Aggie Chocolate Factory + Outdoor Product Design + Beaver Mountain = A Sweet Collaboration

By Madison Leak and Lynnette Harris

In what may seem to be an unlikely alliance, the Aggie Chocolate Factory (ACF) and the Outdoor Product Design and Development (OPDD) program worked with Beaver Mountain Ski Resort to produce the Beaver Bar – Aggie Chocolate shaped into delicious, edible versions of Beaver Mountain’s logo using molds created by OPDD students.

Food science student and Aggie Chocolate Factory employee Mary Kellems said among the things she learned during the process was how important clear communication is in creative projects and how small businesses can collaborate to help all partners be successful. Through this process, OPDD and the chocolate factory were able to get finished chocolate bars to Beaver Mountain during the 2020-21 ski season.

OPDD student McKenzie Farley explained that it made sense for the Aggie Chocolate Factory to work within the college to have specialty molds designed and 3D printed, rather than sourcing them from overseas manufacturers. Though there was plenty for students to learn, communication to get the molds made was simpler and turnaround time was much shorter. It’s also difficult to put a price on the experience students gained working on a real-world design and manufacturing project.

Although OPDD students typically work with materials meant for durability, functionality, and appeal to outdoors and sports enthusiasts, the path from concept to printing the final molds was not new to them.