This is something we thought we would never write about but wow, the idea is fantastic and kind of an obvious one! Tasting drinks with your nose rather than your tongue will open up so many doors for new product development ideas. Air Up is the first to pioneer this concept in its effort to make drinks more sustainable in a tasty guilt free way!
Like most good ideas, Lena Jüngst and Tim Jäger came up with the concept while they were still university students having learned that 80% of flavour perception is really done through our noses.
The first experiments were very low-tech, involved sticking a straw into a jar of air purifier and breathing in the scent while sipping water at the same time — ”but it worked,” says Jüngst .
“So we knew we needed to do something with it. The modern diet is a real problem with obesity and diabetes on the rise. People are drawn to taste and find it hard to resist sugars, but we thought if we could provide the taste without the bad consequences, we could make a difference.”
After just 2 years of trading, the idea seems to have caught on with customers as well. Having reached half a million customers, who have collectively cut back on 500 tons of sugar, the idea is having a vital impact on peoples health but more so in the war against plastic.
Even the forward thinking value chains are doing their bit to promote this sustainable innovation, with Aldi contributing towards the companies €20million revenue to date.
The system involves a reusable water bottle to which you attach a scent pod that releases flavour into your mouth as you drink. It is important to get the taste in your mouth rather than just sniffing the scent through your nostrils. You can get almost any scent from lemon to coffee — although the strongly fruity flavours like cherry and other popular flavour-directions like cola are the customers’ favourites, says Jüngst.
Source: Shifted