.jpg){kind=small}
Last week, KELOLAND News introduced you to a product that is raising worries about alcohol abuse. Porta Shots, a one shot serving of alcohol in a small pouch, can easily fit in a pocket and be concealed. The owner of the company says despite those worries, his product is responsible.
Rum, vodka and whiskey are now available in a small pouch known as a Porta Shot. While some worry the product allows people to sneak alcohol into places they shouldn't, the owner of the company says it promotes control because each bag is precisely one shot.
"When I got here and I asked for a rum and Coke, I was shocked to see the damn glass is about halfway full with rum. I couldn't drink that. It's too strong for me; I can't drink that," Andre Beukes, the founder of Porta Shots, said.
It was an experience like that Beukes says inspired him to create the product known as Porta Shots. But on another topic of control, he says his company is already working on a remedy to make sure his product is only in the proper hands.
That includes the way it is sold. We purchased our Porta Shots in Sioux Falls by the individual packet, for less than 75 cents each. That's something the company founder says should not happen.
"It should be sold in a full bag. Some retailers will take them out and sell them as an individual; we don't have control over that, just by means that we don't have control over somebody else's business," Beukes said.
Beukes says Porta Shots will soon be labeled so they must be purchased in a package of 25 for around $14. As for keeping the product out of the hands of teenagers, he says it's like any other kind of alcohol. He says parents need to be watchful over their children.
"If you go into anybody's home that drinks, there's usually a liquor cabinet with vodka in it somewhere," Beukes said. "How do you know that kid hasn't been drinking from that?"
Which means, like all products, the responsibility ultimately lies in the hands of the consumer.
Comments