Member Article

Putting tea and coffee on the curriculum

Students from a North East school have been delving into the world of tea and coffee and gaining valuable real-life business experience from leading tea and coffee company Ringtons.

The Sixth Form Business Studies students from St Thomas More School in Blaydon researched and selected Ringtons’ business-to-business division Ringtons Beverages as a partner for the launch of “Six” a brand new coffee bar for the school’s Sixth Form common room.

The coffee bar, which caters to over 600 students, will also be manned by the Sixth Form pupils. The bar has already proven to be a big hit amongst students who are impressed by the barista quality coffees, smoothies, frappes and lattes being served by their peers.

The project saw students agree a budget, meet with various suppliers, write up their findings and develop a business plan to support the coffee bar business on a long-term basis. The research cultivated in a student-led presentation to the board of Governors outlining their research and naming a recommended supplier.

Stephen Drysdale, Head of Ringtons Beverages said: “We were incredibly impressed by the knowledge and professionalism showed by the Sixth Form students from St Thomas More. As part of their research we invited the group alongside their teacher Fiona Shaw into Ringtons HQ in Newcastle to meet with us, taste a variety of teas and coffees, and have a go on some of the espresso equipment we have in our training suite.

“We also met the students at the school to carry out a site survey and make recommendations as to what would suit the space available and which products would be needed for them to cover their running costs and create the beverages they desired. It’s great to see such promising students taking on a practical project like this and it has given them a real insight into the process needed to research and appoint a supplier and of course how to make a great coffee!”

Richard Bell, chef manager at St Thomas More said: “Learning theory is very different to practical learning and we think undertaking projects of this nature are invaluable for our students’ understanding of business and a real work environment. The students greatly enjoyed the on-site visits to Ringtons and were really excited after the hands-on training they received during the tour and on our own espresso equipment when it was installed in our new coffee bar. The students love coming up with new coffee concoctions using their new found barista skills and even the staff are queuing up to see what’s on the menu!”

For more information on Ringtons Beverages go to: www.ringtonsbeverages.co.uk

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Hayley Ford .