Increased environmental awareness by the consuming public has created a substantial commercial incentive for retailers to adopt environmentally friendly practices. One such practice is the reduction of packaging-related waste. Specifically, retailers are now seeking to stock their shelves with products having packaging that is bio-degradable, recyclable or generally reduced in volume from traditional packaging. For example, the wine industry has begun to see a plethora of brands sold in paper-based packaging that is recyclable.
One of the most promising packaging types to achieve the goal of reducing waste is the flexible stand-up pouch. Long used to package goods such as pet food and gardening products, the stand-up pouch has in recent years begun to appear in grocery store food aisles for such products as chips, cookies, and croutons.
It has been discovered that the self-standing flexible pouch may be used for high value liquid consumables such as wine (although the scope of his invention extends well beyond that one category, to any pourable liquid or solid product). The benefits to the consumer for this type of package include that it is shatter-proof, lightweight and has a far lower impact on the environment than standard glass bottles.
There are, however, difficulties that can arise when using this type of packaging for wine. First, the aesthetics of the package may be detrimental to the image of the wine brand, since the flexible stand-up pouch may seem less attractive to consumers than a bottle. Second, the stand-up pouch, because of its flexible nature, can be more difficult than a bottle to grip firmly, and the use of a pouch may result in more frequent spillage. Third, the stand-up pouch is typically not insulated, and may thus allow the wine to lose its chill more quickly than a bottle would.
The present invention provides the benefits associated with using the stand-up flexible pouch for pourable liquids, e.g., wine, and pourable solids, while mitigating the difficulties described above. The dispenser of the present invention overcomes the consumers' aesthetic hurdle of accepting the flexible pouch as a viable, everyday package alternative to traditional glass packaging by adding an attractive exterior carafe and a functional locking mechanism that make daily use simple. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that substitutions and modifications to the above can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.