Leaps Coffee partners with hospitality and tourism management students; new drink available through May 1

Group members Jacqueline, Kristell and Meghan in the Union Club Hotel lobby promoting their new drink during HTM 331 annual Market Day. Photo provided by Caelan O'Reilly. Download image

Leaps Coffee, located on the first floor of the Purdue Memorial Union, has partnered with a group of hospitality and tourism management students for a sales and service class project. Students analyzed the market, created a product, and submitted a sales and marketing plan to Leaps Coffee.

The group project for HTM 331 (Hospitality and Tourism Sales and Service) has students partner with a local business to create, market and sell a unique product. For group members Celia Racine, Caelan O’Reilly, Gracie Gray, Jacqueline Thomas, Kristell Gomez and Meghan Beyer, partnering with Leaps Coffee just made sense.

Racine, who is also an employee of the Union Club Hotel, said, “As a hostess for 8Eleven Bistro, partnering with Leaps Coffee just made sense to us. Many of us are friends with the baristas at Leaps, and its convenient location on campus made it ideal for us.”

Wanting to satisfy a need within the coffee shop market, the group worked alongside Leaps Coffee managers, baristas and Union Club Hotel marketing staff to bring their project and product to life. The group wanted something refreshing and energizing for the approaching warm weather. With the help of Nadia Spirydovich, a barista at Leaps Coffee, the raspberry hibiscus and lemonade iced tea was created. Incorporating raspberry and lemonade flavors with a green tea achieved the hoped-for result.

The new drink is now available at Leaps Coffee and is being offered at 8Eleven Bistro during lunch and dinner through May 1. The students’ goal is to sell 400 drinks. As of April 17, more than 300 raspberry hibiscus and lemonade iced teas have been sold. If the new drink performs well, it may become a permanent item on the Leaps Coffee spring and summer menus.

Leaps Coffee is operated by the Union Club Hotel as part of White Lodging. White Lodging was founded by Bruce White, a longtime benefactor of Purdue University and the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. The Union Club Hotel is proudly student-run, with 85% of the staff Purdue students.

Purdue Memorial Union, as part of Administrative Operations, values its partnerships with commercial entities, like White Lodging, which help provide living laboratories that enhance student learning and advance student experiences on campus.