A unique collaboration between Leicester’s Beaumont Leys School and Cofresh Snack Foods has seen students creating new flavours and pack designs based on the company’s Eat Real healthier snacking brand.
The students were tasked to develop some new and commercially-viable snack products and pack designs as part of the Year 10’s Food and Nutrition GCSE coursework.
Working primarily with Debbie King, sales and marketing director, and Karen Walters, technical director, pupils were given a detailed insight into running a food business. They also explored various roles and responsibilities related to new product development, food safety and quality, traceability, manufacturing, sales, marketing, advertising and PR at the company.
The project culminated with the students’ new flavours being produced in the Menzies Road factory and their pack designs brought to life by Ravi Limbachia, creative head at Cofresh.
“The students have thoroughly enjoyed this innovative design and make project and it was an absolute pleasure working with Cofresh,” said Dhara Ramji, food and nutrition teacher at Beaumont Leys. “The company has been very accommodating and students were in awe of seeing their snack flavour ideas and creative packaging made into actual products.”
Priyesh Patel, managing director at Cofresh, commented: “It was an absolute pleasure to welcome these pupils into our business and hope that their time working alongside us has helped them gain useful insight into the workings of a food manufacturer.
“Their flavour ideas and pack designs were really creative and right on track with current snacking trends - we were all very impressed with their understanding of the sector, their enthusiasm for the project and the delicious flavours they came up with! We wish them all every success with the rest of their GCSEs and who knows, we may have just inspired a future snacks supremo or two!”
