Focus

Snack attack

Thai teens market quick corn

By Suwitcha Chaiyong

You need a creative mind to come up with ideas for outstanding new products. Two 17-year-old students from Samsenwittayalai School - Mookda Sumdaengrit (Paan) and Pakeepat Raktabutr (Poom) - recently won a prize for their unique new product idea, Hurly Burly.

Hurly Burly is a delicious, ready-to-eat corn-in-butter-sauce snack. The girl's tasty idea was impressive and original enough to win first prize locally in the FedEx Junior Achievement International Trade Challenge.

"It's hard to think of a new product that isn't already available," Paan said. "But one day I suddenly came up with the idea to create a ready-to-eat corn snack."

FEEDING A NEED

Paan and Poom's idea was to market Hurly Burly for Japanese convenience stores and supermarkets. To create their marketing plan, they asked a number of Japanese people about their eating habits.

"When I went to Japan, I found that people love to eat snacks there," Paan said. "There are many different types of snacks available, so it seems like a market where people are prepared to try interesting new food products."

FAST FOOD

The girls also found that many Japanese people live life in the fast lane, which gave them a great idea for a product name.

"Hurly Burly refers to being in a hurry," Poom said. "People in Japan told me that they're always in rush, and that they often stop by convenience stores for quick snacks."

To suit customers in a hurry, Hurly Burly can be prepared and ready to eat in just 30 seconds.

"Hurly Burly comes in a small container, so it's easy to carry," Poom said. "The corn is kept in a sealed bag, which you can heat up in a microwave oven."

GOING GLOBAL

After winning first prize in Thailand, Paan and Poom were selected to compete in Singapore, along with 40 students from other countries. For the international competition, participants had to create a marketing plan to export carpets to Egypt. The competition was tough, and Paan and Poom didn't win this time.

"The winning team from New Zealand was great," Poom said. "They were able to present their ideas really well."

BUSINESS PLAN

The international contest was a great learning experience for the girls.

"We entered the competition because we're interested in learning about business," Paan said. "Poom plans to study product design, and I want to study business at university."

Poom and Paan also plan to further develop their tasty corn snack.

"We're pleased with our Hurly Burly idea," Paan said. "We hope to market it as a real product in the future."

	outstanding (adj): extremely good; excellent unique (adj): being the only one of its kind delicious (adj): having a very pleasant taste or smell market (v): to present a product in a particular way and make people want to buy it convenience store (n): a shop that sells food, newspapers, etc. and often stays open 24 hours a day prepared (adj): willing to do something seal (v): to close a container tightly so that air, liquid, etc. cannot get in or out participant (n): a person who is taking part in an activity or event

Idiom
in the fast lane: where things are most exciting and where a lot is happening