International Dispensing Corporation Launches Beverage Carafe and Aseptic Gravity Flow Valve

During the past 30 days, industry trade publications have begun covering a small Maryland corporation whose objective is to quietly revolutionize the bulk food, beverage and pharmaceutical dispensing industry.

During the past 30 days, industry trade publications have begun covering a small Maryland corporation whose objective is to quietly revolutionize the bulk food, beverage and pharmaceutical dispensing industry. With a utility patent on a new disposable 96-ounce Beverage Carafe being used by specialty coffee shops, grocery stores such as Wegmans, and food service suppliers such as SYSCO, International Dispensing Corporation is moving bulk coffee-to-go away from the bulky and potentially unsafe box formats and into the easier-to-use pitcher. Demand is high because the Beverage Carafe is disposable (which consumers want) and provides a longer stable temperature duration for liquids. In addition, IDC has opened up the 100 percent fruit juice, isotonic sports drinks and dairy markets with its Aseptic Gravity Flow Valve used in convenience stores, rest stops, restaurants, and cafeterias, for bulk beverage dispensing. The June 24 issue of Flexible Packaging magazine quotes Bill Goodwin, CEO of Goodwest Industries, a major Parmalat dairy distributor, saying "this new Aseptic Gravity Flow Valve has helped Goodwest capture new distribution and new customers which is resulting in double digit top line sales growth." In the same issue, Jim West, President of Goodwest, says "We have been begging the industry for this type of dispensing system for the past eight years, and nobody was willing to invest the time or money into the research and development efforts until IDC stepped up," he adds. Beverage Carafe Wins International Recognition The IDC Beverage Carafe was awarded the Packaging Excellence award by the Flexible Packaging Association, an international trade organization representing the packaging and dispensing industry. In its publication covering the 2001 Flexible Packaging Achievement Awards Competition, the editors noted that, "The carafe is easy to assemble and fast to fill without Flexible Packaging  that can cause beverages to back-up and overflow." An earlier generation coffee box used by some quick service outlets has design flaws which make it hard to fill, and under certain circumstances, is susceptible to bacteria contamination.