Ian recently finished a summer internship with Peet’s Coffee, a specialty roaster that supplies Americans’ morning cups of joe nationwide. Ian was tasked with applying his business education from Whittier College to analyzing Peet’s resources in every retail location in the U.S., looking for patterns of where coffee was selling well, potentially sitting on a shelf too long, and more.
“Aside from that Peet’s provided me with a ton of once-in-a-lifetime experiences,” he said. “They gave me the chance to participate in a social media ad, tour the roasting plant, have coffee/tea tastings, and meet high level executives in a personal capacity.”
Ian felt comfortable in these impressive corporate settings thanks to his experiences at Whittier, where he regularly engaged with his professors in a professional environment. He knew every one of his professors on a personal level—relationships that allowed them to advise him individually. In fact, environmental science professor Cinzia Fissore was the one who informed him of the Peet’s internship.
It was a natural next step: last year, Ian and a fellow student, Olivia Esparza, won an on-campus competition to brand the first batch of coffee harvested from Whittier’s orchard. The contest was a great blend of Ian’s business major and graphic design minor, as he crafted a comprehensive business plan before teaming up with Olivia, a graphic design student, to create a strong brand.
Their proposal for “Greenleaf Coffee” won over the judges, including Lisette Gaviña Lopez, executive marketing manager of Gaviña Coffee, the nation's largest minority-owned family coffee roaster.
With the Peet’s internship now under his belt, Ian hopes to continue his career working in sustainability.
“The work I did was gratifying and gave me a real sense of pride,” he said. “Peet’s is a terrific company and I hope I can find a similar job at an equally amazing company.”
