One giant leap for can-kind: Why the Cool>Can™ is a revolution in refreshment

Instant chemistry

Even if the Cool>Can was technically and operationally successful, scalable, and cost-effective, the project as a whole would still fail if it compromised on recyclability. In an era of increasingly complex sustainability regulations in most markets across the world, this was an important nut to crack for a business with international ambitions.

“There were attempts at self-cooling a long time ago, with companies using refrigerants and gas,” explains James. “But you can’t put something in a can that’s going to make it unrecyclable, especially in a margin-sensitive industry. So we had to make the can recyclable, and make sure it was cost-efficient and scalable.

“It was obvious that we definitely could not use gas. So we’re using chemistry.”

The chemical reaction in question is a surprisingly simple one. When certain salts dissolve, they create an endothermic reaction, meaning it absorbs heat from its surroundings. It’s why, when keeping beverages in an ice bucket, adding table salt to the mix helps keep them cooler for longer. That simple bartending hack provided the chemical foundation for the self-chilling power of the Cool>Can, as the team at deltaH created their own – now-patented – salt-based cooling agent called DC15.

James says the restrictions around sustainability and chemicals in products actually helped focus minds while developing the cooling solution. “We realised the chemistry we had was the only way you could do it from a commercial perspective because the regulations are so sensitive when you’re working with chemistry. We’ve protected that chemistry through a strong international patent portfolio, but we’ve also optimised it to be more efficient in cooling beverages, because the chemistry wasn’t originally invented to cool a beverage down.

“With the chemistry, you have to go through the relevant bodies and requirements, including UK and EU REACH and the FDA. We did all of this beforehand. The boxes we’ve had to tick to get to this point are crazy, but so are the twists and turns we’ve had to make with the product. My team has been through it all with me, with things moving and changing faster than you can blink. But it gets you to a point where you end up with something that can be taken to market.”

Two cans, one vision

Of course, the ‘Cool>’ part is only half of the picture. There’s also the can itself, which had to contain the activation mechanism as well as the coolant and the drink. An integral element of the consumer experience, the can had to be simple to use, keeping the DC15 salt and water separate from each other until the consumer activates the cooling reaction. Both elements also had to be separated from the beverage itself to avoid compromising the taste.

No single can offers that kind of functionality – so James and his team used two.

“What we’ve ended up with is effectively a can-within-a-can format. We’ve built around slimline cans because they have the perfect geometry to fit inside a standard can,” he says.

“DC15 is one part of the coolant, and water is the other. Once the water is pushed into the can walls where the DC15 is sitting, it rapidly reduces the temperature of the inner can, which is undisturbed.

“The brand’s liquid can be produced and sealed by its preferred partner in a normal slimline can. We then make a slight modification to the outer can shell, attach the cooling mechanism, and slide the beverage can inside. The slimline can is mechanically sealed to the external can before we attach the chemistry and water module to the bottom. We have a pilot line in Wales for that process.”

The end result is remarkable. Each can features a simple button mechanism on its base. When pressed, the chemical reaction inside the can walls chills the drink by around 10–15°C depending on the starting temperature.

Wales’s legacy of innovation

That Welsh connection is a particularly important. James is a proud Welshman who has never forgotten his roots, even as he prepares to unveil the first-ever commercialised Cool>Can on the world stage.

At London Packaging Week, visitors will be the first to see a finished commercialised Cool>Can, fully branded and ready for the shelf. deltaH have partnered with Brains Brewery, a Welsh craft brewer, to bring its Bayside Welsh Lager to market in a Cool>Can.

It promises to be a watershed moment for the beverage industry, but as James explains, it is not the first to come from Wales. “Brains is based in Cardiff and has a lot of heritage in Wales. That’s a big factor for me because I’m Welsh. We had many conversations with brands, but this one felt right because the history of cans in Wales is genuinely groundbreaking.”

That history began when Felinfoel Brewery in Llanelli became the first outside the US to produce canned beer. American brewers had managed to create a new pasteurised drink that did not absorb the metallic taste of their tin containers. British ales required a novel solution, which arrived when Felinfoel began coating the inside of their cans with an inert wax.

This story is one James is keenly aware of. “It means Wales brought the first beer can to this side of the world, and now we’ve brought the first self-cooling beer to the world. Brains have been a great brand to work with, but I’m definitely a proud Welshman teaming up with a Welsh brand and doing it with them first, giving Wales a piece of the history of what I believe is going to create something special in this business.”

From Wales to the world

That history is still in the making. A commercial launch is not the end of the story, but rather a credible first step in the journey towards larger international customers.

“We can’t go from zero to 100 million overnight,” adds James. “It has to be a staged approach. If I could produce a billion cans today, we could sell a billion cans. I don’t think demand is the issue. The issue is making sure we grow this business in a way that doesn’t implode and that the quality and delivery of what we’re doing is sustainable. That’s where Brains fits in well, because it’s an established brand that will get us through the first gate.”

The upcoming London Packaging Week event, where James will provide exclusive insights into the development of the Cool>Can in a hotly anticipated event in the Discovery Theatre, is a point of pride as he shows off the results of over two years of work. But he is also aware that there is a clear distinction between proving an invention works and scaling it responsibly to ensure it reaches its potential.

“This is the first stage of taking Cool>Can to international markets. You’ve got to start somewhere. We’re excited by the start we’re making, but it is very much just the start of the process,” he adds.

So if this is only the beginning, what does the end look like? Like all successful entrepreneurs, James can visualise that, too. “My dream is to get on a plane, land anywhere, and see a Cool>Can. Then the team and I can ‘cheers’ to it.”

And you can bet that ‘cheers’ will be chilled to perfection.

James Vyse will share the engineering, regulatory, and commercial story behind the Cool>Can in his presentation, The self-cooling can: turning packaging innovation into reality, at 12:00 on Thursday 17 September in the Discovery Theatre.