Diving Into 32,160 Cups of Coffee

LAS VEGAS, Nov. 9, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Creativity and determination drove Ryan Abood to launch an online store when he was 22 that he has grown into a multi-million dollar enterprise.  That same passion fueled his latest feat: creating a giant, 8-foot coffee mug and brewing 2,010 gallons of fresh coffee, shattering the Guinness World Record for largest cup of coffee.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20101109/NE97496 )

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20101109/NE97496 )

And with his signature tenacity, he didn't stop there: he took the Guinness World Record for iced coffee too, dazzling the crowds at the recent Blog World Expo in Las Vegas while simultaneously raising money to fight breast cancer.  "We wanted to break both records because we had this massive cup and thought, 'We'd be crazy not to,'" said Abood, founder and CEO of GourmetGiftBaskets.com, an online store that boasts hundreds of creative, custom gift baskets.  "We had all the tools necessary and loved the challenge," he said.

The victory was an adventure for the young CEO, and his Herculean mug of coffee had everyone buzzing at Blog World, the world's largest social media conference.  In case you're getting a caffeine buzz just thinking about it, the 2,010 gallon mug held the equivalent of 32,160 cups of coffee - enough to power every office in town for a year.  And it was no small accomplishment.

Abood and his team from GourmetGiftBaskets.com set to work in the wee hours of the morning to begin brewing. Eight hours later, they poured the final cup into the massive mug and a Guinness World Record Official measured it, took the temperature, and it made history.

The following day, fueled by lots of coffee naturally, the team of 15 employees toiled again to brew the world's biggest cup of iced coffee, complete with a staggering 3,500 pounds of enormous ice cubes.  It looked so refreshing that a few members of the team took a celebratory plunge into the dark sea of coffee after Guinness declared the second victory for GourmetGiftBaskets.com.

"It was a wild experience. Hopping into a frigid cup of iced coffee was one of the most exhilarating experiences, and a once in a lifetime opportunity," said teammate Madeleine McGregor.

But it wasn't all for fun. Abood and his team dovetailed the fanfare with an opportunity to collect donations for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure organization, which provides the world's largest source of nonprofit funds dedicated to the fight against breast cancer, with more than $1.3 billion invested to date.  It's a charity that has enjoyed ongoing support from GourmetGiftBaskets.com.

"We are a family business and we even view our employees as extensions of our family. When you have a family this large you can't avoid confronting a struggle with cancer and anything we can do to support a cancer fighting cause, such as Susan G. Komen, is very near and dear to our hearts," says Abood.

Making History

The previous Guinness World Record for largest cup of coffee was set in 2007 at 911.5 gallons, which GourmetGiftBaskets.com more than doubled!  Abood acknowledged that it was not as easy as he thought, and his team juggled a dizzying array of logistics to brew 32,160 cups of coffee and iced coffee, which the team cooled down with a chilling 3,500 pounds of ice!

The team broke the Guinness World Record for World's Largest Cup of Iced Coffee just in the nick of time, emptying out 100 gallons of coffee to accommodate enough ice to get the beverage sufficiently cool, and breaking the record just as the show's doors were closing!  

GourmetGiftBaskets.com broke the Guinness World Records on Oct. 15 and 16 in Las Vegas, Nevada.  Please check out our Guinness World Record page documenting the iced coffee drama and the rest of our Guinness World Record experience.

SOURCE GourmetGiftBaskets.com