Because nothing says red, white and delicious like the State Fair, Seattle?s Best Coffee, part of Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX), is teaming up with celebrity chef Jeff Mauro to launch the Red Cup Showdown ? a coast-to-coast search at state fairs and on Facebook to find the most imaginative new coffee drink. The grand prize winner will be awarded with $10,000 and the chance to have their coffee drink featured at Seattle?s Best Coffee locations across North America.
?From chicken fried bacon to red velvet funnel cake, State Fairs are a hotbed of cooking creativity,? said Jeff Mauro, celebrity chef. ?There?s no better place to go to see how Seattle?s Best Coffee can be shaken up, turned upside down and transformed into something we?ve never tasted before. I can?t wait to meet some great people and see what they bring to the table for the Red Cup Showdown.?
Seattle?s Best Coffee and Jeff Mauro will embark on a 3,000-mile journey to host Red Cup Showdown live competitions alongside custard pie contests, brownie bake-offs and strawberry jam competitions at five state fairs across the nation.
?Every summer more than 100 million Americans* take their taste buds for a ride at the fairs,? said Chris Bruzzo, chief marketing officer, Seattle?s Best Coffee. ?The fair is home of the unimaginable and undeniably delicious. We can?t wait to see how local cooks have reinvented our coffee, and also give fairgoers a taste of our fair-inspired drinks.?
All fairgoers will be able to get ice cold coffee and more at the Seattle?s Best Coffee exhibit on the midway. Fairgoers will be able to cool off with a free iced coffee drink from a lip-licking lineup of choices, including Cotton Candy Mochas, Elephant Ear Lattes and Carmel Pretzel Mochas. In addition, fairgoers will be able to pose for a free souvenir digital photo inside a life-sized red mug, take a spin at the prize wheel loaded with thousands of dollars? worth of prizes and receive a free sample of Seattle?s Best Coffee? coffee to brew at home.
The Red Cup Showdown Tour
Coffee lovers and competitive cooks can mark their calendars:
[highlight]
California State Fair, Sacramento
Seattle?s Best Coffee Exhibit and Free Iced Coffee: Friday, July 13-Sunday, July 15
Red Cup Showdown with host Jeff Mauro: Saturday, July 14
Ohio State Fair, Columbus
Seattle?s Best Coffee Exhibit and Free Iced Coffee: Friday, July 27-Sunday, July 29
Red Cup Showdown with host Jeff Mauro: Friday, July 27
Wisconsin State Fair, Milwaukee
Seattle?s Best Coffee Exhibit and Free Iced Coffee: Friday, Aug. 3-Sunday, Aug. 5
Red Cup Showdown with host Jeff Mauro: Sunday, Aug. 5
Illinois State Fair, Springfield
Seattle?s Best Coffee Exhibit and Free Iced Coffee: Thursday, Aug. 9-Saturday, Aug. 11
Red Cup Showdown with host Jeff Mauro: Friday, Aug. 10
Iowa State Fair, Des Moines
Seattle?s Best Coffee Exhibit and Free Iced Coffee: Monday, Aug. 13-Wed., Aug. 15
Red Cup Showdown with host Jeff Mauro: Wednesday, Aug. 15
[/highlight]
Tune In to the Red Cup Showdown on Facebook
The thrills and chills of the Red Cup Showdown live competitions will be viewable on Seattle?s Best Coffee?s Facebook page. Fans will be able to follow the journey with host Jeff Mauro as he judges contestants from each state fair who will compete to win. Tune into Facebook for the first episode to find out who takes home the blue ribbon at the California State Fair.
Entering the Red Cup Showdown
Seattle?s Best Coffee is looking for blue ribbon-worthy entries ? from a tribute to Midwestern comfort food, to a Wild-West adventure, to coffee drinks inspired by favorite fair foods, classic candies or even sandwiches. There are two ways to enter the Red Cup Showdown: cooks can enter to participate in a live competition at one of the state fair stops, or they can compete in the Facebook competition. The Facebook competition call for entries will run through July 27. The contest is open to all US and Canadian residents 18 years or older. For more information on how to enter and official rules, visit www.facebook.com/seattlesbestcoffee.
How to Win the Red Cup Showdown
Five finalists will be named from the state fair competitions, one per state, and one finalist will be named from the Facebook contest. A panel of judges will select the finalists based on use of Seattle?s Best Coffee?, appetite appeal, uniqueness and the story behind the coffee drink idea. The six finalists will win a trip to New York City where they battle for the grand prize in the finale Red Cup Showdown live competition on Aug. 23. The public will also be able to vote on their favorite finalist Aug. 18-22. The grand-prize winning coffee drink will be selected based on the vote of the judging panel, as well as Facebook votes.
* Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (accessed 6/15/2012)
Source: Starbucks Coffee