A LOOSE-LEAF tea company has given back to the university which triggered its start up by consulting students in a pioneering project during their final year.
Easy Teasy, a tea specialist based in Newcastle worked with four interns from Northumbria University as part of the Undergraduate Consultancy Project (UGC) Project which allows students to develop collaborative and productive working skills with colleagues, and deliver genuine solutions for real businesses.
International Business Management students, Emily Turner, Charanpreet Ryatt, and Betsy Sage, and Finance and Investment Management student Matthew Chatswood were given behind-the-scenes access to the business as part of the UGC project which replaces the more traditional dissertation for students and carries the same amount of marks for the degree.
Easy Teasy was set up in 2014 as part of a Northumbria University module designed to give students real-world experience of running a company.
Tom Webb, who owns the company alongside Luci Cowie, said: “We set the students a brief to develop our business marketing plan, particularly focussing on wholesale pricing and advertising methods to enter high-end retails and attract B2B consumers.
“We’ve been so impressed by the responses and standard set by the interns and have already started to implement part of their strategy into the business – we’re looking to develop the website with a dedicated B2B aspect, invite guest bloggers and, based on their research, we’re going to create better wholesale pricing strategies.
“We’re delighted to have been able to return to the university which activated our start up and the students should be really proud of their work.”
Betsy Sage, an International Business Management student, said: “We recently had a final presentation and during this we explained what we found, what we would change and our recommendations for the future.
“It was fantastic to work with Easy Teasy and learn about their business. I’m so pleased our strategy is going to be applied and I look forward to seeing Easy Teasy go from strength to strength.
UGC module leader Kumud Wijayaratna, said: “Practice-based learning is a key focus for us here at Newcastle Business School as we have the hard evidence to show it can not only enhance the study experience but also the students’ career prospects and earning potential when they graduate.
“Our main objective is to create value for the client through recommendations and transferring of knowledge, the positive feedback from our business clients demonstrates the project’s success, we have made a significant difference to the organisations we work with including Easy Teasy.”
For further information on Easy Teasy and to view the product range visit http://www.easyteasy.co.uk/.