ORLANDO, FLA. (April 5, 7 p.m. ET) — A multi-company collaboration cooked up a People’s Choice win for the Zip Zester in the Society of the Plastics Industry Inc.’s International Plastics Design competition.

The Zip Zester, created for Zip Zester LLC of Bellevue, Wash., was created for the professional chef who uses the zest from citrus fruits such as lemons and oranges. It was one of 32 products submitted for SPI’s design competition.

Unlike the judging for other awards, the People’s Choice award is selected both by on-site votes at NPE2012 and through on-line voting.

Cashmere Molding Inc. of Woodenville, Wash., inject molds seven different parts for the Zip Zester, using Wittmann Battenfeld Inc. equipment, materials from EMS Grivory and a mold produced by Quastech Unlimited of Hartford, Wash.

Removing the zest from fruit typically requires a hand tool, which can result in inexperienced users cutting themselves or removing too much from the skin. The Zip Zester has a device to hold the fruit, and cutting mechanism and a handle to rotate almost any size citrus and remove the zest quickly and easily.