Lisa Cain's review - Packaging Expert

Pouches Squeezed Out.

You'd think yoghurt pouches were designed to annoy parents.

They're expensive, fiddly to open and end up in the bin five seconds after use.

They've taught a whole generation that throwing away packaging after one squeeze is ok. Normalising a format that's convenient for a few seconds and often a challenge for recycling.

For Brisbane-based engineer Jean-François Roiron, that frustration turned into a design challenge.

Like most parents, he wanted to pack healthy homemade food into lunchboxes without resorting to overpriced, overprocessed single-serve pouches.

But the reusable options he tried were a mess... literally.

Difficult to clean, awkward to refill, and prone to accidental explosions in school bags.

So he did what most of us say we'll do (and never actually get around to doing), he made a better one.

Koor is a compact, refillable bottle designed to handle yoghurt, smoothies, sauces, soups, sunscreen and even glue.

It's built from food-grade polypropylene, safe, tough, and dishwasher-friendly.

The refill process is simple. Pull the plunger, load it up and snap the lid shut. No drips, cracked caps or impossible seals.

Designed to last, not just until next term, but for many years. Every part is replaceable, just order spares.

No rebranding the same old bottle with a "reusable" sticker.

Koor is designed for people, not just for packaging awards (though it's already picked up two Golds).

People with limited mobility or sensory challenges are already using it to eat on their own terms.

Nurses are saving time.
Occupational therapists are testing its potential.
Kids can open it without painting the inside of their backpacks.

And that's just the beginning.

The bigger picture is about systems.

The Koor team is building out a full refill ecosystem.

Smaller fridge-sized containers at home.
Larger refill stations for supermarkets and events.
Automatic refilling that takes seconds.

All designed to eliminate the need for single-serve packaging.

For every person who switches from pouches to Koor, the numbers add up. On average, that's $470 saved per year and over 3kg of plastic waste avoided per person.

Multiply that across families, schools, and workplaces, and you've got a packaging revolution happening in plain sight.

Reusable, repairable, refillable. Designed for circularity, not just compliance.

It's a format that fits real life, not just niche.

Built for daily use.
Designed for repair.
Easy enough for a child to manage.
Practical enough for a nurse to recommend.
Efficient enough to support a full refill loop at scale.

No wonder it's gaining momentum in sectors stuck with single-use by default for too long.

Convenience doesn't have to mean compromise.

Not on cost.
Not on experience.
And definitely not on sustainability.

Is this how we push refill further into the mainstream?