Het winning team. © Freeze4Ease
The From Farm to Forkhackathon called for an idea to bring local producers and consumers closer together. Teams were given 48 hours to develop their plan fully. At the closing of the deadline, each team submitted a pitch, presenting their idea. The WUR students, all of whom are part of the Honours programme, pitched ‘Freeze4Ease’.
Maaike Hes was on the winning team. ‘We proposed freezing local farmers’ products and selling them to students and employees on the campus. By selling local products, the chain is shorter, and the farmers earn more money. Besides, it reduces food waste, products that are not used remain frozen. Moreover, frozen produce is just as healthy or even healthier than fresh products bought at the supermarket. By placing the freezer in a central location, many people are given access to healthy, locally produced food.’
Wanted: entrepreneurs
‘The next step is to expand and finish our business plan’, Hes states. ‘This plan will stipulate what is needed to implement this idea. A roadmap, from a to z, to transform the idea into an actual business.’
Implementing the business plan is someone else’s job. ‘We make the plan, including a script, energy flow and everything that is needed. Following that, we will enter into talks with the municipality, the university, StartHub and other parties to see who can implement the plan.’
Have tips or ideas on how to implement the plan? Send a message tomaaike.hes@wur.nl
| The five WUR-students of team Freeze4Ease | Laura van Lunteren (Food Technology), Dennis Vlegels (Plant Sciences), Hester Boekhoud (Nutrition and Health), Eveline Nales (International Land and Water Management) en Maaike Hes (International Development Studies). |
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