A brief description of your internship:
This year I found myself getting very interested in nutrition. Mainly because at the end of 2017 I noticed that I was intolerant to dairy and gluten. Because of this, many of my physical and health habits changed. I started doing more exercise and not only was I able to free myself completely from all dairy and gluten, but I got an insight into having proper nutrition. I was always taught to eat healthily and do exercise, but I also learned a major lesson and its about portions and fueling the right energy to your body. throughout the year I began to cook more on my own because of my portions and the specific things I ate. Because I was so limited into eating certain things, I got a bit creative and started trying out different recipes.
When I met with Sarah to discuss my goals, we went through internships and what I wanted to accomplish. I was interested in many areas and one of them was health and nutrition. I had many ideas in mind but there was one specific one that caught my attention. The companies name is Bite and they are a Guatemalan start-up that dedicates to the creation, production, and sale of natural food products associated with health, suitable for any type of diet and free preservatives and chemicals. I had heard about them because of their bite bars and butter so what better way to learn more about how they manage to produce all their products and learn more about the health industry.
When I was in the first meeting with Astrid Lottman “general director”, we talked about my personal experience in health and why I thought I should be in Bite. I also told her what I wanted to get from this experience that was to know more about the structure of the business and the different process they go through. When we were done with all the questions, we got into drafting what Astrid wanted to do and what steps we would take to achieve them. Some of these things were…
1. Look for potential influencers.
2. Investigate potential places in which we could host a cooking meet.
3.Trendy ingredients/plates.
4. Look for booth Ideas.
5.Potential boutique gyms.
6.Research on social media insights
7. Look for potential places for social activities.
All these things were research to be made which included contacting people, so many follow-ups, investigate, ask other people and so much more. In the second week, I was with them, I worked on helping them organize their inventory and participate in 3 cooking meets (Plantiful, Jungla Urbana and Om Yoga). We also attended a meeting which I organized in Choco Museo for a potential event that we wanted to host.
What went well in your internship?
One of the things that I liked about this internship is that I was able to apply certain skills that I learned from my other internships into this one. Even if they were small things, such as making an inventory, doing research; it is all getting better and better because each time I have more demand on other things and that is what helps me apply the new material. Another thing that went well is that with my co-worker “Andrea” is that we had a constant/clear communication that helped us be organized and prepared for all the cooking meets.
What could improve in your internship?
I have always been an extroverted person, people tell this to me a lot but I do however have problems asking people questions when I’m in doubt. This should improve because it is pure nerves and if I don’t ask, I won’t be able to do what I’m supposed to. Asking is not wrong and the worst thing that can happen is that they repeat things over again or say no. I had a talk about this with my dad and it’s amazing to see that the more you ask, the more secure and open you will be. The second thing I could improve on is on having a notebook and doing notes more organized. While I was in the internship, I always brought my computer, but I noticed that it’s so important to have a notebook in hand to take notes and to show others that you are present.
What were your biggest learnings?
One of my major learnings was when I was left alone at Om Yoga to set the display. I was literally on my own, without no one and just so you know I do not like being alone. I think that it’s mostly because I have this thinking that I’m considered little and that I don’t have a voice. In this experience, I had to talk to the owner and discuss where we could set up. All on my own I set out the display, placed the ingredients and cut the food. In the end, I was so satisfied with myself because I overgeneralized something so small, and that I was able to do a good job. I sent some pictures to Astrid and Andrea to show how it was all set up and they absolutely liked it. the major learning is that I have a voice and that I shouldn’t be afraid to use it.
What will you apply to your life from what you learned in your internship?
Bite is a small company and in order to promote their products, they have to do a lot of marketing. Marketing is a concept that I heard many people talking since I was young and I never quite understood it. The good thing about being in this internship is that I was actively involved in the activities they did such as the cooking meets and social media to commercialize their products. I was able to reflect upon the importance of doing events like this and the power of having strong influencers is. In my life, I want to constantly apply marketing strategies in order to promote my product. It is an important step not just for yourself, but for the benefit of getting to show your product.
Victoria Morales 