Last Friday, a visit to PepsiCo's headquarters in Utrecht took place. A group of children got the chance to take a look behind the scenes at the food company, where learning, discovery and creativity were key.
After a brief introduction about the different functions within PepsiCo, the children were divided into five smaller groups. In these groups, they were allowed to follow a route along various areas in the office, where short and surprising challenges awaited them. For instance, they could solve a Cruesli packaging puzzle or compete in a roll-over competition with Snack-a-Jack packaging.
Every 10 minutes, the groups changed rooms, giving them a unique insight into PepsiCo's office environment. Products were displayed everywhere, which created a lot of curiosity among the children.
After an active morning, it was time for a well-earned lunch. Afterwards, the children were given a behind-the-scenes look at the development process of new Quaker Cruesli flavours. Under the guidance of employees, they went to work themselves as product developers. The assignment: think of a new Cruesli flavour and design matching packaging, the only requirement being that the flavour should not contain any sugar and the packaging should say ‘Zero Sugar Added’.
The creative results ranged from classic combinations like apple and banana to more surprising variations with ingredients like Smarties and marshmallows. All flavour ideas have been collected by PepsiCo and a jury will see if there are any viable concepts among them.
To conclude, the children were given their self-designed packaging to take home, filled with a bag of Quaker Cruesli for breakfast the next morning. A beautiful polaroid with their design and a group photo completed the day.
