Three ‘Ellens’ win the day with beer concentrate

On 11 December three UT students, Ellen Sprenkeling, Ellen Meijer and Ellen Oude Luttikhuis, won a neat 8,000 euros when they came first in the grand final of the TV programme Made in Overijssel.

"Joy, joy and more joy!" was the response of Ellen Sprenkeling, Ellen Meijer and Ellen Oude Luttikhuis upon winning the final of Made in Overijssel. The challenge facing the three 'Ellens' was to find the most sustainable packaging for Grolsch Premium Pils of the future. They had to factor in all the stages in the packaging chain, from raw materials to waste and recycling. Eventually, they hit on beer concentrate, which is produced by reducing the amount of water in the brewing process. Postponing dilution until just before the beer is actually drawn can deliver huge environmental benefits. The volume of packaging materials is dramatically reduced and fewer lorries are needed to transport the beer to its destination.

The three Ellens will blow some of the 8,000 euros on a holiday and use the rest to finance their study.

Made in Overijssel

Made in Overijssel is co-produced by Say Yeah Motion Media, the University of Twente and RTV Oost. This year, a new feature called 'The Case' was added to the programme in association with UT. Teams of at least two UT students were given eleven weeks to come up with a concept that would promote sustainable enterprise. The projects could involve a product, a service or a business process. The solution that was eventually put forward had to be usable in practice. Each team was supervised and advised by a UT professor. In addition to the case there was a mock assignment every week where the teams could win a maximum of 1,000 euros. This year the cash prize stood at 8,000 euros.

The final

The grand final of Made in Overijssel was held on 11 December. In the afternoon the students had to pitch their case before a jury of experts, chaired by Jan Emmerzaal, business director of IMPACT Research Institute. Martijn Enter, jury member and manager of business development at UT, was full of praise: "The 30-second pitches were very strong and well presented. Some were much better than the ones I see from professional entrepreneurs." The jury concluded that the three best competitors were the student teams who carried out assignments for Grolsch, Domijn and Regge en Dinkel Water Board.

Solar Chandelier

Facility Services at UT submitted a case in the business section. Their challenge was: How do you persuade people to switch to LED light bulbs? The team had to consider design, perception and savings. In association with Demakersvan, the Rotterdam design agency, it produced a Solar Chandelier, consisting of hundreds of butterfly-shaped solar cells that generate the energy for the chandelier by fluttering around a glass dome containing LED lighting. The team, Anniek Braham, Sebastian Kettler and Rik de Konink, was supervised by Professor Angèle Reinders.

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