By Mrs Simms (Business and Economics Teacher)

Our Lower Sixth Business and Design Technology students had an exciting educational trip to the Museum of Brands and Packaging in London, where they participated in a dynamic Smoothie Lab workshop. The workshop was designed in collaboration with Innocent Drinks and provided students with hands-on experience in product development, branding, and marketing.

During the workshop, students learned the fundamentals of creating a brand identity and unique selling points using Innocent Drinks as a case study. They engaged in a creative challenge to design a smoothie product based on a provided customer profile, considering both nutritional value and ingredient costs. The next step involved developing packaging and marketing materials, with students producing marketing material inspired by examples from the museum’s extensive collection.

The workshop concluded with each group pitching their smoothie product to the rest of the group. The pitches were evaluated by the workshop leaders based on concept, marketing and adherence to the brief. One group was selected as the winner, with their smoothie made and tasted.

The winning pitch was a brilliant green smoothie designed for children, created in collaboration with Shrek. However, when the smoothie was made, the students realised that being a smoothie designer is not as easy as it seems! Despite this, the experience was incredibly enriching and gave our students valuable insights into the world of product development and branding.