Vitamin Boom win top global trade award at European Young Enterprise Final in Romania

23rd July 2012

A team of teenage entrepreneurs who set up their own real African tea business have seen off competition from 31 countries to win two prestigious awards at Europe’s top Young Enterprise competition.

Vitamin Boom from Balcarras School in Cheltenham picked up the Fed Ex Access Award and were each awarded with a Kindle at the Junior Achievement-Young Enterprise Company of the Year final in Romania.

The award is given in recognition of the team which demonstrates the most outstanding grasp of the nature of international trade and the environmental implications of their business. Vitamin Boom developed and sold a tea-based drink that contained extract of Baobab, a vitamin-packed African super fruit.

The team's Managing Director, Cicely Elliott Berry, was also one of 16 of the most outstanding young entrepreneurs who were recognised with a Leadership Award. She will now be going toBrusselson 16th October to shadow a CEO for day as part of the Changing Lives campaign.

Toby Burden, Vitamin Boom's Marketing Director, who carried in the British flag to the competition's gala dinner, said: "It was a huge honour to carry our national flag. I felt a great sense of patriotism and I think that after the competition we have done our country proud. It has been an unbelievable experience all round what we will all remember for a very long time and taught us skills that will stay with us for the rest of our lives."

Managing Director Cicely Elliott Berry said: "I'm really pleased to have won the Alumni leadership award and can't wait to go toBrusselsand do the activities there.'

Annie-Mae Champion, Company Secretary said: "It was fantastic to discover that our products are also well received in other countries outside theUK.  This made all of our hard work pay off and ultimately gave everyone on the team an immense sense of pride. This process and journey will stay with me forever."

Budd Nicholson, Sales Director, said: "Winning the FedEx global accessibility award was a huge honour for all of us. We proved our product was viable on an international level, which gave us all a great sense of achievement to take away from the Young Enterprise experience and to top it all we all won a Kindle."

 Luke Perry, the team's teacher, said: "The team has impressed me at every stage of the competition this year. They have produced a high quality product and delivered a number of professional pitches. The Young Enterprise journey has developed their interpersonal skills and given them the confidence for the future. It has taught them a number of valuable lessons and most of all they have had fun."

Stephanie Prosser, Vitamin Boom's Business Adviser, said: "The whole Young Enterprise journey with this group of talented and dedicated students has been rewarding, exciting and above all else a pleasure."

Vitamin Boom's Super Froo tea bags and iced tea contain the little-known African superfruit, Baobab which, since 2010, has been allowed to be sold in Europeas a food product. The 16-17 year-olds decided to capitalise on the change in regulations after Cicely's brother came back from a trip to Africa and told them about the superfruit.

Their tea bags and iced tea drink are sold in health food stores, cafes, delicatessens, gyms and farmers markets and they are currently in talks with Soho Coffee Company and Whole Foods.

The team won their place in the European final after winning the UK Company of the Year Award at the HSBC Young Enterprise Innovation Awards 2012 at the beginning of July.

The overall winner of the European Company of the Year title was Sign4Life from Ireland.

 

NOTES TO EDITORS

- Young Enterprise is the UK's leading enterprise education charity. Every year we help 250,000 young people learn about business and the world of work in schools, colleges and universities.  The charity is supported by a network of 5,000 volunteers from 3,500 companies.

- This year 25,000 15-19 year-olds have taken part in our flagship Company Programme and set up their own businesses in schools with support from local business mentors.

- Website:www.young-enterprise.org.uk

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