Carry bags have turned into money bags for the latest Otago regional winner of the Young Enterprise scheme.
Imperial Enterprise, from Otago Girls High School, won the top prize, and four of the other five on offer, and is now busy preparing for the national final in Wellington.
The seven girls in the OGHS group spent their year designing, producing and marketing a tourism carry bag.
School principal Jan Anderson returned from an overseas trip with a bag featuring pictures of Hamburg, and the girls thought a similar product could work in Dunedin.
To date they had produced 5000 bags and 4000 of them had sold at a retail price of $4.
The Dunedin City Council had been the largest purchaser, snapping up 1500 bags.
Other businesses stocking the bags included the Dunedin Public Art Gallery and the New Zealand Shop and the group ran a stall at the Friday Market in the Octagon.
Business had picked up since Wednesday's announcement - bags had to be kept at the school office as people had come in off the street wanting to buy them, managing director Kathryn Seque (16) said.
All their hard work paid off when money from selling the bags started rolling in.
Their sales figures were in the thousands, which meant they recorded the best financial performance award for Otago.
Profits went into the business bank account to be invested in the next production run and development, Miss Seque said.
The skills they had learned from running a business would stay with the group forever, the pupils said.
They hoped to carry on the business next year as either another Young Enterprise project or in their spare time and were contemplating expanding the range with larger bags.
The Young Enterprise scheme, offered as a full-year subject at the school, is overseen by the Otago Chamber of Commerce.
Young Enterprise regional co-ordinator Paul Allen described Imperial Enterprise as Otago's "stand-out team of the year".
He believed the project had the potential to become a fully fledged business.
"It's a really good thing to see young people excel."
Miss Seque, Amber Nash and their teacher, Ann Babbage, will fly to Wellington in two weeks' time.
They will be competing against 17 teams from around New Zealand for prizes including $2000 for the winning group.
The winner will be announced on November 5.
