Freshware in an innovative new way to store dry goods so that they can be stocked constantly, they can stay organized, and they won't lose potency. I started this project because as a barista for four years, we were always supposed to keep the mocha powder full, but by refilling every day on top of the old, the bottom never got used. I then realized that this same problem occurs in the home with things like flower and sugar, rice, spices, herbs, etc. The user either has to wait for the product to run completely out and scrape the edges, which is difficult and stops cooking flow, or just refill on top of the old. These problems lead me to create Freshware. Freshware refills from the bottom, pushing the oldest material to the top to be used first so that you can keep your containers full at all times and keep your dry goods fresh.

Freshware refills from the bottom by having a closure on both ends. The closure on the bottom is a screw in to provide a secure and tight fit. How it works is when your dry goods are running low, you flip Freshware over, fill into the funneled bottom, screw back in the bottom closure, and then flip it back over. The oldest material is now at the top and ready to be used. I was able to draw inspiration for this idea from the rotational stocking seen in grocery stores vending machines, and restaurants where the oldest material is pulled to the front, and the new is stocked behind it.

I did extensive research of three different age groups and skill levels of cooking for this project to better understand people's problems in the kitchen with their dry goods. This was important to me because everyone cooks and everyone owns dry goods, therefore I needed to get a wide range of wants. I then took the information provided to me by my users to design ten different concepts with prototypes to take back to them and receive feedback. This feedback of what they liked and didn't like lead to my final design of Freshware.

The body of Freshware would be a clear plastic so that the user could asses properly how much they have of any good. The top and bottom closures would have a metallic finish in a variety of colors to match any kitchen or style, and there would be a gasket fit to ensure an air-tight seal. It would also come in three different footprint sizes depending on what was being stored. The large would be for sugar, flour, etc., the medium would be for rice, beans, nuts, etc., ad smallest size would be for herbs and spices. All of the sizes would include labels to mark what is in the container for organizational purposes.

Freshware helps people to keep their dry goods organized, fresh, and, constantly stocked without the hassle of typical storage systems on the market today. Besides aesthetics, there have been no real changes to dry goods storage. I want to improve this by making refilling better.