Venture produces self-heating container

By Joseph Pryweller, Plastics News

Talk about instant coffee.

North American java lovers are about to discover a new way to get their midday caffeine fix. A development company has teamed with Sonoco Products Co. Ltd. to launch a plastic container that heats automatically upon opening.

The container, in stores this January under the Wolfgang Puck gourmet coffee brand, looks like a standard plastic cup with a metal, button-top cap.

But push down on that button, and the coffee inside the container heats up to 146 degrees. It stays hot for 30 minutes and keeps warm up to an hour. No need to go to the microwave or the 7-Eleven store to find that hot cup of joe.

The idea has been brewing for a long time. In Europe, some metal containers can self-heat, said Jonathan Weisz, president and CEO of OnTech L.L.C., the San Diego company that developed the plastic alternative to the hot metal can. Others have tried a mix of materials to create the same result but with limited commercial results.

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