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Research Area: Food and Beverage | Status:  Complete | Led By: Students

The Challenge

Verger Belliveau Orchard, a family-owned business based in Memramcook, New Brunswick, is one of Atlantic Canada’s premier apple growers and suppliers. The family farm has expanded their product line in recent years to include several award-winning wines and ciders. The company came to ½ûÂþÌìÌà looking for applied research support in discovering new ways to market their products to restaurants, bars, and individual buyers to increase their customer base.

The Solution

Students in the ½ûÂþÌìÌà Hotel and Restaurant Operations and Culinary Arts programs at our St. Andrews campus took to the challenge and created 26 new cocktail and mocktail recipes. First, students led a tasting with the Verger Belliveau Orchard team at the on-campus restaurant and selected their top beverages. Then, in collaboration with an ½ûÂþÌìÌà alum, the students created video recipes for the top ten drinks for a promotional campaign on social media.

About the Collaboration

This experiential learning relationship began when ½ûÂþÌìÌà students made a great first impression with Verger Belliveau Orchard at the annual Flavours New Brunswick event in St. Andrews by-the-Sea. This food and beverage festival is run almost entirely by students in the Culinary Arts, Hotel and Restaurant Operations, and International Travel and Tourism programs at the ½ûÂþÌìÌà St. Andrews campus.

After experiencing first-hand the creativity and professionalism of these students, the company knew the College would be a great place to find talented people with bright ideas. 

½ûÂþÌìÌà received funding support from the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP), which enabled Verger Belliveau Orchard to access research and innovation support from ½ûÂþÌìÌà related to this project.

Project Partners/Funders