Tri-Star Launches Handle-it
10 Jun 2014 --- Tri-Star Packaging has been chosen as the preferred UK distributor of Handle-it – a brilliant new, yet blindingly simple, solution to carrying take-away beverages when your hands are full.
The Handle-it cup holder was developed by packaging designer Alison Bateman, who found herself struggling to carry drinks during a day out with her sons while also holding other essential items such as her phone, handbag and car keys. At home that evening she sat down and created Handle-it – an ingenious carrier consisting of a fully pivotable handle attached to a tapered section that fits snugly around the circumference of a cup, making it possible to carry it with just one finger.
Handle-it is made from 100% recyclable wet-strength kraftboard and is available in a range of designs and sizes to suit every type of business or event and every type of take-out beverage, including tea, coffee, juice, milkshake and even beer. It is an ideal and inexpensive option for when customers have their hands full, or when they have ordered fewer drinks than the capacity offered by a tray. It is also re-usable, and folds completely flat before use, so requires very little storage space.
Handle-it is ideal for festivals, stadiums, and all other types of event catering, especially since its compact design means it is easier and more efficient to collect after an event. Handle-it will fill far fewer black sacks than pulp trays – making the clean-up much faster, saving on staff costs and reducing disposal hassles.
Handle-it can be customised with trendy and funky branding to enhance the marketing clout of a business or event, and can also be printed for use as a loyalty card to encourage re-use of the cup holder and repeat visits and purchases. After use, it can be folded up small enough to keep in a bag or pocket until it is next required. Made in Britain, Handle-it has a low carbon footprint and is so light and compact it can reduce transport costs and fuel consumption.
Kevin Curran, Managing Director of Tri-Star, said: “It’s been a while since I’ve got quite as excited about an innovation as I am about Handle-it. Its simplicity is astounding and yet it provides an incredibly effective solution to the age-old problem of never having enough hands free to carry everything you need to. You can easily carry four cups in one hand with Handle-it.
He continued: “For café operators and event organisers Handle-it is a good alternative to a tray for those times when a customer’s hands are really, really full, or when they haven’t ordered enough drinks to fill a tray to capacity. An empty space on a tray is a waste, and waste costs businesses money. Handle-it addresses this directly without inconveniencing the customer in any way.”
Handle-it inventor Alison Bateman said: “I’m delighted that Tri-Star has embraced Handle-it with such enthusiasm. Kevin and his team are renowned in the packaging industry for their ability to spot a winning innovation, so appointing them as preferred distribution partner in the UK was an easy decision to make.”
