brand Excellence Awards Ceremony is organised annually by the Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM), to recognise the excellence of brands’ performance in all aspects and their achievement in withstanding prevailing challenges in the marketplace.