Otago Polytechnic bachelor of culinary arts students are selling foods and trialling new products at a series of weekly pop-up markets near the polytechnic's Eden Cafe.
The first pop-up event, at the "Eden Incubator Market'', proved a success yesterday, with all products on sale snapped up little more than an hour after the market opened at 10am.
The products range from breads and dips to tarts and other artisan foods, but also include a collection of new retail products produced by the third-year students made from "low-value'' Central Otago cherries and apricots.
Culinary arts principal lecturer Adrian Woodhouse said one of the course's graduates was an orchardist in Central Otago, who had provided a quarter of a tonne of low-value cherries.
They were too small, marked or overripe and would otherwise be dumped or fed to stock.
"We've got our students using their design skills to add value to this commodity by turning this low-grade fruit into commercial products,'' Mr Woodhouse said.
Even the glass jars in which products were sold were being used with sustainability in mind.
And when customers return the jars to the Eden Cafe, they receive a free coffee or tea.
The sustainable product initiative was an "exciting'' development which brought educational benefits to students, brought them into contact with "real customers'' and also benefited the public, Mr Woodhouse said.
The pop-up markets are held in the central polytechnic student space called The Hub, near the Eden Cafe, and accessible from Forth St.
The next pop-up market will be held on Thursday.
