Dunkin' Donuts Shopping Cart Derby Served L.A. Residents a Steaming Cup of Competition

First-ever Dunkin' Donuts Shopping Cart Derby (http://www.dunkinathome.com) in LA Dec. 8, 2007 -- Derby celebrated release of Dunkin' Donuts packaged coffee in retail stores nationwide -- "Access Hollywoood" correspondent -- and former Dunkin' Donuts employee -- Maria Menounos, crowned winners at event benefiting America's Second Harvest.

Los Angeles, CA (PRWeb) December 9, 2007 -- With the help of "Access Hollywood" correspondent Maria Menounos, an excited crowd of intrepid coffee drinkers enjoyed the first-ever "Dunkin' Donuts Shopping Cart Derby" (http://www.dunkinathome.com) Saturday, December 8, at the Santa Monica Pier in California. The lively event raised funds for America's Second Harvest -- The Nation's Food Bank Network, and celebrated the launch of Dunkin' Donuts packaged coffee in retail outlets across the country.

Over 30 teams participated in the competitive obstacle course for the chance to win a two-year, one-year or six-month's supply of their preferred brew. Each team that participated generated a donation to America's Second Harvest (http://www.secondharvest.org) by P&G Coffee. The result was a total donation of $20,000 to the non-profit that feeds America's hungry through a nationwide network of member food banks. Packaged coffee at the event was donated to the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank.

"It's great to be part of this event that supports America's Second Harvest," said "Access Hollywood" (http://www.accesshollywood.com) correspondent, Maria Menounos. "Having worked at Dunkin' Donuts as a teenager in Boston, I'm a big fan of their coffee and excited to know I can now pick it up at my local grocery store on the West Coast. This event helps to capture the enthusiasm we fans have for the brand while helping out a worthwhile cause."

Teams with names such as "Better Latte Than Never," "The Espresso Kids" and "Cream & Sugar" worked the Derby course as fast as they could, collecting and shelving all six current varieties of Dunkin' Donuts packaged coffee. After multiple qualifying heats and semi-final rounds, five teams were chosen to compete in the final race. Among a throng of animated spectators, Maria Menounos crowned the following winners:

First Prize (Whole Bean gold medal) -- Team "MMM Donuts" -- John and Julie Benham from Cincinnati, Ohio

Second Prize (Vanilla silver medal) -- Team "Jolt & Bolt" -- Sandy and Christa Meola from Los Angeles, California

Third Prize (Hazelnut bronze medal) -- Team "The Sweet and Lows" -- Dan Lange and Justin Shabsis from Los Angeles and Culver City, California

"We're so proud to have won the Dunkin' Donuts Shopping Cart Derby. Our weeks of intensive training -- mainly drinking lots of coffee and frequent supermarket trips -- really paid off," said Julie Benham, captain of first-place team, "MMM Donuts." "Now that Dunkin' Donuts packaged coffee is available locally, it will be easy for us to restock after we enjoy our grand prize, a two-year supply of our favorite drink."

Dunkin' Donuts packaged coffee is available in grocery stores, mass merchandisers, club stores and drug stores throughout the U.S. Ground varieties are available in Original Blend, French Vanilla, Dunkin' Decaf®, Hazelnut and Cinnamon Spice flavors. Original Blend is also available in a whole bean variety. Dunkin' Donuts coffee is available in a 12 oz. package for a suggested retail price of $7.99 and a 40 oz. package for a suggested retail price of $15.99. Free samples are available at http://www.dunkinathome.com.

About Procter & Gamble [NYSE:PG

Three billion times a day, P&G brands touch the lives of people around the world. The company has one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Pampers®, Tide®, Ariel®, Always®, Whisper®, Pantene®, Mach3®, Bounty®, Dawn®, Pringles®, Folgers®, Charmin®, Downy®, Lenor®, Iams®, Crest®, Oral-B®, Actonel®, Duracell®, Olay®, Head & Shoulders®, Wella®, Gillette®, and Braun®. The P&G community consists of over 135,000 employees working in over 80 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.

About Dunkin' Donuts

Founded in 1950, today Dunkin' Donuts is the number one retailer of hot regular coffee-by-the-cup in America, selling 2.7 million cups a day, nearly one billion cups a year. Dunkin' Donuts is also the largest coffee and baked goods chain in the world and sells more hot regular coffee, iced coffee, donuts, and bagels than any other quick service restaurant in America. Dunkin' Donuts has more than 7,200 franchised restaurants in 31 countries worldwide. Based in Canton, Massachusetts, Dunkin' Donuts is a subsidiary of Dunkin' Brands, Inc. For more information, visit www.DunkinDonuts.com.

Contacts:

Sherri Weiss Poall                

RF|Binder Partners, Inc.                

Phone: (212) 994-7556                

Email: sherri.poall@rfbinder.com    

Bryan Brown

P&G Coffee External Relations

Phone: (513) 634-3661

brown.bw.2@pg.com

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