Richmond Bench Top Innovation students will take their idea to market
Student Experience
Four teams of Richmond seniors faced a panel of judges last semester as they presented their ideas for new products. By the end of the evening, one group had done more than earn a grade — they had created a beverage poised to hit store shelves.
The teams in the Bench Top Innovations course, a Robins School of Business marketing program, presented original product and brand concepts for new coffee and tea drinks, including a protein coffee with electrolytes, a mushroom-based vegan vanilla latte, a horchata-inspired oat milk latte, and a turmeric-forward healing chai.
Korra, a salted vanilla latte with 20 grams of protein and natural electrolytes from coconut milk and sea salt, was selected as the winner.
The teams were evaluated for a grade and a chance to launch their product in the spring. The judges included: David Blanchard, a 2002 alum who founded Blanchard’s Coffee; Tyler Betzhold, Richmond’s executive chef; Ari Soroken, former chief financial officer of Bai beverage company; and Susan Brown, a vice president of merchandising for TJX Companies.
"Korra's presentation was engaging and made some exceptionally strong points about the usefulness of the product,” said Joel Mier, marketing lecturer and Bench Top Innovations program director. “Protein is also a major trend in beverages, and the combination of caffeine, protein, and electrolytes in a small can was quite a differentiator.”
Mier co-teaches the Bench Top class with Shane Emmett, an entrepreneur-in-residence at the Robins School of Business and former CEO and founder of Health Warrior. Now in its fifth year, the class is open to seniors of any major and simulates the real-world process of developing a new product and launching a startup. They work in partnership with the VCU Brandcenter to develop unique branding.
Mier and Emmett helped jumpstart the research and development process by providing market trend data and analysis related to food and beverages.
The Korra team quickly zeroed in on the growing industry of protein-rich drinks and snacks before recognizing a market opportunity to add electrolytes.
“And it’s in a small can, so you can take it on the go,” said Ayah Karar, a business administration major with concentrations in finance and entrepreneurship.
Real-world experiences
Throughout the development process, the students received advice from industry experts. They toured the local production facilities of Blanchard’s Coffee. The class also traveled to the Kerry Group, a food science and innovation company in Wisconsin, and to Boombox Beverage, a coffee and tea manufacturer in Chicago. The trips provided a behind-the-scenes look at the companies involved in producing and packaging the winning beverage.
“At Boombox, they were also interested in what we had to say as Gen Z consumers,” said Matt Lynch, Korra creator and a business administration major with a concentration in marketing. “They wanted to know about the current coffee trends and what we see around campus.”
Renaming and rebranding
Announcing the winner is a major milestone in the yearlong Bench Top course, but in some ways, it’s also a starting point. Once the winning product was chosen, the entire class reorganized into a single company. Lynch was selected as CEO by his classmates, and he then interviewed interested students for leadership roles in marketing, sales, operations, finance, and technology.
To avoid possible trademark issues with the name Korra that were uncovered after the Great Bake Off, the class held a brainstorming and vetting session before agreeing on Rali as their new company name.
In December, while most Richmond students were wrapping up finals and leaving for winter break, Rali students still had work to do. They prepared for their first run of 5,000 cans, which they expect to hit shelves in early 2026. They also returned to Kerry and Boombox to check in on production. Karar, head of sales for Rali, and her team is reaching out to campus dining locations, local cafes, and grocery stores about stocking Rali. And Tess Weatherhead, Rali’s chief marketing officer, said her team is focused on building excitement and awareness ahead of the official launch.
Rali is designed for a broad audience but focuses on those seeking sustained energy that supports hydration and nutrition. “On Instagram and TikTok, we’re highlighting how Rali can ‘Revive Your Drive,’ with an emphasis on storytelling and education to explain what sets the product apart,” Weatherhead said.
Where Rali goes from here remains to be seen. The team is eager to see if the drink gains traction as it expands across the Richmond area. The program mirrors the interdisciplinary nature of real-world companies, so whether they continue to build the company or not, the students can point to the problem-solving, critical thinking, and leadership skills they developed along the way.