Cheese Trade Your Way to the USA

I'm Saira Kahn.

I started trading when I was just a teenager.

Now, I'm looking for the next generation of budding entrepreneurs,

who are fantastic at trading and know how to make a profit.

I'm looking for Britain's best young traders.

Can you do three for two pounds?

-Can I interest you? Only 50p for the jumbo sword?

-Yes.

-No.

From over 1,000 applicants,

14 teams have made it through to the heats.

-Would you like a pick and mix fruit dessert?

-Very nice. Oh, lovely.

They will be tested in a range of tough trading challenges.

I don't know how I'll survive this cheese challenge.

I think you look amazing.

Each team will be given £75.

They must decide what to buy...

We need to look for a cheaper option.

-..negotiate the lowest prices.

-A deal.

-£8.40.

-Drive a hard bargain, you guys.

Nice doing business with you.

..and then they must sell, sell, sell.

-Any ring you want.

-£10.

-Come on, glitzy glam!

The team that takes the most money wins the challenge.

But only the teams that top the leaderboard could be in

with a chance of competing in the Grand Final in New York.

Trade your way to the USA! U-S-A!

Watch them in action. Listen out for my top trading tips

and one day you, too, could Trade Your Way To The USA.

Let's meet today's teams. It's Stylo versus The Determinators.

ALL: We're Stylo and we're going to trade our way to the USA!

Stylo are a trio of traders from Hampshire and they reckon

they've got what it takes to go all the way.

We have confidence and enthusiasm and these are important things

to convince people to buy your stuff.

All of us have good ideas. In the end, our ideas tend to merge together

to make one awesome, almighty idea.

If the challenge was selling cookies,

we'd sell them to Declan. We would definitely win.

Declan would just take over. He'd probably steal the cookies.

So which way will the cookie crumble when Stylo

go head to head with another team of top traders?

We're The Determinators and we're going to trade our way to the USA!

We chose the name Determinators because we're determined to win.

The Determinators, from Lancashire, plan to take out the competition.

We're going to bring a lot to the competition.

We're going to make sure we win and we are going to win.

To be a Determinator you need drive, you need to be passionate

and determined to reach the goal.

We're going to take the competition seriously,

'but we're also going to have fun.' Ha-ha!

So, it's the steely and focused Determinators,

taking on creative, fun-loving Stylo.

But who will prove the best traders and win today's challenge?

We're sending our teams to trade in the heart of Hampshire,

to a farm full of cows.

But they have no idea what their challenge will be.

We're here at Lyburn Farm, where they make traditional

farmhouse cheese on site.

Your trading challenge is to set up a stall selling a variety of cheeses

at a farmers' market.

They'll be lots of stalls selling a variety of tasty produce.

It attracts hundreds of people who know their cheese and it's

up to you to entice them to your stall with your trading tactics.

So let's get in there.

To encourage people to buy their cheese and take the most money,

the teams must become cheese experts,

so it's time to do their research.

Let me introduce you to Mike Smales. He owns Lyburn Farm

and he knows everything there is to know about cheese.

Right, teams, we're going to tell you a little bit

about the cheese-making process.

The teams need to find out what kind of cheese shoppers

at a farmer's market want, so they're clued up, to sell well.

It feels, kind of, like rubber.

It's just really rubbery.

We're going to show you where we actually ripen the cheese.

Cheese heaven!

Oh, that stinks.

The flavour really comes with age.

It's horrible!

Just normal cheese, I'm not really into. It stinks so bad.

I don't know how I'm going to survive this cheese challenge.

Max, if you're going to win this challenge,

you might have to pretend you love cheese.

I'm just going to chop some little wedges up here for...

As the teams will need to promote their cheese,

they'll need to know how it tastes.

Right, boys, help yourself.

Tell me what you think of them.

There are five different flavours of cheese for the teams to pick,

ranging from mild to very strong.

They have to decide what will sell.

-Old Winchester is about 16, 17, 18 months old.

-It's sort of nutty, yeah.

