Strahl Beverageware is a brand under the corporate name of Innova Products Limited which our world headquarters is based in Auckland, New Zealand. The first glass was designed in 1991 by Peter Jarvis in New Zealand. Mr. Jarvis was a manufacturer and exporter of acrylic drinkware. He was became increasing aware of the widespread dissatisfaction of this type of resin base drinkware. In his research he discovered polycarbonate was a superior plastic that offered durability and could withstand both domestic and commercial dishwasher cycles. As the story goes, he built a “better mousetrap” and decided to produce a beverageware line of products that were hand finish and tempered using polycarbonate with the intent to offer a superior looking plastic glass that had the weight and feel of glass but with a virtually unbreakable attribute.
Since all of our products are manufactured with the same process, each product has virtually unbreakable characteristics which makes it perfect for hard surface flooring and outdoor venues. The biggest concern is the exposure to broken glass; with Strahl, we eliminate that concern. Another plus with our glasses, they can be chilled so they frost up and they actually keep the beverage colder longer for those outdoor venues.
While we have seen new entrants into the non-breakable drinkware and beverageware segment using a variety of materials, Stahl has stayed with polycarbonate as its material of choice. Can you tell us the benefits of polycarbonate versus other materials and why Strahl has chosen continuing using it versus other possibilities?
The biggest difference maker for Strahl Beverageware is that our products have a 3 step post mold process which we hand finish each glass [removing mold lines and smoothing out the injector site] and then the tempering process. Only polycarbonate allows us to perform these post mold tasks.
Yes, we have competitors that use polycarbonate but none of them perform these post mold process. Only Strahl delivers a high quality glass-like product which can be used in high temp dishwasher with no effects of cloudy or crazing. We can actually show customers certified glasses that have been washed 2,000 times with no cloudy or crazing actions.
One of our goals is to increase our beer offering for 2016. Currently we have 5 new products that are schedule to ship the first quarter of 2016. One current problem with injection molding is to offer beverage-specific stylish glasses but we are working on it.
We know you have recently promoted to President of Global Sales for the Strahl brand, so congratulations. Can you give us an idea of your plans for building the Strahl brand around the world?
Our biggest market for Strahl is the North America market. In the past four years we have made steady gains with better exposure on our products. Progress has also been made in Central and South America under my watch. Our corporate office would like me to duplicate my efforts to other parts of the world through our territory managers to gain valuable marketshare mainly through the hospitality/commercial markets. When Strahl was first introduced, it was sold to retail accounts. The main focus was retail when I joined the organization. We still retail but the hospitality/commercial markets is the ideal setting for Strahl which has been my game plan all along.
For more information on Strahl Beverageware and its collection of unbreakable drinkware for foodservice, go here:
Clark Burton, Strahl: 5 Quick Questions
