As part of its on-going partnership with University College Birmingham (UCB), and to support new talent in the bakery industry, Dawn Foods has appointed two new student ambassadors for 2021.

Jonah Street and Krystal Jenkins are both second year students on UCB’s Bakery and Patisserie Technology undergraduate degree course. The student ambassadors will be working with Dawn on a range of projects and campaigns including recipe development, insight blogs and social media activity. The first new product development project will be to create vegan-friendly alternatives to classic bakes using the theme ‘Veganostalgia’.

Krystal’s passion is experimenting with flavours and textures as she explains:

“I’ve always had a sweet tooth when it comes to things like cakes and desserts and thanks to my sister, who taught me how to make these myself, I was able to go on an experiment with different flavours and textures to create cakes and desserts for friends and family. This inspired me to learn bakery at university and I am keen to experience as much as possible to enhance my future career in the industry.”

With a keen interest in product design and development, along with a love of science, Jonah aspires to explore ways in which the bakery industry can make a positive impact on sustainability, as more consumers become conscious about food waste and how they can make eco-friendly decisions when purchasing food.

“My passion for baking came from a young age,” explains Jonah. “On a Sunday afternoon with my mum, we’d make Victoria Sandwiches, cookies and whatever we wanted. Over the years, I started experimenting much more, expanding my horizons and my passion grew from there.

“I also love social media, most notably my Instagram account @jonah_street where I post all of my bakes.”

Jacqui Passmore, Marketing Manager UK and Ireland at Dawn Foods said:

“The Dawn student ambassador programme has been running for a number of years now and it’s a great experience for both the ambassadors and for Dawn. The students benefit from work experience and insight into the industry whilst we benefit from their fresh view and interpretation of the latest bakery trends.

“Flavours and textures, Krystal’s bakery interest,are important when it comes to new product development and trends, so it’s going to be great to have her on board sharing her ideas and insight. Jonah’s love of classics, like Victoria Sponge, paired with his interest in science and experimentation is also going to be interesting when it comes to recipe development and adding exciting twists to well-known favourites.”

About Dawn Foods

Bakery manufacturer and ingredients supplier Dawn Foods has established itself as one of the top global bakery companies, providing ingredients, bespoke solutions and services to the bakery and foodservice industries. Headquartered in Jackson, Michigan, and with its UK and Ireland base in Evesham, Worcestershire, Dawn Foods employs more than 5000 people worldwide and partners with more than 40,000 artisanal and retail bakers, food service leaders and manufacturers located in more than 100 countries.

For more information about the company, its products and culture, please visit www.dawnfoods.com/uk