Inventor Andrew’s no mug

LIKE many of the best inventions, Andrew Gray’s eureka moment for his new drinks device came from a mishap.

“I broke a small cafetiere and found a mug which fitted the metal work and made a U-shaped handle,” says Andrew, from Shipton. “I realised this worked so well I set about making a flexible version that would fit many mugs.”

And so Infuse-iasm was born. The device couldn’t be more simple – a mesh filter held in place with some malleable silicon and a plastic handle that plunges into a mug to hold coffee grains or tea leaves in place, allowing the brew to flood to the top for a flavoursome hot drink.

Selling at £6 for a set of two, Andrew says his product offers an affordable way to enjoy quality tea and coffee away from the home.

He hopes to ride the wave of our love affair with artisan hot drinks. “There is a steady movement of tea drinkers away from the basic bags towards better quality and loose leaf, just as many coffee drinkers are moving away from instant towards ground,” he says. “The likes of Starbucks are teaching the young to drink proper coffee.”

Married to this, says Andrew, is the explosion of posh coffee-making devices, many which are expensive, cumbersome and not suitable for use outside the home, whether at work or away camping.

Andrew says Infuse-iasm, which is re-usable as well as dishwasher and microwave-safe, is the answer.

The device, which is being patented, is the latest creation of the 55-year-old father of two, who has spent the past 30 years as an inventor. In his 20s he worked as a car salesman in the family firm Forsselius on Blossom Street.

His biggest success to date has been the Radlok, which led to the unstealable supermarket trolley, and other inventions have included the Crunchy Bowl to stop cereal going soggy and a window-louvre system that snaps shut to create a thermal barrier.

Andrew has just returned from the United States where he has been marketing another innovation: a shelf management system for grocery shops that brings the product to the front. A trial of the device at a Tesco store in Poland has seen a rise in sales of more than 15 per cent on the products being “pushed” to the fore.

Back in Britain, Andrew is selling Infuse-iasm online (infuse-iasm.com) and hopes to get it into stores such as Lakeland.

While there is big money to be made from inventions that take off, there are losses to absorb too. “It’s a life of highs and lows; ethically more acceptable than gambling but just as scary,” says Andrew.

“You have about 18 months between filing a patent and spending a lot more money on it. If you can’t find a route to market you have to shrug and move on. For every 700 patents that are filed only one becomes financially viable.”

With Andrew’s track record, let’s hope the odds are in his favour for Infuse-iasm.

Tried and tested...

Press features’ writers road test Infuse-iasm for the day

Chinese-tea drinker Stephen Lewis: “For making coffee it is great: like a mini-cafetiere that allows you to make a single mug of real, fresh coffee with no fuss. It’s also easy to carry around with your mug, and easy to clean. Highly recommended for coffee addicts.

“It was less successful when it came to making my regular mug of morning loose-leaf green tea. The tea-leaves need to float around as they infuse, and the technique of blowing them away before you sip is part of the fun. Perhaps I pressed the plunger too soon: as a result, the leaves were trapped at the bottom of my mug and my tea was too watery. I experimented by raising and pressing the plunger a couple of times. This improved the tea but was a little messy.”

Coffee drinker Julian Cole: “Proper coffee helps to spin out the day, and this little device is a neat way to get your fix in the office. My first go wasn’t fully successful, due to too much coffee (what a caffeine hit) and not stirring before plunging. Adding the water and milk, stirring and then plunging carefully produced better results. I may well have to add this to my workday drinks routine.”