Herban Movement is the Academy of Hospitality and International Tourism’s first student-governed company. Under Junior Achievement, the company was founded by Chef Lourdes Sampayo as a collaborative project for her Introduction to Hospitality and Culinary Arts class. Initially named “Herban Dictionary Products,” the company was formed to compete against other student-run businesses in the annual Northern California Junior Achievement Competition that took place in San Jose last spring.
In March of 2014, the students, or as they are referred to, “the employees” of the company elected their primary set of officers. The company’s first manufactured product was “Herban Dishes,” a 100% student-created cookbook-encyclopedia that featured unique spices; authentic recipes and
the spices’ medicinal use, folklore and history. Sampayo assigned each student a spice to research and prepare a dish with. These dishes would were later compiled into a book. The book is a “representation of Hercules High’s highly diverse student population,” Marketing Executive Chelsey Winston advertised.
Equipped with two new officers and a new name, Herban Movement has ambitious plans for its 2014-2015 season. Their new line of products includes "Project Gaia" (to be released in late 2014), an original recyclable shopping bag inspired by California's new ban on plastic bags, and "Herban Dishes Volume II: Remix" (to be released in 2015) featuring dietary options, meal plans, etc., which
was inspired by customer feedback from the California State Fair. Herban Movement has also been invited to job shadow for companies such as Pandora Radio and Cliff Bar & Company. It plans to compete once more in next year’s Northern California Junior Achievement Competition in the spring. The company’s success has earned them 40 tickets to We Day 2015, an annual celebration of success and self-empowerment (last year, attended by high-level celebrities such as Selena Gomez and Seth Rogen). As Herban Movement’s main goal is to give back to the very community that allowed it to flourish, a huge part of the company’s profit was donated directly to two charities: Free the Children and The California Autism Foundation.
OFFICERS
PRESIDENT: Joseph Fortuno (12)
VICE PRESIDENT/PRESIDENT OF FINANCE: Andrew Dirk (12)
MARKETING EXECUTIVE: Chelsey Winston (11)
PRODUCTION EXECUTIVE: Angelica Orellana (12)
PUBLIC RELATIONS PRESIDENT: Mahal Williams (12)