Montreal's Top Employers (2026) Magazine - Magazine - Page 30
MONTRÉAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS (2026)
30
A challenger mindset propels Keurig Dr Pepper Canada
S
ince joining Keurig Dr
Pepper Canada (KDP)
in 2021, Wissal Jatti has
steadily expanded her
scope, gaining exposure
to new functions and strategic
priorities with the support of her
mentors and managers.
“At KDP, they really encourage
career growth through what they
call the rock walling philosophy,”
says Jatti, national key account
manager, team lead. “You can
move across the organization, take
on new challenges, and broaden
your experience.”
As much as I love the
coffee smell in our plant,
it is the people that I
love most.
— Carl Saba
Vice-President of Supply
Chain and Operations
Jatti appreciates the analogy
the company uses as part of its
professional development strategy.
Career progression means more
than moving up the ladder. KDP
encourages horizontal moves to
different teams or departments
to build new skills, similar to the
way a rock climber might traverse
a wall.
She began in an account
management role before stepping
into revenue growth management,
where she deepened her
understanding of how commercial
decisions ripple across the
business. Each move added a new
grip on the wall, preparing her for
bigger responsibilities.
Employees at the Keurig Dr Pepper Canada Montreal coffee plant, located in the Saint-Michel neighbourhood.
Leaders support that mindset.
“If you are interested in a different
position in the company, you are
encouraged to shadow someone in
their job,” she says.
Mentorship is another
cornerstone of that approach. Jatti
has benefited from collaborating
with mentors. “They want you
to go outside of your day-to-day
and meet with someone who can
bring you value and different
perspectives.”
Headquartered in Montréal,
KDP has more than 950 employees
across the area — the majority
within the coffee business —
making the city the heart of the
company’s Canadian operations.
There is a culture of growth
and trust in Montréal, where
KDP operates one of the largest
integrated coffee businesses in
the country. Overseeing much
of that footprint is Carl Saba,
vice-president of supply chain and
operations.
For Saba, the success of
the business’s operations is
inseparable from its people. “We
have amazing employees who
want the best for the company,” he
says. “As much as I love the coffee
smell in our plant, it is the people
that I love most.”
That people-first approach
has guided a significant
transformation of KDP’s Montréalbased coffee operations. At the
core of the transformation are
the teams on the ground keeping
the Saint-Michel manufacturing
facilities running around the
clock and producing roughly two
billion coffee pods each year for
Canadian consumers. Continued
modernization of the roasting
and packaging plant has also
enabled the company to bring U.S.
production back to Canada.
“It is Canada first and Montréal
focused,” he says. “The goal is
always to grow and invest here.”
That transformation has been
driven by what Saba describes
as a challenger mindset, an
approach that encourages teams
to think boldly, innovate, and
challenge the status quo. Last year,
Montréal-based teams completed
the conversion of their K-Cup
portfolio to include a peelable lid,
making it easier for consumers to
