The product started shipping nationwide in mid-September with a suggested retail price of $1.99. "We researched U.S. and foreign supplied dispensing closures in consumer tests, and the mechanics of this closure were clearly preferred," says senior research engineer Sam Straub. Supplied by Createchnic (Zurich, Switzerland) the two-piece closure has an outer injection-molded polypropylene component over an inner injection-molded high-density polyethylene "cone." Dowbrands' contract packager receives the two pieces assembled as one and snaps it onto the bottle's neck finish after filling is complete. To dispense the product, consumers twist the cap skirt in the direction indicated by molded-in arrows, then invert the bottle and squeeze. To close, they rotate the closure in the other direction and the cone moves tightly against the orifice to prevent clogging. Owens-Brockway (Toledo, OH) blows the ergonomically designed HDPE bottles in a custom mold and applies in-mold labels front and back as well as a pressure-sensitive film label to the bottle shoulder.
