Virtual Enterprise is a business class that aims to help students learn about the workplace, the management of a company, and the creative design processes in the business world. Past virtual enterprise companies at Fort Hamilton include Eilo and Melting Pint which have made it to the national competitions. This year, using Design for Delight, the Virtual Enterprise class has developed their latest idea: CultureCrave.
Founded in November 2024, CultureCrave is your one-stop shop for all things international snacks. CultureCrave brings snacks from around the globe and sells it to consumers in the United States. After surveying 1200 students within Generation Z, CultureCrave found that 90% of the respondents wanted easier access to cultural snacks from their home country. CultureCrave used the survey to curate snacks from four countries around the world: Mexico, Italy, Japan, and Egypt. These snacks are packaged into bundles called Noms and are sold at trade shows or directly on the company’s website.
Since operations started four months ago, the company has made a total of 664 sales to Virtual Enterprise students and adults. Through consistent marketing on TikTok, Instagram, and Youtube, CultureCrave has garnered wide recognition from Virtual Enterprise firms across the nation. As the company has grown, it appeals to the consumer’s demand for more products. After running a second survey, which garnered over 1000 results, CultureCrave announced their next four countries: Albania, Turkey, South Korea, and Jamaica. These products will help attract even more customers and connect more students through the shared experience of eating delicious snacks.
The business plan team, which explains the business to Virtual Enterprise judges, finished third in its room in the Staten Island and Brooklyn regional competition. On February 13th, the team won first place in their room and later qualified for the national competition in April. This marks the third year that our Fort Hamilton Virtual Enterprise team has qualified for the nationals. In addition, the design team’s national competition came in the top 1% of all submissions and the sales team won the gold medal in booth design and sales pitch competition at the Long Island trade show. All of these commanding honors show the dedication and hard work that each member of the CultureCrave team puts into their work.
This year, the exciting class of 32 students displayed great efforts that have allowed CultureCrave to grow rapidly.
“Having the opportunity to work with so many of my amazing peers at CultureCrave has been a wonderful experience,” said CultureCrave CEO Talya Landesberg. “I look forward to excelling at more competitions and selling great snacks to Gen Z.”
