Performance Pasta
Performance Pasta promotes the effects a pasta diet has on sports performance. It also aims to beat obesity by inspiring young people.
About You
Background Information
First Name
Calum
Last Name
McWhir
Twitter URL
Facebook URL
The competition is only open to people between 18-34 years-old and resident in UK, Ireland, Sweden, Denmark or the Netherlands. Does this apply to you
Country of residence of entrepreneur
UK
Tell us about your personal background. Why are you passionate about this issue? Making an idea a reality takes innovation, dedication and strong leadership. Do you have the necessary entrepreneurial skills to realize your vision?
My passion for business and creative ideas has been nurtured from a young age through healthy competition in our family. I have two brothers and a sister, so everything we did from run around the park to play playstation became a heated competition. Now at University, I have kept my competitive streak and spend my time designing websites and thinking up new ideas that will give me a platform to start businesses in the future. I have developed some core principles that I apply to all of my ideas: low costs, sustainable production, high margins and scope for effective marketing to name a few. I have the drive and the creative flair to build profitable brands that serve a purpose in the community.
About Your Organization
Organization Name
Performance Pasta
Organization Website
performancepasta.net (doesn't yet exist)
Organization Country
United Kingdom, GLG, Glasgow
Country where this project is creating social impact
United Kingdom, GLG
Is your organization a
Not registered
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Innovation
The Need: What problem are you trying to solve?
My venture solves two problems. The main commercial aspect is to solve the question: what do I eat if I want to be good at sport? Everyone knows pasta is the best meal to have before a workout, but there is no dedicated brand that connects the behaviour to a product. The second problem to be solved, and where the venture serves the community, is obesity among young people in our local communities.
The Solution: What is your solution? Be specific!
We have developed a strategy called 'The Open Door Effect'. It is the idea that if you let pasta into your diet, you open the door to numerous good foods such as vegetables and fresh meat. The challenge is to communicate this to mums and educate kids. It is all about overcoming the misconceptions with healthy food. Pasta is quicker and more convenient to make than many unhealthier options, and the solution is to communicate this.
An example would be serving pasta at a football or rugby tournament for kids in a poor area. These events only sell burgers and chips - what kind of message does this send out to kids wanting to be the next David Beckham? There is a perfect opportunity for Performance Pasta to educate and establish a link between healthy eating and sports.
The Model: Walk us through a specific example of how your solution makes a difference; include your primary activities
Take any young boy in the country: he wants to be a footballer. Performance Pasta serves him in two ways; firstly, we ensure he eats as healthy as possible and gets a good intake of carbohydrates, vegetables and fresh meat. Once you open the door to pasta, this is inevitable. Secondly, the branding of the product inspires him to work hard at his sport, because the link between eating Performance Pasta and his dream to become a good footballer has been established. We educate young people to eat well, and inspire them to perform hard on the field. Creating the link between sporting success and eating pasta is key.
The Marketplace: Who are your peers and competitors? Identify others also working to address the needs you are and what differentiates you from them. What challenges could these players pose to your success or growth?
The biggest challenge facing Performance Pasta is a consumer choosing a pasta that isn't ours. But this problem applies to any premium brand. There are many ice creams cheaper than Ben & Jerry's, but brands like these survive and are profitable because they stand for something. As far as I am aware there is no competition that have created a link between sports performance and eating pasta. Performance Pasta will be the first to establish it and inspire young people who enjoy sport.
Select the stage that best applies to your business
Operating for less than a year
This Entry is about (Issues)
Social Impact
What is the social impact you have had to date and how you measure it?
No impact has been made yet, this venture is not yet in the public domain. It is clear however that obesity in the UK is a bigger problem than it ever has been, and we certainly have a good cause to target.
Sustainability
How does your model address financial, social, and environmental sustainability?
Financial sustainability is achieved by selling premium pasta to athletes by building a brand that they can trust and believe in. Social success is measured in our ability to cut obesity levels. If Performance Pasta could cut obesity by a measurable level the public interest would soar, and the commercial aspect would thrive as a result. Environmental success is measured through sustainable transport and packaging, with virtually no carbon footprint.
Awareness & learning
How do you see social entrepreneurship contributing to the improvement of developing countries?
I see social entrepreneurship as the key to improving developing countries because it not only places focus on creating profitable business and a strong economy, but engrained in its mission is to help people at the most basic level. Businesses can be successful without exploiting customers and it is genuinely possible to give something back to the community.
What aspects of your stay in Uganda as part of the competition do you think you will find most challenging and rewarding?
The most challenging thing I find about helping those less fortunate than myself is the feeling of guilt. It doesn't seem fair and it's hard to believe that some people live in environments much tougher and less helpful than I have ever experienced. My overwhelming feeling is that I should do without the material goods like my phone and computer, and I should spend some time helping. If I can help anyone in Uganda in any way meaningful to them, that will be the reward.
| Attachment | Size |
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| pp.jpg | 580.97 KB |
 | 15 weeks agoCalum McWhir updated this Competition Entry. |
| 15 weeks agoCalum McWhir submitted this idea. |
