Beam Suntory's people are passionate, driven and diverse, and they love what they do. As spirited ambassadors for Beam Suntory and its brands, they take an entrepreneurial approach to all that they do, guided by the company's vision of Growing for Good.
As part of the People of Beam Suntory spotlight, Beam Suntory's Senior Group Manager, Research and Development (Ready-to Drink and Flavored Spirits), U.S., Danielle Druin, shares how she discovered her passion for food science in her career and the sense of accomplishment she feels in her work with the company.
Learning essential team working skills
Danielle didn’t have the 'traditional' college experience like most people. While in school, Danielle worked the overnight shift at a shipping company and went to class during the day.
"So, I didn’t have time to participate in a lot of extracurricular activities like a lot of my peers. Looking back, I don’t have any regrets because juggling school and two part-time jobs showed me that I can accomplish anything I set out to do, and my job taught me essential teamworking skills I continue to use every day," says Danielle.
Discovering a passion for food science
After graduating, Danielle thought she was headed towards a career in the medical field, since she has a Chemistry degree and loves math and science.
"But I landed a job as a Contract Lab Technician with Beam Suntory in the Global Innovation Center (GIC), and it was here that I discovered my passion for food science, which is like combining art, nature, creativity, and science in order to formulate and innovate the products that we launch. From there, I decided to go back and get my master’s in this field," explains Danielle.
In the GIC, teamwork plays an important part in the work that Danielle does. Aside from her team, Danielle works cross functionally with marketing, suppliers and other functions within the company.
"We all have the same goal in mind—developing the world’s best premium spirits," comments Danielle.
Feeling a sense of accomplishment in her work
For Danielle, her favorite part of the job is seeing the products on the shelf.
"Knowing the work that went into creating a product and seeing people enjoy it is an amazing feeling. I remember having a real sense of accomplishment when the On The Rocks™ Manhattan Cocktail launched because it was a very complex liquid to develop, but the finished result came out great and even made me into a Manhattan cocktail enthusiast," says Danielle.
"My parents are also extremely proud of my job here and are always bragging about and purchasing the products they know that I have worked on. I was the first person to get a bachelor’s degree in my family, and they’ve always been supportive of my career choices."
Danielle's career advice
Danielle explains that she thinks college can be very intimidating.
"There’s often a misconception that you’re expected to pick something you want to do for the rest of your life, but like in my case, life has a way of surprising you," comments Danielle.
"My advice is to just start something, figure out what you like and don’t like, and you’ll land where you’re supposed to be,“ concludes Danielle.
Inspired by Danielle's successful career with Beam Suntory?
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