Packager aims to bag up hot drink demand with tea stick
Germany-based Der Bistrozucker München claims that the Tpod packaging, based on its own sugar stick pack design, offers a drip free method for infusion and stirring of premium tea products that cuts down on product waste.
Sales of tea bags have undergone a marked decline in recent years, contrasting with the fortunes of loose leaved varieties, says analyst Euromonitor. Between 2002 and 2007, the analyst said that the market for black tea in the form of a bag declined by 4.9 per cent. By comparison, on the same terms, loose leaved black tea sales were up by 12.1 per cent over the same period.
Although the innovation has been on the market for the past year, beverage group Bistro Tea, which supplies a range of infusions in the packaging, claims the Tpod can be supplied to private label manufacturers in attempts to reinvigorate this tea segment.
Pack cooperation
Der Bistrozucker München said that the Tpod, developed in cooperation with the German arm of material supplier Alcan and packager Bosch, is a perforated foil material for beverage makers that extracts flavour and colour into water while leaving the tea.
It combines a primary Al – laminate film with a secondary flow wrap material to ensure that tea is able to retain taste without becoming tea bitter after prolonged exposure to hot water.
The material is not only approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in hot water, but is also moisture-proof and tear resistant to protect aroma and fragrance, claims Bosch.
Tea waste
The manufacturer says that the Tpod requires less product than conventional tea bags, which are often filled with more leaves than needed simply to address aesthetic demands from consumers.
According to Bosch, the Tpod pack will not be made available to branded tea makers but the outer film can be acquired for development of their own customisable packaging.
The stick pack may also be used in a number of applications in beverages and food production like energy drinks, ice teas, speciality coffees, pharmaceutical products and even potentially in food.
Aside from reducing developing costs for the packaging, the company says that the cooperation with groups like Alcan and Bosch subsidiary SigPack has allowed it to supply a turn key solution to beverage makers keen to adapt a similar concept.
The Sigpack machinery is able to provide 1,900 stick packs with the additional pull function every hour, the packager claims.
