«Freshies» is the «Company of the Year 2023»

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The Final and Award Ceremony of the ” Company of the Year 2023″ programme by Junior Achievement Cyprus (JA Cyprus) was held with great success for the 10th consecutive year on Friday, April 28, 2023.

This particular event was particularly special as we held the final competition and celebrated our organization’s tenth anniversary. For the past ten years, our organization has been dedicated to strengthening entrepreneurship and leadership skills in our young men and women, empowering them to pursue their dreams and make a difference in their communities.

This event held great significance as it marked the culmination of the final competition and commemorated our organization’s remarkable ten-year journey. Throughout the past decade, our organization has remained steadfast in its mission to enhance aspiring individuals’ entrepreneurial and leadership abilities, empowering them to pursue their dreams and create positive impacts within their communities.

In a room full of young business minds, ten student teams competed for the title of “Company of the Year”. The competition is the culmination of the efforts of 400 students, aged 15-18, who created their own student company during the school year. The ten finalists – from the 50 student companies created – publicly presented their innovative business ideas to an expert jury. The jury, to whom we warmly thank for their presence, was composed of Andreas Papadopoulos from the Board of Directors of JA Cyprus, Konstantina Logothetis from PwC, Michalis Charalambidis from ECOMMBX, Stratos Petrou from MetLife, Xenia Xenophontos from Digital Tree, Theodoros Loukaidis from RIF and Daina Nicolaou from the University of Cyprus.

This year the title of “Company of the Year” went to “Freshies”, a student company from GC School with Andreas Christoforou, Christina Paraskeva, Michel Manthopoulou, Vera Kyriakou, and Anna Maria Kouma. The company, with the help of their teachers Mrs. Katerina Charalambous and Anna Pashalis, and their mentor Mr. Cyprus Livera, created a toilet cleaning product that contains soluble, foaming, cleaning capsules for the toilet. The aim is to eliminate bacteria and unpleasant odors by replacing them with a fresh lavender scent.

“Swirls”, from Lykeio Kykkou B’, won second place in the competition. The team produces confetti poppers using repurposed machinery, filled with recycled paper that is hand processed by the production team, making it fully biodegradable. The team consists of Michalis Andreou, Pantelis Grigoriou, Alexis Panagi, Iraklis Konstantinou, Andreas Erotokritou, Katerina Georgiou, Erotokrito Koumidis and Mario Pontikou. The team was supported by their teacher Mr. Kypros Loizidis and their mentor Mr. Kyriakos Siakalis from the Office of the Environment Commissioner.

“SMELLOW”, the student company from the Lyceum of Agios Georgios Lakatamias, took third place, they created an odor and moisture absorbent as well as a moth repellent. It is made from expired coffee grounds and pencil shavings and is packaged in a cloth bag. The team members are Nefeli Vassiliou, Sofocles Vassiliou Angelos Agathangelou, Elena Angelides, Andreas Savvidis, and George Psilogenis. The group was supported by their teachers Ms. Anna Maria Pavlou and Maria Filippou and their mentor Mr. Kyriakos Siakalli.

In addition to the main title “Company of the Year 2023” second and third place awards, student companies received other special awards for their achievements in key areas of business activities.

 

The winners of the Signature Awards were:

 

Best Trade Fair Stand 1: Golden Grains from Olympia High School

Best Trade Fair Stand 2: Treenergy from Forum Private School

Best Logo: Unergy by IMS Private School

Social Responsibility: Aquafy by The English School

Best Branding and Digital Communication: Tails from The English School

Best Selling Product: Green and Glad from Lefkara High School

Best Annual Report: HuskMusk from Foley’s Private School

Phoenix Prize: Ecoscribbles from the Pascal English School in Larnaca

Best Promotional Video: ReuseMe from Arch. Makariou III High School – Dasoupoli

Most Innovative Product/Service: Swirls from Kykkos B’ High School

Leadership Award: Andreas Christoforou – Freshies from GC School

 

During the event, for the first time, honorary awards were given to schools and teachers for their many years of participation in our organization’s programs. In particular, the High School of Agios Georgios Lakatamia and the Private schools Olympian, Senior School, English School and G.C. School were honored. Honorary plaques were also given to professors Fotini Matidou, Eleni Malla, Katerina Charalambous, and Maria Eftihiou.

The event was welcomed by the Minister of Energy, Commerce, and Industry Mr. Giorgos Papanastasiou, and the General Director of IDEK Theodoros Loukaidis. Prominent figures from the business world graced the event with their presence.

Freshies will represent Cyprus at JA’s European GEN-E 2023 Competition to be held in July 2023 in Istanbul.

 

JA Cyprus is supported by the following:

 

  • Strategic Sponsor: PwC Κύπρου
  • Partners: MetLife, ECOMMBX
  • Supporters: University of Nicosia, Ministry of Energy, Commerce and Industry, Research and Innovation Foundation
  • Institutional Partner: Ministry of Education, Sports, and Youth

 

For more information visit the JA Cyprus website at www.jacyprus.org   or contact Emily Sotiriou at 97715909 or via email at  info@jacyprus.org