Yes and it's nutty. There we go.

See what you think of that.

Oh, dear, it's Max's turn.

The little red flecks are paprika.

I don't really like cheese, but that's really nice.

It's quite creamy.

-Sour cream.

-Well done, Max.

He knows it's important to be able to describe how the product tastes

-so he can tempt the customer to buy.

-It's sort of nutty, yeah.

Yes, and it's nutty, so it's got a very distinctive nutty flavour.

As well as cheese, the teams have the option

of buying chutney and bread, too.

They'll have to think carefully about what

flavours of cheese will sell best.

When people go to farmers' markets,

they're actually looking for something a little bit different.

Right, enough cheese munching. Armed with their new cheese-tastic facts,

it's time to buy for their stalls.

This is your trading fund. Spend it wisely.

Remember, you're in competition with each other.

The team that makes the most money wins the challenge

and has a shot at the semifinal.

Win that and you'll be trading your way to the USA.

Each team has £75 to spend and the cheese here is sold

at an average of £7.50 a kilo.

The teams will need to be careful with their cash

and choose well if they want to win.

So we're going to get the Lyburn Gold

and half of it. How much is that? £17.50.

Determinators are going for a balance

of strong and mild cheeses, to give them more options for selling.

We're not going to go for the Stoney Cross because it's... I don't think

a lot of people will like it, as we've already got a strong cheese.

We're going for the smoked and nettle, cos it's different.

The teams may have to wow the customers

with facts to sell that cheese.

Use bigger words, because, like, if you just stand there and say,

"This is cheese", they won't know. If you use big words, they make

you sound more professional.

My top tip to all you traders, is when you're selling a specialist

product, try and find out as much information as you can and pass

it on to the customer, because you'll dazzle them and get a sale.

I think spicy onion.

So what cheeses will Stylo choose?

We're getting the Old Winchester, for people who like it strong.

Something different for the farmers' market, so three kilograms of that.

And they're also hoping that their

new-found cheese knowledge will help with their sales.

It's always good to know what your cheese is,

so if someone asks you, then you could tell them

everything they need to know.

Stylo also have a plan to spend some money

on food that makes their stall look great.

We're going to get two bloomers, not really for selling,

because that's not what we're aiming for.

We're aiming to really just, like,

make it look like a proper cheese stall.

With their cheese chosen, they now have to negotiate with Mike.

Remember, they have £75.

They need to haggle for the best prices now,

so they can take the most money when they sell tomorrow.

Stylo are up first. They've ordered nine kilograms of cheese,

one large chutney and two bloomers.

Time to start the bargaining.

Is there any chance we could get a discount for the cheese

-for buying in bulk?

-In bulk?

What do you want, half a ton?

Never start a negotiation by asking if it's OK to get a discount.

If you do want a discount, you need to absolutely nail the prices.

-So, if I knocked 1% off, would you be happy with that?

-OK.

Maybe, could you do 5%?

Is 5% what you'd like, really?

-It's totally up to you.

-It's totally up to me.

I could say, "I'm not giving you any discount."

Yeah, but wouldn't you like to be a nice person,

so we can recommend your cheese to other people?

-You're some pretty hard cases, you know? What if I said 4%?

-OK.

The 4% discount Mike has offered means Stylo now have

an extra £3.10 to spend.

Will they use it wisely?

What should we get with that £3.10 left?

We could buy a small, spicy red onion.

I think we have enough money left from that to buy another bloomer.

Declan decides to push for more discount.

If there's any chance you could give us an extra 5p on our discount?

Then, instead of a small, spicy red onion, we can get a large one.

Oh, well, I'd probably give you 5p on one of those jars of chutney.

-That's the deal, then.

-Yeah.

-OK. Pleasure doing business with you.

-Good man.

So Stylo are pleased with how their negotiations went.

There you go.

I think we did very well, because we spent exactly £75.

What is your key strategy, Max?

We think, like, to price it high, normally, and then

if we have loads of stock left

and it's not selling, we're going to give it discounts and stuff.

