A Kent-based ice cream and beverage dispensing system specialist has launched a drinks cup featuring a plastic impeller moulded into the lid which enables drinks like milkshakes to be rapidly mixed to order, in the cup, by fast food outlets, restaurants and other catering establishments.

McDonald’s has just signed a deal to use the blending lid in all its outlets “in one of Europe’s largest countries”.

The McGill Technology Group, which invented the One-Shot Revolver lid, says the patented “blend-in-cup” system will enable producers of drinks to mix and serve them up within 20 seconds, instead of having to place all the ingredients into a jug, locate the jug onto the blender, blend and then pour into the final container.

The HDPE lid is currently injection moulded under licence exclusively by Robinson Plastic Packaging in the UK.

Drinks can be pre-delivered ready for blending with all the ingredients ready-packed, blending can be undertaken entirely at the retail outlet, or a combination of both. Restaurant or café staff simply clamp a cup into a special Revolver machine, and press the control button. The machine and blend-in-cup container combination then mix the drink at up to 18,000 revolutions/min thanks to One-Shot’s “turbo-vortex” acetal lid impeller.