Wij Inholland 2018: Pulplab

Nowadays, juice bars are shooting up like mushrooms. Healthy and delicious, but what happens to the leftover produce, such as pulp? Juliette Valkier and Andjanie Somaidien, students Food, Commerce & Technology at Inholland Delft, have found a solution: making granola. 

It was a school assignment that inspired them. Andjanie: “I have a slow juicer at home, and I noticed how much I threw away. Even at professional juice bars, people don’t use the pulp. So, during a brainstorm session, we’ve come up with a solution for this waste. First, we started experimenting. It was a lot of trial-and-error at first, until we came up with the product.” Juliette: “We also tried to make crackers, but that wasn’t a success. We made energy bars too, but granola turned out to be the best product.” The first time the girls tried their granola was an instant success. Andjanie: “It tasted great. Plus, our product is unique because it offers vegetables for breakfast. Pulp is full of fibres that make you feel full without an overdose of sugar.”

SUCH in Haarlem
The Start Up program from the Start Up Campus of Inholland Haarlem played an important role in the development of this project. Juliette: “The SUCH-program helped us find the right target group. We looked at our product differently. The program forced us to tackle the important issues. If we hadn’t done this, our business plan would’ve been less thorough. It’s useful to use different perspectives, such as marketing for example. I would truly recommend the Start Up program, though it’s important to have a product before you apply.”

Their study programme provided the girls with practical tools for food hygiene in businesses. Andjanie: “They taught us to think things through, such as food preparation. Is it possible to improve the safety or hygiene of our production process? Pulp provides a lot of nutrients for bacteria and we learned how to prevent their growth.”

Focus on the future
“We have our product. Now is the time for our own corporate identity and business partner”, says Andjanie. Juliette continues: “A web shop is the perfect next step to start selling. It’s the best way to present yourself, and this could be interesting for investors.” When asking if their product is successful already, the girls reply enthusiastically: “Our product is a big success, but we would like to make it available throughout the Netherlands. That would be a real success!”

Just give it a go!
Andjanie has some advice for student entrepreneurs: “Do you have an idea and would you like to further explore this idea? Just go for it! Inholland helped us enormously, our teachers supported us, and joining the Wij Inholland award placed us in the spotlights. We even went to the World Food Day in Rotterdam, all because of Inholland. The university gives us all the support and guidance we need.”

Wij Inholland
Wij Inholland gives students the opportunity to raise awareness for their projects. A platform on which they can distinguish themselves with an innovative and multidisciplinary project. This project should focus on either health, sustainability or creativity. Moreover, it should also add a regional value by working in close collaboration with a local company, institution or community. The winning team receives practical support and a € 2000, - cheque.