Cromwell College pupils certainly know their business.

Two Young Enterprise Scheme (YES) groups from the college made it to the Otago regional final this week, with one team coming out on top.

Six finalists out of more than 138 entrants from across Otago were selected to pitch their businesses to a panel of judges in Dunedin, and Second Harvest Sips took out top honours with their smoothie packs made from orchard waste fruit.

The school’s second YES group to make the finals was Culcards.

The two Cromwell College business studies groups, made up of Year 13 pupils, were up against others from Otago Girls’ High School (two teams), Queens High School and Bayfield High School.

The winning team will now travel to Wellington in early December to contest the national final, using profits from their business to pay for the trip, funding from the college and help from local businesses.

YES provides funding for two students and a teacher to attend, and last year Cromwell College’s Anthea Husein was awarded a National Excellence award for her book "Anahera's Adventures: STEM Edition” after coming runner-up at the regional final.

Chief executive of Second Harvest Sips Taine Borthwick said four local orchards donated 60kg of waste fruit in March this year, and then they had to chop it all up, and find a freezer big enough to store it.

They sold their first 21 smoothie packs (consisting of apples, nectarines, apricots and cherries) at the Cromwell Matariki market in July, and then took orders for 75 more.

The group of friends have been studying economics since Year 10 and said the biggest challenge has been finding a way of working together and under pressure. 

“It’s surprising how close we all still are,” marketing manager Grace Croy said.

The Cromwell College pupils with their winning certificates at the YES regional finals. Picture are (back row, from left), Grace Coy, Oliver King, Taine Borthwick, Sam Jansen; Front row: Louis Bickerstaff and Samuel Jones. PHOTO: SUPPLIED

They estimate each group member would’ve put in about 27 hours each out of school time to get the smoothie packs to market - but say it was “so worth it’’.

Grace joked that back in Year 10 they were the naughty kids and everyone thought they would be the least likely to succeed in business.

But then this year something ‘’clicked’’,’ and faced with a series of challenges throughout the year in front of the judges, they realised they were truly onto something.

“We got third in one of the challenges and we were kinda shocked. We honestly didn’t think it was that good,” she said.

Head of faculty social sciences Aimee Ross said YES was an amazing programme, where students gain hands-on learning about setting up and running their own business. 

“By doing this they develop a range of important skills such as problem solving, resilience, teamwork, leadership, creative thinking, decision-making and networking. 

“One of the most important real life learning skills the students gain is how to formally communicate (via email/phone) to people from outside of the school.”

With the pupils all heading off in different directions next year, the next challenge was how to keep their business going.

They’ve decided to contact orchards again this summer to donate more waste fruit, and they may then on-sell the business to the next year’s business studies class.

The YES National Awards Finalists' Pitches will take place on December 5.