Arts & Culture

The Apprentice Week Three: Shaken and Non-Alcoholic

10 February 202210 February 2022By
The Apprentice Week Three: Shaken and Non-Alcoholic

It’s week three, and 14 candidates remain. And this time, Lord Sugar has asked the candidates to meet him at Mercato Metropolitano in Mayfair, a former church turned foodie temple offering artisan food and drink from around the world. Their next task is creating and branding a new non-alcoholic drink and hosting a launch event where they will be pitching and selling to leading retailers.

Previously: Aaron had a magical master plan in this weeks, The Apprentice that didn’t lift off the ground, and for the girls, Francesca took the crown, and in the boardroom, the girls got a clean sweep. 

With Nick told he would take on the project manager role for this week task, it was Conor who was taken out. 

Sadly, Shama had to leave the competition early due to medical reasons, leaving 12 candidates to fight for their place as Lord Sugar’s next business partner. 

8am:

Non-Alcoholic drinks have become a new rising trend across the food and drink industry. The candidates had to create a new non-alcoholic drink for this week’s task. To succeed in the boardroom, they needed to create a brand of drink that would be on show as they hosted a launch event where they would pitch to retailers. 

Being a new week, it was time for a change-up. With Lord Sugar mixing the groups up, both teams had two days to create their non-alcoholic drinks. 

Finance manager Nick was stuck within his clear image of creating a non-alcoholic version of a Vodka Lime Soda. In comparison, PM for the other team was bar owner Sophie who wanted her brand to focus on spice taste and for it to be a non-alcoholic version of a beer. 

10am:

It was to Central London to begin branding. 

Half the team were off to create their booze-free brand, the other half was tasked with developing the drink. 

After a bundle of brainstorming, it was now time for Sophie’s team with Crafted and Spice to come head to head with Nick’s Vodify.

3pm:

When it came to having a crash course in creating drinks, both teams realised the difficulties of attempting to replicate the flavours of an alcoholic drink into a non-alcoholic one. 

Sophie, Navid, and Stephany led the drink development for Crafted and Spice. This trio or duo (could we even count Navid involvement?) found it hard to agree on how to give their drink another boost of flavour, rather than just the spicy element. 

For their drink, Sophie felt that adding a fruity element to make the drink easier to drink…Like peach.

“Navid has to stand up for himself and has to be prominent, and in this task, he isn’t doing that. The women are taking over, and he is just an accessory.” Said Campbell. 

For Vodify, the drinks team focused on Nick’s fixed flavours. However, as they started to mix flavours, replicating the taste of Vodka seemed impossible. 

“I have to say. I feel a bit sorry for this team. They have been sent to make a vodka, lime and soda drink, but without the Vodka, and that is a very hard task.” Said Brady. 

4pm:

Back in Central London, Nick and his branding team were finishing his set vision. 

For Sophie’s team, the element of peach came as a surprise to the branding team as they felt Sophie’s brief of a spicy non-alcoholic drink was utterly lost, as the peach over powered all other flavours.

With the clock ticking on the drink production, both groups started to struggle to replicate the taste for their non-alcoholic drink. 

Over on the branding side of the task, it was time to give their brand a voice.

“I don’t think Nick was the best PM for this job. Sometimes he hears us but just doesn’t listen. It is a really poor management style.” Said Francesca.

9pm:

With design work done. Test batches are  being produced and packaged. It was tomorrows launch day that still awaited. 

7am (The next day):

It was now time for both halves of the groups to come together and review what had been achieved the day before. 

Crafted and Spice:

“The packaging doesn’t grab one’s eye if they were to pass and see it on the self. But at the end of the day, the taste is going to speak volumes.” Said Sophie.

“The team said there was only going to be a hint of peach. When actually that is all I can taste.” Said Amy.

Vodify:

“I am really worried about the level of salt. No one is going to want to buy a product that doesn’t taste good.” Said Francesca 

“To get a substitute for Vodka is really hard. The only thing that tastes like Vodka is Vodka.” Said Aaron. 

9am:

As half of the group went out to seek feedback from the public, the rest were left to perfect their pitches for later on. 

For Harpreet and the boys, they began to Vodify people’s morning. 

“To be honest, I am not really a fan.”

“It isn’t very nice. It is too bitter.”

For the other team, they began to get peoples immediate thoughts. 

“This is not good.”

“It smells different from what it tastes.”

“This wouldn’t appeal to me if it was on a shelf.”

“It looks old fashion.”

5pm:

Arriving at Canary Wharf, where  some of the top names in the drinks industry. 

Both teams had one hour to secure bulk orders from the retailers like top drink companies and leading UK supermarkets. 

“Nick had to chance to pitch to a major supermarket. He got an order of 300. This retailer could have ordered thousands, but they didn’t. What a waste of an opportunity.” Said Brady. 

6pm:

Trading was over, meaning the only thing left was to count the possible sales of both teams. It is down to tomorrow in the boardroom to see who had secured the most orders. 

The Boardroom:

Vodify: “It was really mixed. But one major player really liked it and took a big order. You got a total order of 10,675.” Said Brady.

Crafted and Spice: “They had a very mixed reaction from the buyers and walked away with 2,502 cases sold.” Said Campbell.

With their secured win, it was time for Vodify to head off to a cocktail making master class for a real alcoholic treat. 

For Crafted and Spice, its time to get a cup of tea at the La Cabana Café.

“You got peach in the drink but not on the label, and you have spice on the label and not in the drink.” Sugar. 

For Sophie, Navid and Akshay were put in the firing line in the boardroom.

Sophie because she was the Project manager and for Navid and Akshay for their lack of effort during the tasks. 

Sophie: “You are in the bar business, and it is a travesty that you have lost this task.”

Navid: “You say you have lots of ideas, but no one listens to you.”

Aksay: “There are allegations that you stand back and you listen to what other people say. And if a good idea comes along, you jump on it and take credit.”

“Three weeks, three losses and each week you have been accused of doing nothing. So Navid, it is with regret that you are FIRED,” Said Lord Sugar.

12 candidates remain hopeful of being Lord Sugar’s next business partner. 

Next Week: Fish Week.