Student project allows Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses to look nationally
Published 23 May 2012
Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses provided five final-year marketing students at Lancaster with the opportunity to undertake a live marketing research consultancy project. The students spent six months investigating the possibility of Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses launching a national premium Lancashire cheese.
Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses is a family business, based in Preston, that has been making farmhouse cheese since 1932, and is particularly well known for its distinctive Blacksticks Blue cheese. The research project explored consumers' attitudes, knowledge and perceptions of Lancashire cheese, buying behaviour, the characteristics of premium cheeses and alternative branding strategies.
Peter Elvin, Marketing Manager at Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses, said: “The fantastic taste of traditional farmhouse Lancashire cheese remains little known outside of our local area but with the increasing interest in gourmet British cheeses we set students the challenge of investigating how a premium handmade Lancashire cheese could be positioned to consumers across the country. The results of the research were extremely insightful and the work was conducted to an extremely high standard and we are certain to use what we have learned in our plans for the future."
Helen Meek, Marketing Tutor supervising the project, added: “I would like to say a big thank you to Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses. This project has provided the students with a fantastic opportunity to put all the theory they have learnt as part of their marketing degree into practice. It has provided them with skills, knowledge and experience that will give them the competitive edge when applying for a job after graduation.”
Lancaster University Management School sources more than 100 projects throughout the year from North West businesses. If you think your company could benefit from teaming up with LUMS students please contact Jo Valentine, Company Projects Manager on 01524 510718 or email ieedprojects@lancaster.ac.uk and visit lums.lancs.ac.uk/ifg.
