This gift proposal from Florida International University arrived in a creative way—inside a jumbo cannister of Café Bustelo coffee, a household staple throughout Miami, home of the U.S. public research university. Inside the cannister: a proposal designed to look like a yellow brick of Café Bustelo that smelled of espresso.

Through this multisensory proposal experience, FIU secured in 2021 a US$1.25 million gift from Café Bustelo and Café Pilon, two world-recognized coffee brands in The J.M. Smucker Co. portfolio. 

“The [gift] proposal itself was a substantive, intentional, thought-out vision for a partnership that would benefit all parties, but it was done in a way that was fun and compelling,” says Lili Betancourt Space, Development Officer and Interim Executive Director of FIU CasaCuba, a cultural center and think tank celebrating Cuban history, diversity, and heritage.