Food Design Institute to launch ‘triple bottom line’

Otago Polytechnic Food Design Institute to launch ‘triple bottom line’ sustainable product range in The Hub

Otago Polytechnic Bachelor of Culinary Arts students will be selling artisan foods and trialling new products from the Food Design Institutes research and development unit at a series of weekly pop-up food stalls known as the “Eden Incubator Market” in The Hub student space.

The products range from breads, dips, tarts to other artisan foods but will also include a collection of new retail products produced by the third year students made from “low value” Central Otago cherries and apricots.

“One of our graduates is an orchardist in Central Otago and has given us a quarter of a ton of low value cherries that are too small, marked, overripe or the skin has split and would otherwise be dumped, buried or fed to deer and stock. We’ve got our students using their design skills to add value to this commodity by turning this low grade fruit into commercial products,” says Principal Lecturer/Academic Leader Bachelor of Culinary Arts, Adrian Woodhouse.

The product packaging has been developed with sustainability in mind and utilises a closed loop model – when customers return the jars back to Eden Café they receive a free coffee or tea.

“We felt it was important to develop a product range that reduced the carbon footprint of the glass ware and it is part of a wider initiative at Eden Café to lower the carbon footprint of the cafe. This includes the recent removal of paper cups,” says Mr Woodhouse.

The profits from the sale of the new retail products will be used in a community focused social enterprise.

“It’s our intention that our students will be able to pitch their ideas for a social enterprise that will have impact beyond the walls of Otago Polytechnic - this could be anything from lunches in school programs through to feeding the elderly. It’s a win-win situation as our students get to have the real world experience of pitching a proposal for development and the community benefits when it is implemented.”

The Eden Incubator Markets will be held:

When: 10am – 1pm

· Friday 18 March
· Friday 24 March
· Friday 1 April
· Friday 8 April

Where: The Hub, Otago Polytechnic, Forth St, Dunedin

ENDS

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