The “EEASY lid” makes opening a vacuum-sealed jar up easier — with just the push of a button, the company says.
The company says the lid is “the first significant innovation in the metal jar lid industry” in 75 years — and CCT is readying to begin producing the lids in a Webster Street facility.
The idea is simple — make jar lids easier to open for those who are ill, injured or recovering. Pete Stodd, another of CCT’s managing partners, had an acquaintance recovering from surgery who simply couldn’t open lids. The idea started there. (Stodd is president of Container Manufacturing Ltd.)
”That’s what this whole product is about — making the lid easier to open for one third of the population who can’t open a lid,” said James Bach, CCT managing partner. “The need has always been there.”
The patented lid allows consumers to vent a jar by simply pressing a button, which opens a tiny slit that breaks the seal, CCT says.
Users reclose the lid by simply pressing the button from the inside of the lid.
“I’ve worked closely with CCT to thoroughly test EEASY Lid for its suitability to ensure safety and stability of food products hot-filled into glass containers,” Bruno Xavier, a professor in the Cornell University Department of Food Science, said in a testimonial prepared for the company. “Through our studies, we’ve found that these lids provide a stable hermetic seal.”
A standard lid, when applied to a vacuum-sealed jar, takes roughly 45 to 48 pounds of torque to remove the lid. With the EEASY lid, it takes just seven pounds of pressure, CCT says.
The company will begin producing versions of the lid in Dayton in coming weeks. James Bach said partners and about three employees are waiting for production equipment to arrive.
“Once we ramp up, we’ll probably initially start up somewhere around seven or eight employees,” he said. “As the market demand grows, we’ll actually increase the equipment line as well as the number of people.”
The lids will first hit stores in January. Pennsylvania-based Boyer’s markets will use the lids on its Darci’s brand pasta sauce in all 18 of its stores. The product will be produced and packaged by Stello Foods and distributed by Cavallaro Foods.
Brandon Bach, CCT president and son of James Bach, said Boyers is the store, but the hope is there will be others.
“We are actually in some talks right now with some other companies,” he said. “We’re just now starting to engage potential customers and clients.”
Those companies include foods manufacturers.
The product was launched Nov. 12. Currently, there’s no way to simply order the lid online. Brandon Bach said customers can encourage their groceries to adopt the lid.
“There is opportunity for us to get into the home canning market,” Brandon Bach said. “We see that. But we’re not set up just yet for that.”
Individual lid purchases will be “down the road” at some point, he believes.
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