Guernsey Grammar School and Sixth Form Centre students take on ice cream challenge
29 March 2021
As part of their annual Enrichment Project, Year 12 Business Studies students from the Guernsey Grammar School and Sixth Form Centre have been sent a brief to develop a new ice cream flavour for Guernsey Dairy.
Head of the school's Business Studies Department, Mr Erich Hauptfleisch said; "In previous years, the students have been tasked to work on various activities not only to help them apply knowledge to the real world but also to build experience of running team projects and of creating and managing a brief.
"This year, the students decided to keep it local and fun and create a new ice cream for Guernsey. Moreover, we contacted the Guernsey Dairy to ask if they would help us develop a suitable project brief for our A level and IB students and help oversee the development of the shortlisted proposals."
The 60 students participating will be divided into teams of four and each will be tasked with developing a new range of ice cream with a focus on celebrating all things Guernsey.
The students have already been briefed by a representative of the Dairy and will submit their proposals by the end of February. A panel of experts will then be tasked with the difficult decision of shortlisting the final five teams who will be given the chance to present their proposals to the panel at the end of March. A representative from the Dairy will be on hand to provide advice and answer any questions the students may have during the whole process.
"As well as promoting the spirit of entrepreneurialism and providing the platform to work on a tangible project, taking part in this business challenge also enables our students to experience meaningful encounters with employers and develop the key skills they need to be successful in later life. We greatly appreciate the time and resources Guernsey Dairy are affording us in relation to this project," said Mr Hauptfleisch.
Guernsey Dairy Managing Director, Mr Andrew Tabel said; "The Guernsey Dairy is delighted to be involved and we have been immensely impressed with the dedication and quality of ideas and concepts the students have demonstrated so far. Guernsey Dairy produces a number of ice cream flavours in different styles of packaging fulfilling the requirements of the food service and retail sectors. It will be very interesting to see how the students' ideas evolve over the coming weeks and how they overcome the challenges they will inevitably face. Whilst their creativity will hold no bounds they must be mindful of the limiting factors within the manufacturing environment.
"Guernsey Dairy's existing ice cream is made from locally produced whole milk and cream where only natural or nature-identical flavours are used. This ensures the quality is what customers have come to expect from a product that is a derivative of our very special Guernsey milk."
As part of their involvement, Guernsey Dairy has also agreed to batch produce the winning ice cream and make it available for students to sample.
Guernsey Dairy sells c106,000 litres of ice cream every year and according to Mr Tabel the top flavours are vanilla, chocolate and strawberry despite the product offering extending to other family favourites like mint chocolate chip.
Mr Tabel added; "The ice cream sector is hugely competitive and finding a unique selling point is going to be a challenge for the students. What is recognised is that Guernsey Dairy products are unique in terms of their quality and taste which can be attributed to the relationship between our wonderful natural environment; happy, healthy and productive herds and a proud farming community. Having these base ingredients will help us turn the students' ideas into reality by producing a product that characterises the unique flavour of our milk and cream."
The finalists will present their proposals to a panel of dairy and retail experts on Tuesday 30 March in the school's lecture theatre.