Modular Podular
Modular Podular
| School: | University of Florida |
| Team: | Leyton Kounlavong, Tanya Augsondthung, Kennedy Belknap, Ajani Frank, Zain Irani |
In recent years, single-serving coffee pods, commonly known as K Cups, have become a popular way to make a quick and convenient cup of coffee. These cups, however, come in a large corrugated box that goes to waste after the coffee pods are consumed. This can generate a significant amount of paper waste, especially if consumers are buying large quantities wholesale. To address this concern, the University of Florida Team Blue has redesigned a wholesale box that can be repurposed for a second life. Introducing the “Modular Podular.”
Our design is an improvement upon the packaging for wholesale products currently sold in stores such as Costco and Sam's Club. The redesigned box can hold 50-100 K Cup pods, with the addition of an included pod display created from the discards of the corrugated board that the product is sold in. The top portion of the packaging is removed and folded into a pod display, without the need for adhesives or fasteners. The design holds an initial 5 pods. Additional units can be assembled and connected to form a larger display. Additionally, the bottom part of the box can now be easily used as an open-top storage bin.
By creating a pod display, the corrugated packaging material is given a second life. This not only helps to minimize the environmental impact of the packaging but helpfully benefits the consumer, fostering brand loyalty through recurring purchases to enlarge their current display. The holder serves as a display, increasing visibility for Keurig partner products. When it comes to the ultimate consumers, households and individuals, this redesign is intended to increase the ease of use of coffee pod products. Rather than rummaging through a large box, consumers can have their pods easily accessible next to their coffee machines.
Redesigning the corrugated K Cup package into a reusable K Cup holder is a solution that offers a durable and efficient solution for holding multiple K Cups while fostering brand loyalty through recurring purchases. The redesigned holder can help to reduce the amount of waste generated by packaging materials. By considering the possibility of redesigning K Cup packaging, loyal consumers and frequent buyers are rewarded for their brand loyalty with a secondary product that serves an intended purpose.
