Spice grinders have gone under the innovation radar. With globalization, came cuisines from all over the world that have got into our homes. As a consequence of such rapid harmony, there is a trend in the market to experiment with food and use freshly ground spices. Permanent spice grinders are expensive and so more number of companies are trying to bring in spices sold in disposable plastic jars that will work as spice grinders.
People prefer taste enhancement and hence ground peppercorns are at the top in terms of demand. Also, when talking about spice grinders, peppercorns are the most favoured. The main purpose of the pepper grinder is to grind fresh pepper without any physical exertion on the wrists. This is called one-way packaging in the packaging industry. This is cost effective and can also be termed as an innovation gadget that is simple in construct and easy to use.
Consumers are often frustrated with the ‘permanent’ and expensive spice grinders that are prone to breaking owing to refilling issues. There is also a limit to how much grinding the grinders can withstand with respect to the teeth which can be of steel, plastic or ceramic. The new disposable spice grinders are designed in such a way that they disable customers from refilling the grinders.
- Usually, a spice grinder is composed of the following parts:
- A glass or plastic container in a jar form or can be a bottle too
- A wide set of teeth that can stand still known as the fixed burr
- Another set of teeth that are able to rotate in relation to the fixed teeth known as the rotating burr
- A lid that prevents dust from getting into the jar or mouth of the grinder when not in use.
The Integral Grinder from South Africa is a new innovation in the industry. An injection moulded perform takes the shape of a jar that will be containing the spices to be ground. The jar is already moulded with integral grinding teeth on the inner layer of the perform neck. A separate rotatable moulded extension is able to snap into the jar to form the other parts of the grinder.
The perform needs to be stretch blow moulded. The most important difference this new grinder has from all others is that the teeth of the grinder are incorporated in to the body of the bottle. This reduces number of parts from 4 to 3 and hence not only gets rid of the cost of the fixed burr but also the cost of putting together the fixed as well as the rotating burr way before they are placed into the jar.
The company that has devised this claims that the cost of packaging a grinder compared to one that would carry only spices is almost equal. The packaging for a spice container has been made into a grinder by the company.
Most grinders in the market use burrs that are made of acrylic. Some are moulded in acetal or polycarbonate. The company that has invented the Integral Grinder has made an injection blow moulded bottle in PET material with the required teeth that is used in the fixed burr being incorporated into the neck of the bottle.PET bottles being used ensures that the walls are thin and the neck of the jar are kept tough.
This innovation will relieve consumers from the usual pain that permanent grinders bring in and will also be a cost effective method.
