Coffee stick makes a stir

Make a perfect cup of coffee—or tea—in about 30 seconds. Might sound too good to be true, but Australian inventor Dave Hopper may have enabled you to do just that with the development of Quikstix.

Delivering French-pressed coffee in a portable delivery device for the consumer goods market, Quikstix is made from food-grade polyethylene-coated kraft paper. The biodegradable tube is divided into two sections: one contains sugar and creamer, and the other houses the beverage of choice. The tube doubles as a stirrer. All the seams are heat sealed.

Users simply tear off the handle end tag and tip the sugar and/or creamer into a cup and add hot water. Then, they place the perforated end in the water to infuse real coffee or tea and mix the drink. While the easy-to-tear tip handle end is nothing new to instant beverage packaging, the mixing section is what makes this device unique. Using laser technology, the mixing section is micro-perforated, and will infuse coffee, tea or any other infusible beverage when it is stirred in hot or cold water or milk. The longer one stirs Quikstix, the stronger the beverage will taste.

Quikstix technology is licensed, including the machine and materials, to manufacture the product. The food manufacturer supplies its own ingredients (coffee, tea, milk, sugar, etc.), allowing it to produce its own, branded Quikstix under license for around 10¢ per unit, explains Hopper.

For more information:

Dave Hopper, 61 0411333040, dave@quikstix.com.au