Day 2 | Krispy Kreme Blogger Summit: The Total Sensory Experience

Day 2 | Krispy Kreme Blogger Summit: The Total Sensory Experience

I’ve been back from my trip to North Carolina for almost a month now, it was such a fun and exciting trip… so I am excited to share my adventures from Day 2 with you! (You can read my Day 1 adventures here)

Day 2 was probably my favorite day, as they packed so much into it, and of course it all centered around their yummy donuts and coffee! We kicked off day 2 with a coffee and doughnut pairing, and I have to say that is such a great way to start any day! We were giving several flavors of coffee, and then we were given the opportunity to try different combinations of coffee and doughnuts. I have to admit, I had no clue how amazing that the combination between and doughnut and coffee can be…honestly, it was heavenly. I am usually a person that must put creme in her coffee, but this experience totally changed how I drink my coffee…especially if I have something sweet on hand!

For this coffee and doughnut pairing, Branan Wagaman (KK Beverage Operations Manager) and Ron Ruponcinski (Corportate Chef) shared with us their expertise on coffee and doughnuts and how that the two together create an amazing experience!  Here is me working super hard at the doughnut and coffee pairing:

We were then allowed to ask questions from the Chefs (Ron Ruponcinski and Mark Susz) and that part was really interesting because it made me realize just how much thought goes into every aspect of Krispy Kreme.

After a short break, we then got to sit in a session with Chief Marketing Officer, Dwayne Chambers, which revealed a look into the “what’s and why’s” of Krispy Kreme, the fans, consumers and the driving forces behind the company itself. With each person that shared a piece of the Krispy Kreme story with us, it became more and more obvious that this company runs a little bit different than most. So much emotion and passion go into the process of bringing Krispy Kreme from concept to consumers, and I was so impressed with what a big part the consumer plays in the decision making that goes on.

One area where this is very apparent, is the Krispy Kreme fundraising program. If you are not familiar with it, you might want to check into it, especially if you are a Mom (or Dad) who has ever had to run a team fundraising program. Greg Wood, who is the Director of Fundraising, shared with us how (and why) the program works, and the amazing things that it does in communities. (go here for more info.)

We then proceeded to learn more of the story, from international marketing (holy cow… impressive! Krispy Kreme donuts are all over the globe!) as well as the wholesale market. (I was impressed to see (and of course taste) a whole line of Krispy Kreme shelf products that stores now carry, yum!)

And last, but not least, my favorite part… we spend time with the food experts, Tanisha Randolph (Food Sceintist) and Tim Heatherly (Training Specialist) who helped us to create donuts and specialty drinks of our very own. Here is me and my friend Karen,  from KouponKaren, creating our own doughnut designs:

I love the creative process, so this part was so much fun for me… and here is the result of my creating:

And on that note, our sweet (literally!) adventure was over… and I was so sad to say goodbye to old and new friends, but I love that I have my Krispy Kreme memories!

Thank you Krispy Kreme for a wonderful and Total Sensory Experience!