Dump Truck full of Grapes

In this game, students are told to imagine they have just inherited a dump truck full of grapes, which they must do something with. They can’t give them back, as they have inherited them. They have a limited shelf life and to trash them at the city dump will cost money. The goal is to make money, rather than lose it. They are asked, “What will you do with these grapes?”

Learning Outcomes:

• Students learn to analyze assets
• They learn to divide their assets to increase revenue streams
• They learn to design revenue streams

Tip: Most students will focus on the juice the grapes provide. “Sell it to to a winery”, is usually first comment. Next, they might suggest selling them to a juicing company. This is followed by someone offering a grape-stomping festival, where jams and juice can be sold. But if they are allowed to brainstorm on the matter for several minutes (I give them 20), someone will come up with the health benefiting properties of the skin and seeds. They can be utilized, the juice can be used and the pulp can be used for jam. Waste can be composted. In looking deeper than surface level, they find they can dissect this asset, generate numerous revenue drivers and potentially profit from its multiple properties.

In doing so, they are learning to understand their assets and to utilize them in ways that can increase the chances of making money.

If you would like to use these games in your own classroom, please do! If you do, let me know how how it goes and if you have suggestions for modifying a game. 

I can be reached at jdhart@smu.edu. 

This game appears under a different title in the book “Educating Arts Entrepreneurs: Does, Can or Should One Size Fit All?”. If you choose to use this game/exercise by Jim Hart, please cite in the following way:

Beckman, Gary D. and Hart, James D. Chapter: “Educating Arts Entrepreneurs: Does, Can or Should One Size Fit All?” In Embracing Entrepreneurship Across Disciplines, authored by Satish Nambisan. Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd., 2015.