Students' innovation offers healthy snacks

Five University of North Georgia (UNG) students are teaming up on a business model that aims to deliver healthy snacks at an affordable price for college students. On the strength of this idea, the group won the innovateUNG Pitch Challenge held Feb. 28 in the Cottrell Center for Business, Technology & Innovation. Their victory earned them a $2,000 cash prize to go toward their innovation.  

The "Smart Snack Solutions" team includes: 

• Cooper Bowen, a senior from Gainesville, Georgia, pursuing a degree in interdisciplinary studies.
• Patrick Callahan, a junior from Tampa, Florida, pursuing a degree in finance.
• Sam Farrell, a junior from Dallas, Georgia, pursuing a degree in interdisciplinary studies.
• Josh Wilson, a senior from Temple, Georgia, pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration in management with a concentration in entrepreneurship.
• Finn Kelly Lewis, a junior from London, England, pursuing a degree in management.

Callahan and Kelly Lewis are both members of the UNG men's soccer team, and Bowen previously played on the team. Their experiences in trying to keep themselves fit as student-athletes inspired them to bring a healthier snack option to campus. 

"We often say the pitch challenge is not the end of some project, but a milestone. It's actually just the start of something bigger for many of our students. It's about finding that spark and seeing where it can lead," Dr. Christopher Greene, director of UNG's Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, said. "The growth we've seen in this group over the last month has been just phenomenal. It's not just the students who stepped up to present; it's also those who worked behind the scenes, prepping and refining their ideas. They've all taken something valuable from this experience." 

The group's product would offer a single-order or subscription box of healthy snacks that also includes a pamphlet with information that helps students understand the nutritional content of what they're eating.  

"We want students to be able to trust that what they're eating is healthy," Callahan said.  

They held tabling events on campus to glean some anecdotal market research from UNG students ahead of the pitch competition.  

"We got a lot of positive feedback from students. They are interested in this," Kelly Lewis said. "That gave us confidence going into this competition."

Kelly Lewis added that one of the group's goals is to alleviate the stress students can feel when shopping for food and being inundated with a variety of products being presented as healthy. By creating the snack boxes and offering info, they aim to lighten that mental load.  

The students expressed gratitude for the feedback they received from the innovateUNG judges, including how to scale their operation and limiting the number of snack options to make it easier to process orders.  

"We are all passionate about the idea behind it," Bowen said. "It's sparked a fire in us, and it's sparking a fire in other people too." 

Earning second place and $1,000 in the innovateUNG Pitch Challenge was Jake Arnold, a senior pursuing a degree in finance, for his "Dahlonega Golf Oasis" innovation, which is an idea for a driving range in Dahlonega, providing an alternative to night-time entertainment. 

Taking third place and $500 were Gisella Welch and Reece Montgomery, both seniors pursuing degrees in management, for "reEAT," an app that will allow users to set filters, swipe left and right (for yes or no), and choose where to eat either in their community or when traveling. 

Drew Sullins, a senior pursuing a degree in management with an entrepreneurship concentration, earned the Ruben Boling Community Builder Award and $1,000 for "Generosity Hub," a comprehensive online platform dedicated to fostering and facilitating impactful philanthropy on both local and global scales. The award celebrates those who ignite positive change within the UNG community and is inspired by Boling's 12 years of service as the founding director of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.