This week in the Business and Entrepreneurship class, students got a taste (literally!) of what it means to bring a product to market. The class kicked off with a blind taste test of Orchard House Preserves’ homemade jams, setting the stage for an engaging deep dive into marketing, pricing, and brand strategy.

What started as a simple classroom exercise quickly turned into a dynamic, hands-on business challenge. Students are now working directly with Orchard House Preserves (located on Prince Edward Island, Canada), a small artisanal start-up specializing in locally sourced, small-batch jams and seasonal fruit products, to help refine and grow the brand.

Over the course of six weeks, students are developing Seasonal Strategy Plans that touch every element of a real-world business:

• Pricing models that balance product quality with market competitiveness.
• Packaging designs emphasizing artisanal craft, sustainability, and visual appeal.
• Sales strategies customized for local markets, online customers, and seasonal events.
• Customer base analysis identifying loyal buyers and new audiences.
• Seasonal forecasting to align production with peak demand.
• Margin optimization and sustainable growth planning.
• Competitor comparisons to identify Orchard House’s niche advantage.

These strategies aren’t merely theoretical. Students will pitch their ideas to the owner of Orchard House Preserves, but only the top 50% of plans—based on “investor” interest—will make it to her desk.

The students were given the real business challenges to solve, including:

• How to create a seasonal marketing calendar for each jam flavor.
• Which sales channels—from farmers’ markets and retail partnerships to online sales and jam-making workshops—offer the best balance of profit, sustainability, and growth.
• How to determine margins that account for both production costs and fair profit.
• When to invest in infrastructure to grow sustainably, without financial risk.
• Each team will analyze data, from PEI tourism trends to farmers’ market footfall and shipping costs, to support their recommendations. Students are learning to evaluate the viability of each sales channel through the lens of profitability, sustainability, and scalability—just like real entrepreneurs.

The project unfolds over six structured weeks, each focused on key business concepts:

• Seasonality – How timing impacts production and sales.
• Channel Viability – Choosing the right sales platforms.
• Branding & Investment – Building a compelling story for investors.
• Marketing & Growth – Expanding reach through storytelling.
• Scaling Up – Preparing for long-term growth.
• Final Pitch – Presenting to investors in the grand finale.

Along the way, students are applying essential business vocabulary, from margin and fixed costs to ROI and burn rate, and seeing how each concept shapes real-world business decisions.

This partnership with Orchard House Preserves exemplifies the LAS learning methodology which is experiential, innovative, and highly relevant in the real world. In addition to studying business theories, our students are running the numbers, evaluating risks, and pitching solutions to a real entrepreneur who values their insight.

From taste testing to forecasting, this creative project shows how the best lessons in business often come from hands-on experience!