The Big Mac Index went truly global when the first McDonald’s opened in the Soviet Union, only twenty-three years after the first international franchise was opened in BC, Canada, in 1967. By the time McDonald’s finally burst through the iron curtain, it was only two years away from reaching global restaurant domination, which it achieved in 1992 when it opened its first restaurant in Casablanca, Morocco and was able to claim a restaurant on all six continents.

When it comes to global supply management, few companies have the global breadth of McDonald’s and, except for a few global food companies, none are in the food and beverage business. But it shows what determination — and great supply chain management — can enable. (Especially if you’re not afraid of a little red.)