A "Cool" Shipping Idea?

Do you have a “cool” shipping idea?

The Hershey Company recently launched a crowd-sourcing campaign on NineSigma to seek out the next big innovation in shipping, specifically, shipping cold chocolate to warm climates.  According to the contest website, Hershey is looking to develop “a lightweight, affordable shipping system that will keep chocolate close to the temperature at which it was packed, 75°F or below, for at least 48 hours.”

While there are options for shipping temperature-sensitive items, they are often very costly and therefore not widely used for high volume shipping of food items.  As a result, Hershey is in need for a shipping solution that would be “inexpensive enough to use year round, as part of the standard packaging for small parcel shipments.” A full list of requirements is below:

  • Maintain packaged chocolate temperatures at or below 75°F for 48-72 hours
  • Be less than 3 years from commercialization
  • Operate without pre-freezing of components
  • Prevent chocolate from freezing
  • Contain materials approved for food contact
  • Contain chemical components that are generally regarded as safe (GRAS)
  • Be adaptable to different sized shipments
  • Have a price point that is compatible with consumer shipments of chocolate candy bars
  • Be comparable or less in size and weight with current cold shipping systems

The most compelling proposals will be supported with data.    (https://ninesights.ninesigma.com/web/hershey-cool-ship-contest)
Five successful Phase 1 competitors will receive $10,000 to put towards the development of a working prototype. Those candidates will then compete to reach “Phase 2.” The winner of Phase 2 will receive a generous $25,000 for product development costs.
Think you have what it takes? The contest is open until 5:00pm EST on Monday, February 15, 2016. Winners will be announced in October 2016.

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