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Getting a Taste of Success: Middle School Students Learn About Entrepreneurship By Developing a Product.

Posted on: Saturday, 17 June 2006, 09:00 CDT

By Jeanne Bonner, The Morning Call, Allentown, Pa.

Jun. 17--Bryan Monet already knew how sofrito tasted.

His mother, Marisol Escobales, often prepares the Latin sauce, which consists of onions, garlic, sweet peppers, cilantro and other ingredients.

What the 11-year-old didn't know was how to cook, package and market the sauce.

He's an old pro at all that now.

Monet, a sixth-grader at Harrison-Morton Middle School in Allentown, was one of 25 students who participated in a yearlong entrepreneurial program aimed at teaching children about business. He and his "co-workers" unveiled -- and sold -- the sauce Thursday at the annual dinner of Casa Guadalupe, a social services agency that helps area Latinos with health, education and other issues.

The after-school program, in its first year, was the idea of Margie Maldonado, executive director of the Allentown organization. Maldonado wanted to expose middle school students to different careers, and hopefully discourage them from cutting their education short.

The Lehigh Valley is home to a number of programs that introduce students to the world of business. For example, Community Action Development Corp. holds an annual summer camp that introduces students to area businesses. The students create a fictitious product.

But few programs allow students to develop and sell their own product. A grant from Air Products and Chemicals of Trexlertown provided seed money, Maldonado said.

"It is so exciting to see them at such a young age understanding business concepts," she said in an interview Thursday. "Every step of the way, I've been listening to them in the hall, and I hear them talking about budgets."

The students were divided into five groups: logistics, marketing, accounting, product development and sales. They designed labels and developed a brand name: "Sabor a casa," which means, roughly, "taste of home." The name was designed to convey a tie to Casa Guadalupe, and to convince customers the sauce would taste just like they make at home.

Students who wanted to be managers had to apply for the jobs.

Monet did just that, ending up as manager of the cooks. While he said he was not "bossy," as a manager, Monet did issue warnings not to fool around. He said the hardest part was researching the sauce and learning about its ingredients.

Help was on the way. Fernando Santiago, owner of Latin Flava restaurant on Gordon Street in Allentown, taught the children how to prepare the sauce, and also instructed them on food safety. This week, he helped them prepare batches of the sauce, which were sold at the banquet at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Allentown for $5. Proceeds will fund future educational programs at Casa Guadalupe.

Santiago saw the program as an opportunity to give back to the community.

"I grew up in a bad neighborhood," said Santiago, 39, who moved to Allentown eight years ago from Brooklyn. "I've seen what goes on in the streets. Kids always need someone to follow."

jeanne.bonner@mcall.com

610-820-6539

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Source: The Morning Call, Allentown, Pennsylvania

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