SPOTLIGHT: Technology

Can You Get More Convenient Than a Self-Heating Coffee Cup?

On Tech Delaware introduces the revolutionary self-heating cup with the gourmet Wolfgang Puck coffee line, but also promotes the technology on QVC through the private label brand Hillside Coffee

A new convenience King of the Hill has just emerged. North America’s first self-heating container—designed to heat liquid contents such as coffee, tea, cocoa, soups, and alcoholic beverages—has hit the market. Created by OnTech Delaware, Inc., the container is a safe and easy-to-activate can that heats up the contents of its package to approximately 145° F within minutes. What’s more, the cup continues to heat the product, keeping the liquid inside hot for 30 minutes and warm for about 60 minutes.

Naturally, major food companies and brands have shown some interest, says OnTech chief executive officer Jonathan Weisz. “The response from branded food companies has been terrific,” Weisz says. The first retail self-heating container to hit the market was the Wolfgang Puck gourmet coffee products by WP Beverage Partners LLC, distributed to Kroger grocery stores.

Getting the word out

The business model was always aimed at licensing the technology to major food and beverage manufacturers and to private labels. OnTech will also be launching its own line of self-heating flavored coffee products under a private label, Hillside Coffee Co. Hillside will be distributed through QVC, as well as under an agreement with R&B International Distributing, catering to luxury hotel chains.

With 10 million viewers tuned in at any one time, QVC gives OnTech a great opportunity to educate consumers about the technology. With this outlet, OnTech can build confidence in the safety of the OnTech brand and educate consumers to look for the OnTech logo on products to come. With other technologies coming down the pike, OnTech hopes to build a robust brand identity, something akin to “Intel Inside,” explains Jim Berntsen, vice president of sales at OnTech. “We want to have a brand name that no one can build around us,” Berntsen explains.

The magic of it all

The OnTech self-heating container is built from three main components: the plastic cup, an inner plastic cone and the actuating “puck.” The inner cone holds the mineral calcium oxide or quicklime, which is used in the heating process, and the outer container body holds the beverage product. The puck, which holds the water, fits inside the cone and is sealed by a tamper-evident metal end.

Calcium oxide is completely safe and FDA-approved. Consumers activate the heating process by removing the tamper-evident end at bottom of the package and then pushing the exposed button. To keep the heat from the consumer’s hand, a foam label printed in up to six colors wraps around the outside. The high-barrier disposable container is shelf stable and does not require refrigeration prior to opening. Container size, shape, and optimal temperature are customizable to fit the application.

Approximately $24 million has been invested in research and development of the self-heating container, and OnTech has more than 100 approved utility patent claims in the U.S. Market research showed that consumers would be willing to pay around $2.19 to $2.39 for the convenience of a 10-oz. cup of hot premium coffee anywhere, anytime.