Beyond the classroom: Logistics students explore the wine supply chain in France

By Laura Chmarová, first-year Logistics student at Breda University of Applied Sciences

The programme started in January with online work. We were divided into seven international teams with students from Poland, Denmark, and France. Our projects involved research into the wine industry and wine supply chain logistics, which helped us prepare for the next assignments. The third project was more creative: we designed a logo and brand name for our own fictional wine company. In the first week of March the diverse and interesting programme was planned for us at the IUT university in Chalon-sur-Saône, France.

On the first day, IUT university has prepared warm welcome where each of us met their team members. In the afternoon we went on a field trip to Buxy, we visited Millebuis' cellars as well as tasted the delicious traditional Bourgogne wine.

For the rest of the week, we focused on meeting deadlines for a Case Study related to the Wine Supply Chain, specifically exporting wine from France to New York, and after that each team head to present their outcomes in front of the Jury. Besides working on the case, we had fun filming a commercial in teams for already mentioned fictional wine brands.

At the end we had a final ceremony during which some teams were rewarded with an interesting prize. Rewards were for the best Case Studies and the best Commercials. Janne's and Pim's team won first prize for the Case Study while Leonie's and Robine's team won second place in this category. Jiahe's and Laura's team also won second place for Commercials with their video. Additionally, their group was specially rewarded for their hard work and good results throughout the whole project.

IUT university organised an entertaining final programme. On Thursday evening, we enjoyed dinner, bowling, and arcade games with other students. On Friday, we finished with a tour of Dijon and tasted typical French food.

IUT university was really welcoming and warm. Also, we would like to show our gratitude to BUas lecturer Suzanne Vollenbronck, who guided us throughout the whole project and was there for us in every situation. We appreciate her passion and friendliness, which was such a comfort for us.

Overall, the BIP project contributed to our personal and professional growth. We recommend this Erasmus+ project to every student, and we are inviting you to seize such international opportunities in the future.

The project will teach you a lot about other cultures: 

"I realised how different cultures can be despite the short distance. A good example I encountered during this week was the long lunch break of the French. Where we are used to taking a maximum 30-minute break, they considered 1.5 hours nothing more than normal." – Janne

And the most important you will grow as a person and create new unforgettable memories: 

"The BIP was a week I will always keep in good memories. It was great to work together with so many people from different nationalities, gain new knowledge, and definitely more confidence. My favourite memory was the afternoon we spent at a wine production house with a tasting afterwards, and the goodbye evening with activities like bowling and other games." – Leonie

"I never imagined myself jumping on a trampoline in a small French town! As a logistics student from BUas in the Netherlands, I just finished my BIP project, and we even had a wonderful free dinner together. I tried a boxing machine and played bowling for the very first time, all in this charming little place. These experiences were far beyond what I expected from the BIP programme. Such a perfect surprise!" - Jiahe

Commercial video credits: 
Denys Saienko (Pomeranian University, Poland, video editor), Anastasiia Kuzmina (Pomeranian University, Poland, actor), Bilaal Dechasa Nado Gussa (UCL University College, Denmark, actor), Said Sahei Amiri (UCL University College, Denmark, actor), Laura Chmarová  (BUas, actor), Jiahe Li (BUas, actor)