[Edaily Reporter Kim Ji-woo] Convenience store chain CU is turning recipes created by students at a culinary high school into actual products. The plan is to develop the winning entries from the school’s cooking competition into products sold at CU stores nationwide, incorporating the ideas of teenagers into convenience store ready-to-eat meals.

BGF Retail, the operator of CU, announced on the 7th that it signed a “Memorandum of Understanding for Industry-Academic Cooperation on Joint Product Development and Training of Professional Talent” on the 5th at the Korea Culinary Science High School in Siheung, Gyeonggi Province. The Korea Culinary Science High School is a specialized culinary high school that trains practical culinary professionals. It also boasts a track record of students advancing to overseas culinary schools such as the CIA in the U.S. and the CAA in Switzerland.

This agreement was established to connect students’ creative recipes with the development of actual convenience store products. CU plans to go beyond products that merely reflect trends and instead discover differentiated products that incorporate the food culture and ideas of teenage consumers.

Through this agreement, both parties will collaborate on joint product development linked to the school’s “Menu Development Cooking Competition,” the commercialization of outstanding recipes, scholarship support, and the operation of field internships and practical training.

CU plans to launch the winning entry from the “Menu Development Cooking Competition”—the school’s flagship event—as an actual product. The company intends to select the winning entry from the competition, which will be held this July for third-year students, and introduce it as a CU product this coming September.

Teams whose products are selected for release will also receive separate prize money. As the menus developed by the students themselves will be sold in CU stores nationwide, the company expects this to serve as a model for developing new products that reflect Gen Z food culture trends.

In addition, BGF Retail will provide scholarship support and operate on-site internship programs. Selected students will be able to gain practical experience by directly participating in the product development process of CU’s Convenience Foods Team.

Lim Hyung-geun, Head of the Merchandising Division at BGF Retail, stated, “This agreement is highly significant as it connects the creative ideas of students who will lead the future food industry with actual product development.” He added, “We will enhance our product development competitiveness and lead convenience store trends by collaborating with various educational institutions and future talent.”