But we don't want to go below

-the unit price, because...

-That would be a loss.

Next, it's The Determinators' turn to negotiate with Mike.

What's on your shopping list? I'll just make a note.

Can they get a better discount deal than Stylo?

-We've got Lyburn Gold...

-Yep.

..two and a half kilogrammes.

The Determinators want to buy four of the five cheeses on offer

and then use that extra cash to buy three small jars of chutney

and a selection of breads.

OK, then.

So if we bought a lot of cheeses, you could give us

half extra for free.

We could have two and a half, if you're willing to.

Two and a half, two and a half what?

-Of the smoked.

-You're effectively looking for 15% discount.

That's a hard deal, that is.

I'm not inclined to give you 15%.

If you're not willing to,

we're not going to push, but it would help.

I was thinking 5%.

(They should be saying,)

("We're buying a lot from you and we've got cash".)

(That should get them the discount, but they've got to be confident.)

-7.5

-Hmm?

-7.5.

-7.5?

-What, meet halfway?

-Yeah.

Do you think that's a reason...

That's a, kind of, reasonable sort of deal, isn't it?

The Determinators have got a better deal than Stylo.

That 7.5% discount on the cheese gives them £4.95 extra to spend.

Instead of spending more money on cheese, because we've got

a lot of cheese, and it will be hard to sell all that,

so I think we should spend it on chutney.

Spending more money on chutney could be risky,

but at least they've still got their haggling heads on.

Can we have another discount?

-So this is a discount on the chutney this time?

-Just 15p.

15p? Yeah, I'd knock that off another jar of chutney.

Wow, the Determinators are on fire.

Thank you, boys. Thank you.

That's another deal done.

Let's hope these guys are as good at selling as they are buying.

-How was it, Suhail?

-Good.

I think we made a good bargain.

What is your strategy tomorrow?

If you just go up to someone and say, "This is cheese",

and don't know anything about it, they won't take it.

But if you, like, say stuff like,

you can tell them where it's from and how it's made,

they'll take you more seriously.

How have both teams spent their £75 trade fund?

Stylo will be selling all five of the cheeses,

along with two large jars of chutney and three bloomers.

The Determinators have opted for just four of the cheeses on offer

and have five small jars of chutney and a selection of various breads.

So much cheese to spread around.

Now it's all about who sells best.

Only one team will win and still be in with a chance of trading their

way to the USA and becoming Britain's best young traders.

Let the battle commence.

It's the selling day and we're in Hampshire, at Alton Farmers' Market.

Welcome to our town.

Our two teams will be battling it out to prove they are

the top cheese traders.

Very soon, local producers and farmers

will be setting up, to sell their delicious products.

You're going to be in the thick of it, selling your cheese.

Remember, you're in competition with each other.

The team that makes the most money wins

and has a chance at the semifinal.

Win that and you'll be trading your way to the USA.

It's time to set up your stalls. Get cracking!

They have just three hours and with both stalls close together,

they'll have to fight for their customers.

I think it's going to go well today. I just have a good feeling.

We've got, like, quite a lot of things to sell.

Can you hold this up?

Right now, I'm making signs for the cheese so people know what they are.

Cheese is sold by the gram, and Stylo are planning to sell

theirs at about £1.50 per hundred grammes,

which is double the price they bought it at.

This could see them rake in the cash, if they sell it all.

I'm feeling very confident and very enthusiastic.

I feel we have a very good chance of winning.

The Determinators have a different plan. This cheeky trio

want to add an extra two pounds onto every piece of cheese sold.

You can't say to the lady who comes to buy a lump of cheese,

"Well, madam, I'm going to stick a couple of quid on top".

That isn't going to work.

Following Mike's advice, the Determinators change their plans

and decide to sell their cheese at around £1.20 per 100 grammes,

this is about 30 pence less than Stylo, which could see them win

-more customers.

-We're happy with the choices we made.

We got just the right amount of every cheese. We should make...

If it goes to plan, we should make quite a good profit.

Teams, are you ready?

