A company based in Ystrad Mynach is set to make waves in the consumer market this summer after launching its innovative product at 40 branches of supermarket giant Tesco.
Arella Creations Ltd, with support from the Welsh Assembly Government’s innovation team, has developed ‘Topster’, a pouring device which fits on to the top of plastic milk bottle containers.
The device, which helps prevent spillage and allows more control for pouring specific amounts of liquid, is also more hygienic as it removes the need to screw and unscrew container tops after every use.
Arella, which is run by Llanbradach business partners Steve Thomas and Mike Farr, recently launched Topster in 40 Tesco stores in Wales.
The product is now selling at around 1,000 a week at 99p.
Steve Thomas, Director at Arella Creations, said: “Topster is a genuinely unique product, and its potential in the consumer milk and juice drinks industry in particular is huge. It’s great to have the recognition of Tesco, as one of the UK’s most respected retailers this is most certainly a big step in the right direction for us.
“The help and support we’ve received from the Welsh Assembly Government’s Business Innovation Managers has been invaluable, and they were in fact instrumental in setting up our initial meetings with Tesco.”
Lesley Griffiths, Deputy Minister for Science, Innovation and Skills, described it as another significant success for Welsh innovators and inventors.
She said: “Innovation is a vital ingredient for economic growth and I am delighted the Assembly Government has provided the help and commercial know-how to enable businesses to make the most of market opportunities.”
A spokeman from Tesco said: “The Topster is a great idea and makes the pouring of liquid much easier and simpler. The product is selling well in Tesco stores across Wales and our customers recognise the benefits of the device.”
Topster, which can also be bought from the company’s website – www.topster.co.uk – and comes in a range of colours, has featured on national television and radio, with a slot GMTV and BBC Radio 2.
Mike Farr added: “Although we’ve only been retailing in Tesco for around a month, sales have been convincing and feedback from both the store managers and consumers has been positive and encouraging.
“We’ll be assessing the pilot launch of the product in the current 40 stores, and we are confident we’ll be able to expand the sales to additional stores soon, with our current long-term aim to retail UK-wide.”
We are Aussies and visited Cardiff last week. We came across your Topster and have bought a couple of dozen to take home with us next week. We just want to make sure that they fit on our milk bottles. If they do then we would be interested in taking the product to Oz. Please send me your direct contact details. Thanks
Rael Polivnick