Empressa Central CEO George White (front) holds up the logo for his company's "SheepCakes", with fellow company directors, from left, Bruno King, Brad Rooney and Blair Musson.
Empressa Central CEO George White (front) holds up the logo for his company's "SheepCakes", with fellow company directors, from left, Bruno King, Brad Rooney and Blair Musson.
Four young entrepreneurs from CHB College reckon they are on to a winner with their twist on the traditional cheesecake – 'SheepCakes'.
Empressa Central — comprised of chief executive and production director George White, 17, company finance director Blair Musson, 17, marketing director Bruno King, 18, and communications director BradRooney, 17 — are one of two teams from the college competing in this year's Young Enterprise Scheme (YES) competition.
The company's lemon-passionfruit cheesecakes, made from organic sheep cheese sourced from a CHB farm, will be officially launched later this month.
After months of trials, testing and tasting, they will host an official product launch for their sheepcakes — cheesecakes made from organic sheep's cheese — at the college on July 26.
Made from award-winning quark sheep cheese sourced from CHB farm, Sentry Hill Organics, it was George who came up with the idea of creating a healthier, organic alternative to traditional cheesecakes.
Currently only available in lemon-passionfruit and served on a ginger biscuit base in a small resealable glass jar, the team approached award winning chef James Beck from Napier restaurant Bistronomy for advice on the recipe. And although it only comes in single-serve jars, the company CEO says what the dessert lacks in size, it makes up for with a 'rich' flavour and texture.
The company's lemon-passionfruit cheesecakes, made from organic sheep cheese sourced from a CHB farm, will be officially launched later this month.
"We mix the cheese with yoghurt, add lemon and passionfruit, a little sugar, then let it set in the fridge."
The company already had established a "small community of very happy customers" and when they travelled to the Eketahuna Cheese Festival earlier this year, they sold out of their product in next to no time, George said.
"We made 50 and we sold out really quick. There were a lot of foodies and café owners there and they all loved it."
Based on the feedback, White was confident the company was on to a winner. "Judging by what everyone's been telling us, I think we are," he said.
Brad Rooney said the company's sheepcakes had also proved popular at the BlackBarn markets, and they were on the lookout for stockists, but they were currently limited by production capacity.
"We produce our cheesecakes in a certified kitchen where we all gather to put in our share of work. Although at this stage we are limited to how much and how often we are able to sell them due to our four-person production limitations, we hope to open up our range of sheepcakes to markets such as gluten-free and in future, distribute and sell our product to supermarkets and cafes," said Brad.
"With big aspirations, we hope to win the regional competition and then move on to the finals of the national competition in September," he said.
The quartet have been mentored during the competition by Shane Gorst, general manager of the Art Deco Trust in Napier. Gorst said the four stood out immediately at the first Young Enterprise event earlier this year because of their "passion and quirky sense of humour".
"They have faced a few challenges along the way as most businesses do, but they have an ability to roll with the punches and overcome. I think the product was good when they started out, but like any good business, the boys are continuously tweaking and improving their recipe to ensure they have the best product possible. The brand is great and I think they will continue to do well."
The other CHB College team competing in the YES competition this year is another four-person team, Roreka, selling Maori rewena bread and reusable coffee cups.
