Making money from jam

A group of Tasman school students are turning waste green kiwifruit into a jelly spread and the early signs are they might be onto a winner.

By Anne Hardie

The four Year 13 Waimea College students chose sustainability for their business studies project and they decided to find a product that could use some of the region’s waste fruit that was not up to export or local market standards.

After dabbling with different ideas, they tried fruit jelly with green kiwifruit and it worked. It worked so well that the result, Three Bays Jellies, won them the first regional challenge in the Young Enterprise Scheme and earned them $100 to invest in their product.

The Three Bays Jellies team, from left, Nicole Byrman, Jared Peterson (rear), Sophie Calder and Sam McDonald

A low-sugar jelly was chosen over jam as they decided it better suited the boutique market

They’ve had useful advice from The Food Factory which is the facility created by Pic Picot of Pic’s Peanut Butter to help entrepreneurs create their own food business. They continue to meet with Pic’s son, Louis, who along with other professionals has guided them on their business journey. It’s still at its fledgling stage, with one of the team members, Jared Peterson, turning kiwifruit into jelly in a pot at home. A low-sugar jelly was chosen over jam as they decided it better suited the boutique market, and they managed to retain the bright green colour of the kiwifruit through their recipe. They tried apples but they proved more difficult, and the green kiwifruit had a better texture and look in the jar, especially with the black pips through the bright green jelly. Once they have enough product, they will aim at selling it at local markets and approach restaurants to see if some are interested in using the jelly. Down the track, if their venture grows, they will have a business to sell. In the meantime, they have not only learnt about the amount of waste fruit in the region, but also the complexities of establishing a business and especially the food regulations associated with a food business.

...there’s nothing really wrong with the fruit apart from their shape or a bit of bruising, which doesn’t matter a bit in jam

Another team member, Sophie Calder, says there’s nothing really wrong with the fruit apart from their shape or a bit of bruising, which doesn’t matter a bit in jam. The project has been an eye opener for the group into the amount of fruit going to waste because it’s not good enough to be sold to customers, especially now the region no longer has a juice factory to take it.