Promotional materials and product mockups designed by the students of Team Zing!
WHEN it comes to education and nurturing future leaders in the industry, hefty textbooks and long lectures are no longer the sole source of education anymore. Students are now also privy to practical applications of students’ learning.
Conceptualised to diversify interest towards herbal food and beverages among today’s youth, students from Taylor’s University joined hands in a multidisciplinary final-year project to create Zing! – a sparkling beverage featuring a mix of Southeast Asian ingredients and local herbs.
At Taylor’s, students pursuing their undergraduate studies are required to complete at least one multidisciplinary project as part of the Taylor’sphere ecosystem, preparing them with the intellect, creativity, and practical wisdom necessary to traverse the ever-changing world.
Team leaders Ang Ru Jun, Sydney Sim and Chanel Chua from the School of Food Studies and Gastronomy (SFSG), Taylor’s Business School (TBS) as well as the School of Media and Communication (SOMAC) respectively, combined groups to contribute each school’s knowledge and skill sets in areas including design, product costing and development, media planning and marketing.
Team leader Ang (centre) and fellow Culinology students at their end-of-semester project presentation and showcase for Zing!
To kick off the multidisciplinary collaboration between the three schools, the SFSG student team presented the Zing! product they had invented as part of their Food Product Design & Development two modules, as well as the input required from the TBS and SOMAC teams.
“For this project, we were required to create a business and marketing plan, including competitor analysis and the selection of social media platforms to use to raise awareness and market the product.
“Our friends from the SOMAC team supported us with this by designing the posters for different marketing campaigns, researching the most suitable key opinion leaders (KOLs) to use for Zing!’s target audience and come up with additional platforms that we could use to promote the product,” said Sim, 22, who is currently studying a Bachelor of Business (Hons) in International Business and Marketing at Taylor’s.
Throughout the project timeline, the SFSG team worked to improve Zing!’s formulation through conducting sensory testings for their collaborators at the university’s Food Innovation Centre, as well as finalising the end product to be presented to their lecturers and multidisciplinary project pioneers, Associate Professor Dr Chong Li Choo from SFSG, Philip Gan from SOMAC and Leow Yen Mee from TBS.
According to Ang, a Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Culinology, many young people have a negative perception towards herbal beverages, often thinking they are bitter and only meant to be taken when feeling unwell.
Even though there is low awareness of local herbs, she believes there are still many more brimming with potential and left untouched.
Ang (second from right) and her fellow Culinology peers showcasing their innovative food and beverage creations at the Malaysian International Food and Beverage Trade Fair 2022.
“As aspiring Culinologists, we aim to provide bold and creative food and beverage innovations, employing creativity and critical thinking abilities to educate the next generation and pique their interest in herbs.
“Even though our effort might not have an immediate impact, young people like us need to take the first step. Being receptive to criticism is essential if we are to learn what the public thinks about Zing! and how we might improve. Essentially, the most vital point is to have faith in your product, because if you don't, no one else will,” she added.
Ang shared that her team is on the search for potential investors and had the opportunity to showcase Zing! at the Malaysian International Food and Beverage Trade Fair, garnering positive feedback among startups and FMCG companies in the industry.
The Zing! team also took part in the 2022 Techstars Startup Weekend (TSSW) Sustainability Selangor, a startup business development programme and competition, where they won first place among the other student teams.
To find out more about Taylor’sphere, click here.
