An Australian-made polypropylene drinking straw filled with flavoring beads for milk drinks will be manufactured in China.
The product, Sipahh, designed and made by Sydney, Australia-based Unistraw International Pty. Ltd., was launched in Australia in October 2005, boosting milk sales in stores and schools. A Unistraw spokesperson said production capacity in Australia was sufficient to meet current demand, but Sipahh would be launched overseas early next year.
“We will manufacture offshore and locally from early 2006 to meet demand. We've had an incredibly strong start for Sipahh in Australia and we're experiencing week-on-week growth,” she said.
Unistraw already has partners in the United States, Mexico, Canada, South Africa and the United Kingdom. “We are finalizing partner arrangements for the key European Union markets and are in discussions with companies in key Asian markets. We have received strong interest from the Middle East, Gulf States and South America, which we will progress during 2006.”
The Unistraw product is a PP straw and filters. Small flavor beads inside the straws infuse liquid as it is sipped. The spokesperson said the straw could be filled with other substances, such as vitamins and pharmaceuticals, for use in the health and fitness industries, and Unistraw is developing other applications. Sipahh is available in caramel, strawberry, chocolate and banana.
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