Year 12 Business Management students attended an excursion to the Great Ocean Road Chocolaterie and Ice Creamery, which provided them with a practical case study linking theoretical Operations Management concepts to a contemporary business. By observing a live production facility, the students gained a concrete understanding of the operations system model and how this business in particular balances global supply chains for cocoa with local sourcing strategies. A guided tour of the grounds further highlighted this integration, demonstrating how onsite resources like harvested fruit and honey are utilised as raw materials.
The operational phase of the became highly tangible during the hands-on chocolate-making workshop. The students tempered chocolate, actively engaging in the transformation stage. The activity demonstrated that if the chocolate is not tempered precisely, the output fails to meet commercial standards, proving that quality management must be embedded throughout production rather than just at final inspection.
Students observed how a modern manufacturing system must flexibly adapt to short, experimental production runs for niche items without disrupting core efficiency.
This practical experience allowed the students to understand Operations Management for their Business Management subject.
Amelia Gibson and Hayley Whittakers give their reflection on the excursion:
As part of Year 12 Business Management we had the opportunity to visit the Great Ocean Road Chocolaterie and Ice Creamery, linking area of study 3 on Operations Management to a contemporary business in operation.
On our excursion we started with an introduction to the chocolate factory provided by the location manager. We learnt about the internal business operations and production lines, as well as how they source inputs and manage their stock.
Following this we were able to participate in many different activities including chocolate taste-testing, where we were introduced to unique flavours of chocolate that the business produced, such as chocolate coated ginger and pineapple. We then even got to make our very own jumbo chocolate lollipops with tempered chocolate, and decorated them with other ingredients.
As well as this, we were taken on a tour of the grounds by Wayne the gardener where we met the guinea pigs and silkie chickens, and learned about the intentional landscaping wave motifs, and the honey and fruit produced onsite and used by the business.
Finally, we had time to browse the retail store and make purchases, and have lunch and ice cream at the cafe.
Overall, it was a great experience with our classmates and business teachers Ms Rumney and Mr Gromilic. We thoroughly enjoyed the day out and learned a lot, which we then applied to our next assessment task.
