Member Article

Ringtons go back to school with Blaydon community initiative

Newcastle-based mobile tea and coffee business Ringtons recently partnered with a group of business students from a local school to assist them in setting up their own coffee bar, as part of the brand’s ethos of supporting local communities.

Ringtons teamed up with a group of sixth formers from St Thomas More School in Blaydon, who researched and developed their own idea to open a coffee bar in their school.

Located in the sixth form common room, the coffee bar caters for over 600 students and is manned by the older pupils at the school.

The bar has proven to be a big success and students and teachers have flocked to buy the wide selection of barista-quality coffees, smoothies, frappes and lattes being served up to them by their fellow pupils.

The project involved the students agreeing a budget, meeting with various suppliers, writing up their findings and developing a business plan to support the coffee bar on a long-term basis.

The research culminated in a student-led presentation to their 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 shown by the sixth form students at St Thomas More School.

As part of their research, we invited the students and their teacher, Fiona Shaw, into Ringtons 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.

“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 of researching and appointing a supplier and, of course, how to make a great coffee!”

The school’s chief manager, Richard Bell, added: “The students really enjoyed the on-site visits to Ringtons and we 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 each day.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Paul Stafford .