-Yes!

-Start selling!

That's £1.50, please.

Selling starts, and the Determinators make their

first sale within minutes of opening their stall.

Thank you very much.

We just made sale for £1.50 for some cheese.

It was good, like, if we have one in the first two minutes, I think we're

going to make more in three hours.

But they can't get too ahead of themselves, as Stylo make

-a sale just seconds later.

-4.24. Thank you very much.

Over at the other stall, the Determinators have a cunning plan.

I'm cutting a section off for trying, so people can have samples.

They're going to offer samples of their cheese,

which is a good way to entice people to buy.

Would you like a sample?

But you need to be sure you're not giving away too much of your stock.

We've got the smoky, the Old Winchester and the garlic.

The Old Winchester is more mature.

Look at the amount of cheese they're cutting up.

Stylo are also doing tasters,

but are being much more sensible with their sample sizes.

I'm concerned about the amount of cheese

the Determinators have cut up, to give away as samples. It's too much.

Can I take some of the Old Winchester?

Declan is on top form.

It's got nutty bits of calcium in it,

because it's matured for about 18 months.

He's clearly been learning about the cheeses,

so he can smooth-talk people into buying.

It's like a three-month old cheese. It's very young. It's kind of soft

and has a little paprika in it.

It's like garlic, aged three months,

except it doesn't have any garlic or nettle in it. £2.48.

A good salesperson needs to know their product inside out

and in my opinion, Declan is doing a fantastic job.

He knows his cheese - how old it is,

what it contains and what it tastes like.

The more of an expert you are, the more chance you've got

somebody buying.

Stylo's Sales are soaring with the help of Declan's cheese knowledge.

The Determinators must respond...

Would you like a sample of cheese?

..so Danny decides to take the tasters out, to pull in customers.

That one's the smoked...

Cheers, thanks for that.

-Come on, Danny! Tell them where your stall is.

-Are they all the same?

No, they're slightly different.

Danny is doing a good job at sampling his cheese.

However, sampling is all about enticing customers to your stall.

It's no good giving free samples, people taking them

and walking away. You've got to entice them to your stall.

Stylo's stall is now packed.

Would you like to make a mark?

But when there's a rush on, you have to keep your cool,

otherwise you could mess up.

Same size as the other...

On no! Declan's dropped some cheese.

That huge wedge might have cost them the competition.

That was worth about £5.

I feel a kind of guilty, like I've let down the team.

And Danny has finally realised his mistake.

Now, he's directing the customers towards their stall...

-Where did it come from?

-That stall.

..and the money is starting to roll in.

That's £3.10.

We are selling out our cheese, so I think we're going to do well.

At the end of the day, we're going to make a large profit.

Back at Stylo's stall,

they've put the dropped cheese behind them and keep on selling.

That one is £5.44.

In which case, I'm going to get your chutney free?

Yeah, you get a free chutney.

Hang on!

They're giving away free chutney with big sells of cheese.

They're losing profit by doing this.

Declan clearly isn't happy with his team mate giving away freebies.

So you give it all away for free?

No, we've got profit.

-No, there was no profit, if you gave it away for free.

-No, but...

Both teams have got just over an hour's worth of selling time left

and I'm concerned about the way

they're using their chutney and bread.

-Do you want some?

-I want some.

Determinators, you should be selling it, not eating it!

Hear ye! Hear ye!

Nice cheese!

With less than an hour left, there seems to be a slump in sales

at Stylo's stall, so they've decided to take the cheese to the people.

No one's buying it, so we're going to spread out

and bring it to the customers. We might go over there for a bit.

There seems to be more people over there.

Stylo are using aggressive tactics and are selling right in front

of the Determinators' stall.

The other team's been outside our stall.

We're not bothered, cos customers will think

they're part our group, so they'll come to our stall.

Stylo have another plan.

They're concerned that the mouldy look of their last cheese chunk

is putting the customers off.

We're going to cut off the mould, to make it look more appealing.

So that they're like, "Oh, that's not that bad."

