Tstix®
While coffee aficionados may scoff at the idea of comparing ‘real’ coffee to instant, (and they are certainly not the same), the reality is that millions of people worldwide still drink instant coffee at home and work every day.
The reason is simple. Instant coffee is ultimate convenience. All you need is hot boiling water. No grinding beans, damping down, controlling temperatures or waiting for the milk to froth – and certainly no expensive machine to buy or clean up at the end of the process.
Now, to add to the convenience of instant coffee, a new micro-perforated stick pack branded Tstix® is about to shake up the instant coffee market.
Tstix® are a special micro-perforated stick pack with over 1000 tiny holes in their sides that act as a filter to the coffee inside . All you do is stir it, and as the boiling water enters the tube, the coffee granules inside dissolve in an instant and your coffee is ready. The Tstix® then operates as a stirrer, so there’s no need for a spoon. It’s that simple.
The Tstix® Company is a packaging innovation and Licensing company, and it licenses the rights to use the Tstix® invention to companies in the coffee market, who can then use their own brand in association with the Tstix® brand.
With Patents either granted or pending in a number of markets, including the USA and EU, the package is causing quite a stir, but it has also taken a huge amount of effort to perfect the manufacture.
“We’ve set out to provide companies with a completely turn-key operation – from the Schwarze-Automation machinery to fill the packs, to flow wrapping and outer airtight packages, to the special micro-perforated films made specially by Alcan in France for use in boiling water, we’re able to supply the complete system for companies wanting to produce a Tstix® product ” says Geoff Stuart, Tstix president.
Choosing the right granulated or freeze dried coffee is however important, as is keeping the package airtight until use. Each individual stick can be flow wrapped, and the outer package also needs to be airtight too, so that the coffee flavor and aroma is kept intact.
In November the Tstix Company will also be exhibiting at Pack Expo in Chicago, USA through their American agent, Pti based in New Jersey (Booth S340), while at Emballage in Paris, the Germany Machinery manufacturer, Schwarze-Automation will also be showcasing the Tstix technology on Stand 5a C67. For coffee companies looking for the latest innovation in coffee, this may be the best place to see the new technology in action. Pack Expo is on from 9th to 13th November, and Emballage the week after from 17th to 21st November.
Further information: www.tstix.eu
