This year’s Bench Top Innovations class officially launched Noosh, an eggplant-based dip, last Thursday, selling out twice in ETC on the same day.
Students, professors and visitors gathered around tables in the University Forum to taste the dip. The students who created the product handed out bowls of Noosh and pita chips to anyone who would try it.
Their efforts paid off as the dip flew off the shelves of Everything Convenience, selling for $6 in-store and online for $13.99 a jar.
First-year Celia Deese said she had never tasted anything quite like it.
“I liked Noosh because it was really different than anything I’ve ever tried before; it’s super unique and really cool that it was made by people on campus,” Deese said.
The dip tastes like a spicy hummus, but doesn’t have as many calories as the traditional hummus baba ganoush dip.
Abigail Freytag, Noosh’s chief marketing officer, is proud of how far their product has come.
“It was the coolest feeling to finally have the product in our hands and give out samples after working on it for so long,” Freytag said. “We got a ton of positive feedback!”
The company’s business model focuses heavily on social media marketing by promoting the product on Instagram with talking ingredient characters and TikTok with dancing in eggplant costumes.
The company also launched a website that includes patterns, fonts, colors, and characters that are unique to the company.
The company appeals heavily to students as it’s run by students. The website and social media keep up with trends and Gen Z language, using “let them cook” on the website and phrases like “this isn’t your Baba’s ol ganoush.”
Lucy Stefani, marketing manager for Noosh, said “[this class] truly demonstrates the challenges and excitement of starting a company, and it has allowed me to discover a passion for entrepreneurship.”
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The team is excited to continue bettering the product and get it out to as many people as possible, beyond just the UR campus.
“It has been amazing to successfully create a product that we all care so much about and want to see thrive,” said Freytag. “That’s what drives us to keep working hard on it every day. We are excited for the next few months of Noosh!”
Contact news writer Lucille Hancock at lucille.hancock@richmond.edu.
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