The Seattle’s Best State Fair Competition Road Show announced its grand prize winner at the finals in New York City. Eileen Gannon of Des Moines, Iowa competed with her signature beverage “How to Win a Guy with One Sip,” a sugary frothy-bomb with notes of caramelized bacon and pumps of pumpkin pie spice. Her drink will be featured at Seattle’s Best Coffee locations across the United States, and she was awarded a prize of $10,000 – making this North America’s biggest cash prize coffee competition.
The competition combined traditional on-site judging with a social media edge. Facebook members could vote on their favorite drinks via satellite. Gannon won with 30% of the Facebook vote. Gannon attributes her social media success with the PR assistance of the Blue Ribbon Bacon Fest and the Iowa Farm Bureau.
