Jake Gray Takes the Crown in Caribou Coffee Drink Creation Contest
NC State Dining is proud to celebrate the creativity of its student employees, and this semester, Caribou Coffee locations on campus showcased that spirit through a drink creation contest. The winning drink? A sweet and surprising raspberry-inspired creation by student employee Jake Gray called the Raspberry Cloud. It will be available at all Caribou locations 3/31 – 5/2.
We caught up with Jake to learn more about his inspiration and experience.
What inspired your drink creation?
“I noticed people tend to enjoy sweeter drinks, especially cold blended ones. Raspberry drinks are also really popular, but there weren’t any in the blended category. That sparked the idea to combine the two!”
How did you come up with the flavors and ingredients for your special?
“I based it on ingredients from other drinks that people seemed to enjoy. Raspberry is also my personal favorite syrup flavor, so it was a no-brainer to include that.”
What made you decide to participate in creating a new drink for Caribou?
“It seemed like a fun, creative experiment. One of the things I really like about my drink is its color, which is a bit surprising. You’d expect a raspberry drink to be red or pink, but this one has a cool, unexpected twist.”
Have you ever designed a specialty drink before, or was this your first time?
“This was my first time participating in the competition, but I’ve definitely experimented with drinks before. I enjoy playing around with flavors and seeing what works.”
What do you enjoy most about working with NC State Dining and Caribou Coffee? How does this experience compare to others in your career?
“I really enjoy working with my coworkers. Everyone is super efficient and fun to work with. You can tell that people genuinely like their jobs, and that makes it a great environment. I’m glad I got to contribute something creative to our Caribou Coffee team.”
Congratulations to Jake Gray on his winning creation! Be sure to stop by a campus Caribou Coffee location to try his delicious Raspberry Cloud drink and experience the creativity of NC State Dining’s talented team. The drink will be available at all Caribou locations 3/31 – 5/2.