An Innovative, Portable Pouch for Powder Drink Mixes

Move over, stick packs. A new innovation is shaking up the powder drink mix scene and could attract more consumers to category.

The single-serve pouch for powder drink mixes lets users simply add water to the pouch, shake it up, and drink. Suited for protein, meal replacement, and other powdered drink products, the BlenderPak pouch is designed to make these products more portable and convenient to drink on the go.

What makes this pouch unique is its trademarked MixingMesh structure housed within the pouch. The MixingMesh is a rigid fitment that not only makes the pouch easier for consumers to grip but also helps break up clumps of powder once a consumer adds water directly to the pre-measured powder dose within the pouch and shakes it up.

According to the company, a better-blended drink is achieved when water is added to powder, instead of when powder is added to water-which is what conventional powdered mix packages like stick packs entail (pouring powder from a stick pack into a glass of water, for instance).

“The only portable solution for many powdered products are small, on-the-go powder sticks the consumer needs to add to a water bottle. But, adding powder to water is not the best mixing method. It’s better to start with the powder and then add water for a well-mixed beverage,” says Steve Callahan, president, Perimeter Brand Packaging, which makes the BlenderPak.

During the package-development process, the company considered feedback from active protein powder users. It worked with market researcher ORC International to gather consumer insight data on 1000 consumers. The companies also tested the package firsthand on 50 heavy users of protein powder. According to the companies, up to 66% of the consumer-insight-data respondents said they drink powdered products away from the home at least four times per week. Moreover, respondents shared their user preferences for portable powder drink solutions, which included: a portable package, a solution that eliminates the need to use a powder-measuring scoop and that keeps a product cold while on the go, and the ability to mix a product well.

Perimeter Brand Packaging says it believes that a package like the BlenderPak, which is more convenient for today’s consumers, could attract more customers to the powdered-mix category. According to the company, one respondent said, “There have been times when I’ve forgotten my blender bottle and craved protein, but I just skipped it. If I had something like this, I’d probably drink protein seven times a week [versus just a few].”