Tess McGregor and Abigail Bragg came up with the idea to develop the diabetic gummies after Tess, who is a type 1 diabetic, was having multiple sugar lows throughout the week.
Tess said she would normally use jelly beans to stave off the effects of her sugar lows, but discovered it only took two gummies to turn her blood sugars around and she had a much faster recovery time.
Sugar lows drastically affected her general wellbeing and especially her concentration.
"So I needed something that you can boost me up high so I can get back into class without losing any learning."
The fledgling company has been developed with the help of their business studies teacher Paul Redmond for the Young Enterprise Scheme.
Mr Redman said he believed the product had the potential to develop into a robust business model.
"It’s classic Young Enterprise business because they’ve come from a problem, thought and thought about a solution and generated a business around that," he said.
The product had also been well received by other type 1 pupils at the school.
The product had been developed with the support of the Southern Pioneers Food Hub test kitchen.
The young entrepreneurs have also decided to give $1 from every sale to Diabetes NZ.
The girls were thrilled to hear the news the national organisation would be showcasing their product later in the month.
Long-term plans included finding business investors who would help them to establish the business in its own commercial kitchen.
The enterprise had been started with a $150 start-up grant and the support of the Young Enterprise Chamber of Commerce.
The pair planned to attend university to study accounting and a bachelor of entrepreneurship.
Southern Pioneers Food Hub co-developer Jane Stanton said she was impressed with the product the girls had developed and, as a type 1 diabetic, she had the opportunity to sample them.
The process the pupils went through to create the product was an important introduction to the business world and the manufacturing industry.
"It’s a huge learning curve for them. It’s quite different from school. They’ve come into a place where it’s a manufacturing complex so they’ve had to play by our rules. It’s not school rules — put your cellphones away; be here at this time."
They learnt new disciplines and skills such as marketing but also budgeting and waste management.
It was a reality which did not come out of a textbook, she said.
- By Toni McDonald
