Abstract

The coffee market is booming business with coffee outlets springing up in all towns and cities. The total coffee-shop sector is estimated to grow at a rate of between 3.9% and 5.3% per year. Buying coffee for take out during the commute is becoming a phenomenon of the modern working life. But is carrying and drinking the coffee while laden down with briefcase or rucksack easy to do. The majority of coffee shops give card insulating sleeves out with medium and large sizes to protect consumers fingers form the heat of the coffee. This results in the purchaser holding the coffee at chest height in front of them and hoping no one bangs into them as even with a lid the coffee will spill. This paper details the product development undertaken to design an ergonomic coffee carrier that in one orientation can be held similar to a cup or in its other orientation held vertically by one’s side. Consumer research also demonstrated the need for the carrier to be recyclable, from this it was decided that recycled material would be sourced for the product thus creating a closed loop recycling process.