NEWS: Self-heating can for beverages and soups heading for retail shelves

08-09-2018

The 42 Degrees Company, which acquired the patent for self-heating coffee cans last year, has redeveloped the ingredients and packaging of the product and will be launching it to suppliers and convenience stores soon.

The company, based in Valladolid, Spain, was initially created to provide ready-made food and drinks to the emergency services, volunteers and victims caught up in natural disasters, war zones, or for mountaineers and rescuers, or more mundanely, for train passengers with no catering carriage!

The self-heating cans now include assorted beverages including coffee, chocolate, chai latte, with soup and liquid foods on demand. Commercial sales will start this month with a suggested retail price of approximately €3 depending on the distribution chain.

Ignacio Lanao, head, commercial sales B2B at 42 Degrees said, the company was initially created to answer an increase in demand for food and drink as a result of emergency situations to offer relief to the victims but also for the people working on-site, such as the recent Thai cave rescue.

“From that we created a commercial line, based on our motto ‘anywhere, anytime’, to have a hot drink when you want without an electrical outlet, targeting the ‘convenience’, on-the-go sector,” he said. “The can takes three minutes to heat up with a starting temperature of approximately 42°C and there are new recipes on our website all the time, including milk, chocolate milk and banana milk. 

“There was another company producing these cans in the past but we have bought the patent for these products and now we are improving the recipes and packaging.  So far, we have been investing to improve the existing line that was built before, and we have created a brand strategy to promote our recipes carrying out consumer pilot tasting with more than 300 people,”  added Lanao.

The 42 Degrees Company worked with Monomer Tech (MT), plastic packaging manufacturer, part of M&A Packaging Group, to produce an inner activation device to heat the liquid in the cans. The system consists of a thermo-sealed capsule full of water, which comes into contact with a reagent and heats up the beverage once the capsule is activated. Monomer Tech also produces the lip protector for the whole product range.

“We are now working to address retail shops and stores to launch the range to consumers direct,” explained Lanao.

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