Smoothies and fruit cocktails are a popular way to get children interested in trying and consuming more fruit. Fairtrade bananas make the perfect base to whiz up into a selection of smoothies and you can use juices and seasonal, local berries to flavour drinks, or if you prefer a spoonful of fairtrade honey.
Setting up a smoothie or fruit cocktail bar
How many pupils and staff would like a smoothie bar? Have a meeting or do a survey to find out how much interest there is among staff, governors, parents and pupils.
100% fruit juices and smoothies all count towards your 5-a-day.
Do a business plan.
Work out how much it will cost to set up and run. Decide how much to charge.Find somewhere hygienic to prepare your drinks: The Food Standards Agency ‘Bad Food Live!’ DVD provides teachers with a useful way of teaching basic food hygiene messages, from the importance of handwashing to cooking and chilling food properly. Teachers can get a copy of the video by calling 0845 606 0667, or email: foodstandards@eclogistics.co.uk quoting ref: FSA/0845/0903. Food hygiene fits into the PSHE & Citizenship curriculum at key stages 2 and 3, 'developing a healthy, safer lifestyle'.
Get a package. Young Co-operatives and a company called Fruto del Espíritu both offer packages to make setting up a smoothie or fruit cocktail bar easy.
Young Co-operatives smoothie operators package
Turn fresh fruit into delicious, healthy, fair-trade drinks. Package includes:
- Kenwood ‘New York’ smoothie maker
- One full day’s training for staff and pupils
- Recipe ideas to get you started
- Glossy, bound copy of Young Co-operatives ‘Co-ordinator Kit’
- Design-your-own website facility
- Certificates for all participating pupils (on request)
- Monthly e-bulletins and printed newsletters three times a year
A smoothie or fruit cocktail bar could:
• be part of a breakfast club
• operate at lunchtime
• serve drinks at after-school and sports events
Note: You may need access to a fridge, to keep the ingredients cool
The full package costs £270, available from Young Co-operatives (see below).
Fruto del Espíritu’s mixology package. Fruto del Espíritu is one company that can provide your young co-operative with a Drinks-Making Workshop.
Workshops can show young co-operatives how to mix drinks such as milkshakes, smoothies, frappés, fruit punches, fruit-blend herbal teas and Licuados – Fruto del Espíritu’s own cocktails, which use Latin Liquidised Fruit as the base flavour in place of an alcoholic spirit.
More information
To sign up to the Young Co-operatives Smoothie Operators package visit http://www.youngcooperatives.org.uk/
Contact details for Fruto del Espiritu can also be found on the Young Co-operatives web site.
Registered charity (no.