Janie B.

Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Janie and although I am new to this blog, I am not new to Crimson Cup. This year will be 13th Anniversary with “The Cup.” On several occasions I have been told by others that I have the BEST JOB in the world, and that’s because one of my responsibilities is to taste and develop products for Crimson Cup. I get to guarantee that when you drink a beverage from us you will be joyfully satisfied with what is in the cup.  In my career at Crimson Cup, I have helped develop our chocolate sauce, and our frozen drink mixes; Polar Powder and Polar Powder Protein Light.

On my most recent trip, I worked on developing our white chocolate sauce and our caramel sauce. I think this is why people say I have the best job in the world; I get to taste chocolate and fun stuff like caramel. Who wouldn’t love to do this? What most people do not know is, product development is a long process. It can take many years to get the right formula down.

For example, with my recent product, the white chocolate sauce, I taste tested the product all day long and in several applications. First I tried it in it’s natural state, then after I added additional ingredients to tweek their flavors. Do you know how many vanilla flavorings are out there? A lot! And I think I have smelled or tasted most of them! Once I’ve determined the balance of flavors I think is correct, the final sauce is developed.

In this picture, you will see 4 different white chocolates and 2 caramel sauces. This was a blind taste test, so my decision could not be swayed toward one particular sauce. Also notice the saltines? These are always on standby just in case there may be an upset stomach in the group!

The product development process doesn’t end here though.  I then have try the product I’ve developed in other applications; • hot espresso-based drinks • iced espresso-based drinks • frozen espresso-based drinks • hot chocolates •and frozen crèmes. And guess what? If it does not taste 100% fabulous in all of the applications, it is back to square one.

Here are 3 white chocolate espresso-based drinks waiting to be tested

We pride ourselves on quality at Crimson Cup and if what we taste is not as good or better than our current product, we will not change anything. Although sometimes I get stomach aches or giddy from all the sugar (one time, during a break in the middle of a taste test,  I sprayed deodorant in my hair thinking it was hairspray..true story)! In the end if you are happy with what is in the cup, then it is definitely worth it! So, is it the best job in the world?! Although it can be difficult, it’s a pretty cool job…and it is mine!

By the way,  I am always looking for new ideas.  If there is something you would like to see in your cup that we currently do not carry, comment on here and let me know!