People of Beam Suntory: Danielle Druin
People of Beam Suntory: Danielle Druin
“I didn’t have the 'traditional' college experience like most people. While in school, I 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.
After graduating, I thought I was headed towards a career in the medical field since I have a Chemistry degree and love 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.
In the GIC, teamwork plays an important part in the work that I do. Aside from my team, I work 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.
My 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.
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.
I think college can be very intimidating because 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. 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.“
— Danielle Druin, Senior Group Manager - Research & Development (RTD & Flavored Spirits), USA