With single-serve coffee brewers becoming increasingly trendy, it was only a matter of time before companies would try to capitalize on the sustainability of these devices.
An Illinois-based manufacturing company has introduced a line of “eco-friendly, single-serve filters”. LBP Manufacturing, Inc. has invented the UpShot Solution. The filter is meant to help the restaurant and retail industry take part in the booming single-serve beverage market. The product is not necessarily targeted for personal use in the home.
The company says its unique filter design and packaging process allows for greater control over beverage quality, production volume, distribution and price. The filter is compatible with Keurig and other single-serve brewers. In addition, the UpShot Solution offers a fully recyclable life cycle. LBP says that’s a quality rarely found in other products on the market.
The filter is composed of 100% recyclable polypropylene and a fresh (outer) seal that can be made with recyclable materials.
“The ability of roasters to innovate while meeting and anticipating consumer demand will be a big part of how quickly the single-serve market expands,” said Jonas Feliciano, Beverage Analyst for Euromonitor International. “As the category evolves, LBP has positioned itself as a key supplier – offering not just an innovative and sustainable product with the UpShot Solution, but also being able to serve roasters both large and small.”
The demand for single-serve coffee continues to soar. But according to LBP, many roasters, retailers, restaurants and hospitality chains have yet to realize the full potential of this thriving category. For smaller players especially, prohibitive cost structures and rigid production standards have been barriers to entry. The company says the UpShot Solution eliminates these concerns and levels the playing field.
“The idea for the UpShot Solution came largely from our customers,” said Matt Cook, president of LBP. “By listening closely to them, we came to understand that quality, speed, and flexibility are the watchwords for the single-serve category. Based on the wish lists we heard, we developed a turnkey process that satisfies the needs of many types of businesses.”
The UpShot Solution starts with operations, as it gives roasters and brands of all sizes direct control over their product quality and production volume. Likewise, they can have the ability to rapidly scale capacity up or down in response to marketplace conditions.
LBP explains that the packaging equipment used in the UpShot Solution can be tailored to suit specific needs. Businesses can choose to install machinery that wraps the single-serve filter in rigid thermo-cell or a supple flow-wrap pouch, which are ideal options for retail environments. Alternately, they can choose packaging equipment that bundles filters into multi-unit pouches, which is desirable for foodservice and office coffee suppliers.
