A recipe for success

While some rugby players spend their day off resting up, an enthusiastic group of Exeter Chiefs players recently took the day out to experience life inside local drinks manufacturer Frobishers.

Returning for the second time after a very successful first event last year, the 11 players were invited inside the ‘Juice House’ to try their hand at creating a new juice, devising a marketing strategy and then presenting their final product to members of the Frobishers Board.

In a ‘Dragons Den’ meets ‘The Apprentice’ format, the players were asked to stand up in front of their teammates and senior members of the Frobishers Management and give a presentation on why their juice would be the most profitable for the business.

The day was organised as part of the RPA’s Player Development Programme (PDP) which aims to individually assist players in their personal and professional development, helping them to identify a second career and providing them with skills for a smoother transition into life after rugby.

Frobishers was founded in 1992 and sets out to provide their customers with the finest natural fruit drinks in the world. They are committed to making sure that 100% of the juices used in their drinks are from the best fruits and sourced from the most dedicated farmers across the globe.

After splitting themselves into three different groups, the Chiefs players began the day by brainstorming several different approaches and juice recipes to undertake.

“First of all we needed to decide which product we wanted to create and then who we wanted to aim it at, athletes or the general public”, said Exeter and England back-rower Tom Johnson (pictured right).  “After that we went through the process of actually testing, making and tasting our juice in the lab to make sure it was suitable and ready to be pitched back to the Frobishers team.”

That process was undertaken by each group, with the three team’s given significant time to prepare their juice by adding different flavours until they came to a decision on which was the best combination.

The teams had to plan whether they wanted to produce a drink that would be more suitable for the upcoming winter months or a drink which would be refreshing and thirst-quenching for the spring and summer months.

For Johnson’s long-time teammate and Chiefs’ utility-back, Phil Dollman this process was the one that he enjoyed the most.

“It was brilliant to play around with a few different flavours and then try and create something that not only tastes good but would also be profitable. I personally found this process really interesting, from creating a drink from scratch, to then testing and making different recipes, to finally working out pricing and marketing methods.”

As the day progressed and the teams finalised their juice recipe, they then put their minds together to formalise a marketing, advertising and pricing plan for their product, one which would produce significant benefits to the Frobishers brand.

It was from this that the three groups were called back into the main board room to pitch their product to senior members of the Frobishers Management team.

“I was quite nervous before presenting our product to the Board, but thankfully it worked out really well and really challenged each of the players by placing us outside of our comfort zone” Dollman said.

“The whole experience of presenting and pitching our idea to Frobishers was really enjoyable, especially when there was really good buy-in from all the lads and a good mix of young and old players, which made it very worthwhile.”

With the presenting drawing to a close and with the applause matching the laughter, the Board members were excused to make their final decision on which team’s drink they believed would prove the most successful.

After an eagerly awaited few minutes, Frobishers CEO Nick Sprague revealed their overall winners, marked on the recipe and taste of the juice, the marketing strategy and the products pricing.

Coming out on top with a tasty juice flavour, a strong marketing outline and a suitable pricing plan were group members Johnson, Jack Yeandle, Max Bodilly and Tom Hendrickson.

Their juice proved the most liked across the board and Johnson was keen to emphasis the great contribution from all the Chiefs players who attended the event and also the connection between the club, Frobishers and The RPA.

“We’ve had a really good day down here at Frobishers, everyone has looked after us and taken us through the stages of how they develop a product by creating, marketing and then selling it.

“It was obviously really satisfying for my team to win but it was more important to beat Carl Rimmer and his team because he was very disappointed to lose (laughs).

“It’s also worth mentioning the amazing connection down here in Exeter between the Chiefs, Frobishers and The RPA and it’s great to see all the players participate and work together as a team.

“I would also like to personally thank our RPA Player Development Manager Josh Frape for organising this event for the second year in a row. Josh is very good in what he does, not just from today but he makes it his goal to drive a lot of schemes down here and help guys meet some really good contacts and find suitable work experience.”

For Josh, the idea of hosting another Exeter Frobishers Day after the success of last season was always something on the top of his agenda.

“The opportunity for players, both young and old to mix with the Frobishers team and to experience how the production cycle operates was too good to refuse. After the success of last year we thought it was the perfect time to come back and test the guys on their team-work, ability to think outside of the box and produce something they would be proud of. Frobishers have been hugely supportive of the Player Development Programme and The RPA and once again provided this incredible opportunity for players to come in and test their hand at making juice.

“It’s great for them to get an insight into what goes on behind the closed doors of a commercial business and especially one that supports their team and their club. It’s also been fantastic to see all the guys getting so much out of the day, in particular learning new skills such as team-building, communication, planning and pitching their product to a large group of people. Using a company that are so supportive of the rugby industry and extremely supportive of the Exeter Chiefs, makes the whole experience even better.”

John Breading, Senior National Account Manager for Frobishers was taken aback by the overwhelming contribution from the players and in particular their desire to try something new.

“This is the second year we have held this event and we think it’s brilliant because it gives the guys the opportunity to try something different. The sporting career is a very different one to the commercial career and it’s very short-lived, so it’s good for the guys to witness what’s out there and what can be achieved after rugby. At Frobishers we cherish our friendship with The RPA and we are one of the main sponsors of the Exeter Chiefs, therefore the whole event was a fantastic opportunity for everyone involved to continue to form a formidable partnership.”

The players in attendance included Max Bodilly, Phil Dollman, Tom Hendrickson, Jack Innard, Tom Johnson, Laurence May, Jack Oulton, Carl Rimmer, Brett Sturgess, Stuart Townsend and Jack Yeandle.