Hold onto your bottles and travel mugs, the new GE Profile™ Series dishwasher has a mind-blowing, industry-first feature---bottle wash jets. New, dedicated jets---a total of 16 of them---have been integrated into the top rack of the dishwasher to clean the bottom of a tall travel mug or dried milk from a baby bottle. Why is this important? Because, noting the consumer trends listed below, squeaky-clean bottles and drinking containers are in demand and, often times, getting dirtier than ever.
Bottle statistics
- Fifty-nine percent of consumers surveyed by EcoFocus said they use reusable water bottles always or often, up from 56 percent in 2010. (Source: EcoFocus Worldwide via http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/21/business/more-consumers-choosing-reusable-glass-bottles.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0)
- Bacteria thrive in warm, moist environments. Once bacteria have been introduced, virtually any drinking container (coffee mugs, drinking glasses, serving pitchers, etc.) becomes a suitable environment for bacterial growth. (Source: American Chemistry Council via http://www.plasticsinfo.org/beveragebottles/apc_faqs.html#1)
- Even a half-full container of plain water left in a hot car can run the risk of bacterial growth. (Source: Dr. Georges Benjamin, American Public Health Association)
- The number of women entering their childbearing years is surging. This segment of the population fell throughout the 1990s, but it is now back at an all-time high and continuing to rise, which means, consequently, a rise in baby-bottle usage. (Source: Demographic Intelligence, 2013)
Growing juicing/smoothie trend
- The world market for smoothies is projected to reach $9 billion by the year 2015. This is primarily driven by rising health consciousness among people, on-the-go consumption convenience, and taste and naturalness offered by smoothies. (Source: http://www.prweb.com/releases/smoothies_market/frozen_mix_smoothie/prweb3808804.htm)
- Interest in juicing has jumped so much that juice extractors, citrus juicers, blenders and food processors are now the top-growing small kitchen appliance categories. Between May 2012 and May 2013, blender sales totaled $784 million and juice extractor sales measured $250 million. (Source: NPD Group)
Increase in homebrewing
- Home beer brewing is a trend that requires washing and reusing glass bottles. Data from 275 shops spanning 47 states showed a 32 percent increase in participants from last year's survey. On average, participants saw gross revenue increase by 26 percent in 2012. For shops that primarily sell homebrew supplies, gross revenue increased on average, 29 percent. (Source: http://www.brewersassociation.org/pages/media/press-releases/show?title=american-homebrewers-association-26-percent-growth-in-2012-u-s-homebrew-sales)
Kim Freeman
GE Consumer & Industrial - Americas
[email protected]
502-452-7819