Then, more people will want to buy it.

I'm not sure hacking away the cheese is going to tempt people to buy.

Loaf of bread, only £2!

What's happening at the Determinators' stall?

Half price for cheese!

Bread going half price!

Wow, the Determinators are slashing their prices in half.

I think it's a good tactic going to half price,

because people are probably going to our stall instead of theirs.

The clock is ticking and cutting off the mould still hasn't helped Stylo

sell their final bit of cheese.

That's worth £7.72.

-It's worth £7.72.

-Wonderful bargain.

-Would you like it?

-No, thanks

-£4?

-No, thanks.

-That's £3.10.

-Thank you.

Time is running out, but so is the cheese on the Determinators' stall.

-They've almost sold out.

-Keep the change.

-Thank you.

-Thank you very much.

We've still got this amount of cheese, but it's not a lot.

Stylo still have that big lump left.

-We just want to get rid of it.

-Cos if we didn't sell it, it's worth £7.

-It's better getting some money than no money.

-Yeah.

Stylo know they must find a buyer...

We've got five minutes left to sell the cheese.

-..and decide to slash their price further.

-Who will buy this cheese?

£2.50, worth £7.

-Thank you very much.

-Thanks.

At the Determinators' stall, it's all over.

I'm feeling good right now. We sold everything! So, I'm happy.

Do you want to buy some cheese? Was £7, for £3.50?

Come on, Stylo, you've just seconds left! Sell that cheese!

-£3.50, is it?

-Yeah.

They've got a buyer. Well done.

I've got the change.

-So good to sell our last piece of cheese.

-Yeah, sold out now.

Please can I have your cash box?

'Time's up!'

Stylo, stop selling!

'Both teams have managed to sell everything,

'but who has taken the most money?'

Follow me.

The winners today could get through

to the big New York final, where they'll compete against

another team, to be named Britain's best young traders.

OK, teams. Well, you've had two days of buying and selling cheese.

Danny, what did you really enjoy about it?

I enjoyed everything. I enjoyed going and learning about the cheese

and buying it all and then selling it.

-Stylo?

-I really liked it when we sold our

last block of cheese, because it was right in the nick of time.

You both made some blunders.

Stylo, you had a big lump of cheese that you dropped.

It was worth about £5.

Has that made the difference in winning or losing?

And Determinators,

there was a lot of samples that you were giving away for free.

Was that money down the drain?

Whichever team takes the most money wins

and has a chance at the semifinal.

Win that and you'll be trading your way to the USA.

The losing team will be eliminated.

Who has won?

Stylo, you wanted to make over £100.

Have you done that?

You took...

..£111.63.

Determinators, you also wanted to take over £100.

Have you done that?

You took...

..£123.13!

-Well done.

-Good challenge.

Stylo, I'm really sorry, you lost.

How do you feel?

-A bit upset.

-I feel disappointed.

You were a fantastic team, well done.

-But I am sorry that you lost.

-It's OK.

-Determinators, how do you feel?

-Good.

-Happy.

Did you think you'd won?

We don't know. We were, like, we felt like it would be close.

You took over £100.

How does that make you feel?

We're going to go buy some cheese.

SAIRA LAUGHS

It's our new business.

You did win, well done. High five! Excellent.

-Congratulations.

-Thanks.

So, the Determinators have won.

From the £75, they've taken an impressive

£123.13 - a profit of £48.13.

But have they taken enough to become

one of our four teams in the semifinals?

Let's look at the leaderboard.

Yes, the Determinators have done it.

They've stormed into fourth position.

They're through to the semifinals,

along with Prosperity, Aspire and Sapphire.

The two winners of the semifinals will go on to compete

in the Grand New York Final.

But only one team will be named Britain's Best Young Traders.

Next time on Trade Your Way To The USA, it's the first semifinal -

The Determinators versus Sapphire.

The stakes are high, for a fancy-dress challenge.

ALL: Where are we, man?!!

It's absolutely amazing.

But who will win and be in the Grand Final in New York?

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

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