St Andrews student company breaks records at National Food Awards
A St Andrews student start-up company swept both regional and national awards at the annual Scottish Asian Food Awards.
CombiniCo, founded by former student Alex Longson and current student Juno Lee, is a Korean and Japanese food outlet that has quickly become one of St Andrews’ foremost lunch destinations since opening in February 2018.
The awards event, which was held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel on Monday 19 November in Glasgow, saw the top food establishments of the Asian food sector in Scotland descend upon the city.
CombiniCo was awarded Best Takeaway and Home Delivery of 2018 for the Central Scotland region and then went on to win the national title in that category. The win marked the first time that an establishment outside of Edinburgh or Glasgow has achieved the category’s national prize as well as making Alex (23) and Juno (22) the youngest ever winners at the prestigious awards.
The company was recognised for “working hard to service the Asian food industry, promote Asian cuisine and connect communities through food and culture”.
The early ideas for CombiniCo, which is located on 91 South St, were formed while the top team were students at the University of St Andrews.
Alex said: “It is very easy to get lost in the St Andrews bubble while running a food and beverage business. That makes it even more special to have our work recognised and validated on a national level.”
Juno added: “Since opening in February, we have been so busy that we never really stopped to appreciate how much progress we had made. I think that’s also why the night was special for us — we had the chance to celebrate the crazy journey that has led to this moment.”
Developing an entrepreneurial culture is a central pillar of the University’s new Strategic Plan. St Andrews is committed to supporting structures that enable effective engagement between researchers, industry, business, policy makers, students, alumni and investors, and enabling start-ups to become active and sustainable enterprises.
Issued by the University of St Andrews Communications Office.