Congratulations to Three Bays Jellies from Waimea College who became the YES Nelson Marlborough Regional Champions at the event held on 20 October.

Well done to the team of Sophie Calder, Nicole Byrman, Jared Peterson and Sam MacDonald and a big thanks to regional sponsors, Sue Smart of NMIT, Fiona Wilson of NRDA and YES Chief Excitement Officer Terry Shurbkin.

Three Bays Jellies came up with a solution for a problem faced by orchardists; what to do with their waste Kiwifruit. The team came up with a use for the fruit, turning it into an alternative to jam. Their product is a jelly that is made using 25% less sugar than jams. The jelly is not only tasty, but healthy too, being high in Vitamin C as well as being rich in other vitamins and antioxidants. Compared to other competitors who mainly export, Three Bays Jellies research led them to target the local NZ market.

Their teacher, Andrea Phillips, said YES gave the students such a rewarding experience being able to engage with the local business community. Their mentor, Robyn Patterson of GoHort, said they showed good team work and perseverance, were good at problem solving to meet the objectives of the project, developed skills as a team and personally, and believes the business skills they gained will be able to be applied for the rest of their lives.

Thanks to all regional sponsors OneFortyOne, NMIT, NRDA, Angel Investors Marlborough and Rebecca Mason of Kamahi Trust. Also thanks to Young Enterprise Trust.