Dr Pepper Snapple Group Gives Back To Communities & Has Many Innovative Ideas for 2015 #DPSBalance

Disclosure: This post was written for the Dr Pepper Snapple Group in conjunction with The Motherhood. All opinions provided are my own. Compensation was provided in exchange for my participation in the group meeting and post.

 



Just last week I was fortunate enough to be part of a panel of moms who participated in a virtual briefing with the Dr Pepper Snapple Group (DPS)  As a huge fan of Dr Pepper, I cannot express how excited I was to be presented with this opportunity and I was bubbling with questions for the DPS team! Apparently, I wasn't the only one because all of the other participants were actively participating and asking questions throughout the meeting as well, which made for a very interesting and informative experience for all.

I learned so much about DPS and am going to share a bit of that knowledge with all of my readers. Before last week, I had appreciation for the Dr Pepper Snapple Group products, but I had no idea just how involved they are in the process of creating new and innovative products as well as participating in communities. I wasn't at all surprised to learn that they are the leader in flavored carbonated beverages. I have been a Dr Pepper fan for as long as I can remember and, if there is a soft drink to be purchased when at the grocery store, that's the one in my cart. It is also a favorite of my son, Liam, who would drink it all day if I let him. As you may already know, Dr Pepper is a culmination of 23 flavors. Of course, I had to ask the group what the flavors are because I sometimes feel like I taste caramel and cherry, but I was surprised when told that only 2 people know the secret ingredients contained in Dr Pepper, so it is just a mysterious as it is delicious!

Dr Pepper Snapple Group sells more than 50 brands of carbonated soft drinks, teas, juices, mixers, and other premium beverages, which include YooHoo, Hawaiian Punch, Mott's, and IBC Root Beer. They consistently stay at the top of the charts, with 6 of the top 10 non-cola soft drink brands in the business. How are they so successful? They take the creation of new drinks very seriously. In fact, a product they put on the shelf may have existed in over 40 different variations before the final product was approved! DPS actively listens to their consumers, wanting to give them exactly what they are looking for in a product. I find the entire process, from scientists to store shelves, so interesting.

Outdoor play is very important for a balanced lifestyle!

As someone who really strives for a healthy balanced lifestyle, it's always encouraging to find out a company has similar goals for their products and consumers. DPS also believes that healthy lives depend on balance. You should balance the calories consumed with the amount of calories burned through physical activity to stay keep healthy and fit. This is why DPS has set a goal for the upcoming year to focus at least half of all innovation projects on providing healthier options for consumers. This includes adding low- and no-calorie beverages, adding smaller portion options, and improving overall nutrition. They even took full-calorie beverages out of schools and hope to reduce the amount of calories consumed in beverages by 20% over the next 10 years!

Of course, consumers are very important to any business, but DPS really takes a hands-on approach to reaching their consumers and helping them also complete their own goals. I had no idea that DPS was so heavily involved in philanthropic organizations, causes, and projects for local and national communities. To date, more than 2,300 employees have spent time volunteering!

Playing Frisbee with family on Thanksgiving!

When doing their research, DPS found some very interesting facts, including that only 20% of children live near parks and 2/3 of children get less than an hour of play each day. It's no surprise that obesity rates have tripled when children aren't as active and also have poor eating/drinking habits. With all of this in mind, DPS began its $15 million 3-year Let's Play program in 2011 with KaBOOM!, an awesome non-profit organization dedicated to promoting active play. I've mentioned KaBOOM in prior posts on my blog and fully support their work encouraging children to get off the couch and play! Thanks to the partnership between DPS and KaBOOM!, 2,000 playgrounds were built or improved. The Let's Play program was so successful that they extended their partnership this year through 2016 with an additional $10 million from DPS with hopes of continuing the dream to provide children with safe and fun playgrounds for children and encouraging the entire family to stay active and lead a balanced lifestyle.

This year DPS also made a $1 million contribution to Good Sports as part of the Let's Play program. Good Sports is a national non-profit organization dedicated to promoting active play among older children by providing athletic equipment to disadvantaged youth. As we all know, participating in sports can be very expensive. Many children are not able to be a part of organized sports in their communities due to lack of funding, the cost of equipment, uniforms, and entry fees, so Let's Play has also expanded to also include individual children who "lack the opportunity to participate in organized sports due to the cost of equipment, uniforms, and entry fees. By the end of 2016, DPS will have donated more than $26 million to Let's Play.

Participating in this meeting gave me the opportunity to see how the Dr Pepper Snapple Group works from the inside out and I'm not an even bigger fan of their company. I'm utterly amazed at the dedication all the employees have for not only their products, but also for their consumers. DPS takes it a step further by focusing on consumers, what they want, and what they need, before moving forward each year. I have no doubt that DPS will succeed in their goals for 2015 and cannot wait to see what is in store for the future.

I hope this post gave you a but more insight into what DPS is all about. What was the most important fact you learned about DPS? How do you work to maintain a balanced and healthy lifestyle?

For more information on fun ideas for active play as a family and grants, be sure to check out the Let's Play website. While there, take the Let's Play Pledge to add more playtime to your schedule and spend time as a family outdoors! My boys would spend each and every hour outdoors if they could, so when it isn't too cold, that's where you will find us.

Disclosure: This post was written for the Dr Pepper Snapple Group in conjunction with The Motherhood. All opinions provided are my own. Compensation was provided in exchange for my participation in the group meeting and post.