Sean Satterley, entrepreneur and Managing Director of Woolwich-based company, ISIS Printing Services Ltd, has embarked on a completely new business, entirely unrelated to printing. His new venture, The Table Top Cooking Company UK Ltd (TTCC) is all about food, fun and friendship and has been established to produce, market and sell the ‘Rondue’ and other table top cooking products.
Sean came-up with the ‘Rondue’ table-top grill idea whilst enjoying a skiing holiday in the Swiss Alps. He watched a group of people using a ‘Pierre Chaude (Hot Stone) to heat their food and melt cheese, and noticed how this sociable cooking device provided an interesting, flexible and enjoyable way to dine. Sean said:-
“The Pierre Chaude really inspired me, so not long after we came back from our holiday I bought a similar cooking gadget from a restaurant. We experimented with it at home, but it was small and used methylated spirit, which had a strong smell and made our eyes water. I started thinking about how I could develop the table top cooking idea and create a product that would offer the fun of cooking good food with friends. I realised that if I could combine a new design with additional benefits, I would be onto a winner. Initially I designed a few prototypes myself, visualising how I wanted the Rondue to look and drafting sketches. I also decided I wanted it to be made in an environmentally friendly way and to be heated by an eco-friendly alternative to Methylated spirit, all whilst ensuring that the Rondue could be evenly heated to the right temperature for sizzling food! It came to a point where I needed professional CAD designs to make my idea a credible business proposition.”
At this point, Sean decided to contact the product design specialists at the University of East London. He was put in contact with Product Design Lecturer, Paul Lighterness, who with the support of Knowledge Dock sourced an appropriate student to take on the project with him. Celine Tresallet, BA Product Design Futures graduate, was given the brief to develop Sean’s ideas. With the expert guidance of Paul, Celine succeeded in producing a stylish new design. Sean explained:-
“I wanted the eye of an expertly trained product designer to perfect the product and make it up-to-date and aesthetically appealing. The student created proper CAD drawings that I could take to the manufacturer. After a few meetings with myself and Paul, the student took on-board all of our guidance and produced designs for a practical product, ready for launch. She even gave me the option of three different designs to choose from, so I am delighted with the final product, which is good looking and practical. Paul has also been absolutely fantastic and passionate about the ‘Rondue’ product, which I will be launching at the Design Formula event on 15th October at the Knowledge Dock Business Centre.”
Paul Lighterness started working on the ‘Rondue’ with Celine Tresallet in August 2007. He helped to develop the student’s ideas, steer her in the right direction, and advise Sean on the process involved:-
“The project was a tremendous opportunity for the student to develop a product for a real client, with the support and backing of staff to advise her at each point of the project.
The Design Process is not an immediate fix solution; it can be a very lengthy pathway. Designers need to constantly consult with the client and really gain an understanding of all of their ideas, the proposed target market needs, as well as being able to advise about processes, technologies, materials and manufacturing.
Sean was very understanding of the elements that we had to go through to get the Product to where it is today, and shows real commitment to his idea and determination to get his product to Market.”
The Rondue product is one example of how the combined expertise of a student and Academic can provide the ideal recipe for success, because of the complimentary skills they provide:-
“The student had the enthusiasm and the design capability and Paul made up for Celine’s lack of commercial understanding, so I was confident we would make good progress.”
Sean added:-
“Paul helped make all the refinements to the product design, ready for manufacturing and then we took on another student, Paula Denby, to design the packaging. She did very well in taking on the challenge of making the internal structure work and strong enough for the ceramic-based product. She also looked into how the packaging, like the product, could be made in an environmentally friendly way, which is another important selling point for the Rondue.”
Paula explained the difficulties she encountered and how it was a great sense of achievement when she found a solution that worked:-
“To design the packaging for TTC was interesting, challenging and a pleasure to work on such a project. It was rewarding to overcome any technical, structural and material matters through the journey of the Rondue packaging design”
Sean has registered the The Table Top Cooking Company (UK) Limited (TTCC) as a private, limited company, and is looking to develop other Rondue associated products and table top cooking items in the future.
The Rondue provides an informal, sociable, relaxed and entertaining way of eating, which makes family meal times and home-entertaining more enjoyable for everyone, particularly the cook. It is these appealing features and benefits that Sean and the design team are confident will make Rondue a success.
For more information about the Rondue, please visit www.foodfunfriends.com or contact Sean Satterley on 020 8316 4488 or email: sean@foodfunfriends.com
To find out about the free Design Formula event, where Sean will be launching Rondue, please contact Karen Wilton on 020 8223 7528, or email k.wilton@uel.ac.uk.
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