Red Diamond Selects The UpShot™ Solution And Announces New Single-Serve Beverage Offering

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., April 15, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Red Diamond, one of the oldest family-owned and operated coffee, tea and foodservice companies in the United States, today announced it will be offering coffee and tea in single-serve format, leveraging LBP Manufacturing's UpShot™ Solution.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120913/CG73667LOGO-b)

LBP Manufacturing, Inc. (LBP), a leader in consumer-preferred, sustainable on-the-go packaging, recently launched the UpShot Solution to empower roasters and brands like Red Diamond to enter into the single-serve beverage market.  In addition to offering flexible and scalable production models, the UpShot Filter offers the ideal single-serve experience: convenience, quality and sustainability. The unique filter features a proprietary mesh that allows customers to see and smell the coffee or tea from the moment they open the fresh seal outer packaging, delivering a full sensory experience. In addition, the sidewall mesh offers multiple points of contact for water and grind, creating a better brew.

The UpShot Filter is compatible with Keurig® and other single-serve brewers* and is made from 100 percent polypropylene, making it recyclable along with other #5 plastics.** Beginning in June 2013, Red Diamond will offer an initial selection of its well-known tea and coffee blends in a single-serve format for customers to enjoy at home or on-the-go.

"While our company has a long history of innovation, LBP's UpShot single-serve technology is a game changer for us," said Dave Burke, executive vice president of retail distribution, Red Diamond. "We were looking for a single-serve model that fits our needs of quality and efficiency but also allows for flexibility and customization, and the UpShot Solution offers that and much more – it lays the groundwork for new opportunities and is a solution that can really grow with us as a company."

Red Diamond's single-serve filters will be available for purchase at leading retailers wherever Red Diamond is sold, as well as online at www.reddiamond.com. Red Diamond plans to expand the number of single-serve offerings later this year and into 2014 through iced options, 3-in-1 special blends and celebrity-branded endorsements.

"The UpShot Solution provides a favorable business model that allows our customers direct control over their product quality and production volume," said Bill Rickert, vice president of sales, UpShot Solution. "LBP prides itself on the fact that the UpShot Filter is a next-generation offering, and we're excited to partner with Red Diamond, a long-standing leader in the beverage space."

*Keurig is a registered trademark of Keurig, Inc., which is not affiliated or associated with LBP Manufacturing or Red Diamond.

**This product may not be recyclable in all areas. Check with local municipalities for recycling options.

About LBP Manufacturing & UpShot™ Solution
For more than 80 years, Chicago-based LBP Manufacturing, Inc. has combined innovation and performance to develop consumer-preferred, sustainable, on-the-go packaging. LBP harnesses innovation in material science, equipment and converting technology to meet varying demand of consumer packages for its customers. LBP is widely known for its hot beverage solutions such as the original Coffee Clutch® hot cup sleeve, Beverage on the Move™ insulated beverage to-go carrier and THERMO GRIP™ double-wall hot cups. LBP launched the UpShot™ Solution in September 2012 – a line of eco-friendly, single-serve filters paired with a flexible production model that allows roasters, office coffee service, foodservice, retailers and brands to take advantage of the single-serve beverage market.The company has been honored with a 2013 NAMA Innovation Award, Havi Good Neighbor Award and a 2012 Starbucks Supplier of the Year Award. For more information about LBP, visit lbpmfg.com. For more information on the UpShot Solution, find us on Twitter @UpShotSolution, Facebook/UpShotSolution or visit upshotsolution.com

About Red Diamond
Red Diamond is a 107 year-old family-owned coffee, tea and foodservice company providing high quality products to hotels, restaurants, offices and homes across the United States. To learn more about Red Diamond visit www.reddiamond.com.

Media Contacts:
Emily Kellam, MSLGROUP for LBP
[email protected]
312.861.5262

Wilbur Christy, Red Diamond Coffee & Tea
[email protected]
205.577.4045

SOURCE LBP Manufacturing, Inc.