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Shark Tank Meets MasterChef in SLU's Innovation in Dietetics Practice Presentations

by Jacob Born

08/17/2022

Last week, Saint Louis University students enrolled in the Innovation and Dietetics Practice course participated in their final exam: a Shark Tank meets MasterChef competition that pitted groups of students against each other. Each group vied for two prizes: the largest “double down” and the entrepreneurial spirit award.

innovation-in-dietetics-class-photo

Students, instructors take a class photo for their Innovation in Dietetics Practice presentations. Photo by Jacob Born. 

Kicking off in early July in the Deli Star Food Discovery Center at the City Foundry, the students broke into eight groups to form their projects. Each group’s task was to create an original food product from scratch and bring it to market. The groups could start with around $50-$200 seed funding for their projects, which came from the Chaifetz Entrepreneurship Fellows Program in the Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business. The catch: they needed to “double down” and make at least double their initial investment. 

“This class and ‘double down’ projects are the perfect opportunity for students to combine their nutrition background with entrepreneurship,” said Dan Brewer, assistant professor of nutrition and dietetics. “Whether they go on to pursue their business idea or not, we know that having an entrepreneurial approach to your career increases opportunities for success and growth. Students walk away from here having a clear understanding of what it takes to launch a business, take a concept to market, and build many transferable skills they can use in their career as food and nutrition professionals.”

With funding in hand, each group got to work. After weeks of conducting focus groups, testing and finalizing recipes, marketing their products, engaging in pop-ups and other avenues to sell their products, and fine-tuning everything along the way, the groups headed to the Deli Star Food Discovery Center for the final test. 

“Hosting SLU courses at Deli Star's Food Discovery Center highlights the best elements of the space - industry education and fresh concepts in food,” said Jennifer Fishering, vice president of strategic communications and partnerships for Deli Star. “SLU faculty and Deli Star professionals collaborate to challenge students to innovate with food and nutrition to promote health. The Food Discovery Center offers the ultimate research playground to SLU students and continues Deli Star's commitment -for food science and culinary arts.”

At the Double Down presentations, each group showcased their product and process to six judges from SLU’s Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Deli Star, Schnucks, and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Group by group, the students detailed their product development and marketing strategies and showcased their business plans, including their profits and expenditures and what the future of their company holds. 

The products developed were as follows: 

All eight groups “doubled down” on their initial investment, meaning their business was deemed a success by the parameters of the class. But one group truly stood out above the rest in their business model. 

When team members opened Saucy Noods up for pre-orders, they were shocked by the response from their customers. As a result, the group closed pre-orders weeks earlier than expected to ensure they could fill every order. 

In their projections, Saucy Noods found their “break-even” point at 60 packages sold. They completed 375 orders. 

By selling more than six times their break-even point, Saucy Noods took home the prize of the highest “double down” rate of the eight groups. 

“This whole project was great,” said Cassidy Landry from Saucy Noods. “We're all kind of competitive. Saucy Noods took off, I think, a lot more than any of us expected. But it was rewarding to see how much our customers liked the product. Friends and family supported us, and our Instagram followers were incredible. We love winning, and it gave us recognition for our hard work.”

The second and final prize of the night was the entrepreneurial spirit award, determined by the six judges. Using criteria encompassing all facets of the project – presentation, product quality, market share, competitors, business plan, etc. – the judges met following the presentations to debrief and crown a winner. 

After a short deliberation, the judges awarded the entrepreneurial spirit prize to Drink Up STL, citing their innovative product, trendy ingredients, and targeting a market not out of business potential but out of service, need and lack of quality products in the space. 

“Our inspiration came from our clinical rotations,” said Margaret Conte from Drink Up STL. “We were in the hospital giving patients protein shakes and protein supplements. We noticed a lot of chocolate and vanilla flavors but no fruity or non-milky tasting flavors. So that's where we originally sourced our inspiration to do a fruit-based protein supplement. We added collagen because it mixes in well, and we realized how versatile a product like this could be, not just for patients but as a stand-alone drink or as a mixer for a mocktail or a cocktail.”

Despite their incredible launch, Saucy Noods has no plans to continue the business following the end of the class. However, Drink Up STL is already considering expanding its flavor offerings and dipping into markets such as Chicago and New England. 

“The benefit of creating a product from start to finish and selling the products, physical products as opposed to a hypothetical situation, that was a cool feature of this class and what made it so fun and rewarding,” Landry said. 

“It was overwhelming at first to think we have to create such a big project and business in such a short amount of time,” said Linda Pham from Drink Up STL. “But over the process, we started having fun together and became a good team, all four of us. It turned into a passion project. We just had a lot of fun and learned much about being an entrepreneur. With some of us returning home, we’re excited to keep bringing our new business to life, which wouldn’t have happened without this class.”

About Saint Louis University

Founded in 1818, Saint Louis University is one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious Catholic institutions. Rooted in Jesuit values and its pioneering history as the first university west of the Mississippi River, SLU offers more than 15,200 students a rigorous, transformative education of the whole person. At the core of the University’s diverse community of scholars is SLU’s service-focused mission, which challenges and prepares students to make the world a better, more just place.