Students from around the UK have entered a competition to come up with a business plan outlining how five farmers could form a co-operative.
The aim of the Grassroutes Business Challenge is to encourage a wider understanding of the business challenges now facing different sectors of the food chain from field to table and exploring new ways to work together.
The competition also aims to build practical relationships between businesses operating in food and agriculture and Universities in this sector, creating a strong alignment of long term interest.
In addition to these aims, Grassroutes also helps to identify a pool of future management talent for this fast changing industry by engaging students with senior figures from the industry to solve real-life business problems.
The students met experts to present their idea and discussed it with them in formal and informal business meetings.
The top two teams were given a final scenario whereby an economic or environmental impact occurred to change the nature of the market place.
They then had 10 minutes to confer before presenting a two minute press release and taking questions.
The audience of experts and students voted in favour of Hartpury College and as winners and the students and their teacher won a trip to attend the Fresh Inspirations conference 2012.
They are:
Patrick Graf-Grote - BA (Hons) Agricultural Business Management - 21
Jamie Diplock - BA (Hons) Countryside & Conservation Management - 21
Nicole Connor - BA (Hons) Equine Business Management - 21
Helene Sourdois - BA (Hons) Equine Business Management - 19
Jessica Davis - BA (Hons) Equine Business Management - 19
Gill Reindl - Senior Lecturer Business - Hartpury College
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