Industry-Academia Co-Creation in Hospitality Education: Sensory-Driven Innovation to Enhance Anchor Product Sales in Gastronomy

Abstract

The alignment between hospitality education and real-world industry needs remains a critical challenge in tourism studies. In response, experiential learning models that foster direct collaboration between academic institutions and private enterprises are gaining prominence as effective strategies to develop practice-oriented competencies among students. This paper presents a co-creation project between a Portuguese higher education institution (School of Hospitality and Tourism, Polytechnic of Porto) and Gresso, a Portuguese premium gastronomy brand, designed to stimulate sales of the company’s ten “anchor products” by developing complementary sweet offerings through sensory-driven innovation. Hospitality students were tasked with creating original dessert concepts that could enhance the appeal and commercial performance of these core items. Four proposals were developed and refined through iterative feedback: a creamy custard with orange–lemon compote, a baked red berry cheesecake, a pistachio brigadeiro enrobed in dark chocolate with a red berry coulis. These were then submitted to a blind tasting evaluated by Gresso’s frontline sales representatives, who rated each product based on taste, originality, and perceived market potential. The pistachio brigadeiro emerged as the overwhelming favourite and was subsequently selected by the company for potential integration into its product portfolio. This outcome not only validated the students’ creative and technical skills but also demonstrated the tangible business value of embedding industry challenges into academic curricula. The project exemplifies a “family trip” approach applied to gastronomy—where industry defines the problem, academia proposes solutions, and industry validates the results—thereby reinforcing a cyclical model of knowledge exchange. Findings underscore the importance of sensory literacy, customer-centric design, and authentic learning contexts in hospitality education. Moreover, they highlight how such partnerships can serve as incubators for product innovation while preparing students for the dynamic demands of tourism and foodservice sectors. For the ICTR community, this case offers practical insights into bridging theory and practice, fostering resilience through education, and leveraging co-creation as a tool for sustainable industry–academia engagement.