The ground-breaking EcoCup™ capsule was voted MOST INNOVATIVE PRODUCT at the Packaging Innovators Competition hosted by PAC, Packaging Consortium last week in Toronto, Ontario. The EcoCup™ capsule, part of the RealCup™ brand portfolio, was introduced earlier this year by Mother Parkers Tea & Coffee for brewing loose-leaf tea in Keurig® K-Cup® compatible brewers.
Close to 200 Canadian industry executives, including suppliers, brand owners, retailers, designers and recyclers, voted the EcoCup™ capsule #1 out of seven finalists during the interactive "A Day in the Life" Symposium. The symposium featured reality presentations of disruptive innovation in the life cycle of a package, including technology and processing, raw materials and package containers. Each of the seven finalists were given 10 minutes to pitch their packaging innovation and five minutes dedicated to questions and answers. Paul Yang, Mother Parkers' Manager of Packaging Development and Sustainability, made the successful pitch for the EcoCup™ capsule.
The audience wasted no time in naming EcoCup™ capsules the winner after seeing a first-hand demonstration of how EcoCup™ capsule designers have used innovative packaging design to give consumers the ability to enjoy the best of all worlds – the convenience of single serve, an authentic tea experience and doing the right thing for the environment. Consumers can simply pull off the top with an easy-to-use tab, recycle the cup, compost the contents and discard the lid and filter. The EcoCup™ capsule is the first capsule that can easily be completely disassembled without tools and that doesn't add extra material or complexity in order to enable this functionality.
"This award reaffirms that our investment in product and packaging innovation is a key differentiator for Mother Parkers," said Bill VandenBygaart, Vice President of Business Development. "The EcoCup™ solution is a true game-changer in the rapidly growing single-serve capsule market."
EcoCup™ capsules with clear lids are currently used by Higgins & Burke™ loose-leaf teas and the China Mist® lineup of blends for brewing gourmet iced teas. The EcoCup™ solution will be expanded to single-serve coffee capsules in 2015, offering a packaging option that is better for the environment as the popularity of capsule beverages continues to grow.
