The system is marketed as recyclable and stable ice cream capsules on shelves of various flavors and freezing them in about 90 seconds before dispensing them in a cup or cone. The company is also working on capsules for smoothies, frozen coffees, protein shakes, non-dairy ice creams and frozen cocktails, such as mud blades and daiquiris. The machine scans a QR code on the top of the pod label to find the specific freezing temperature for each product.
The product, which is only in the prototype stage with plans to launch in selected locations in the second quarter of 2021 and send direct to consumers at the beginning of next year, fits into the where has this been all my life? category. But the price range is less sweet than the product: $ 1,000. (The company said it plans to cut that rate in half.)
Matthew Fonte, the serial entrepreneur behind the product, said it was a huge undertaking to create pods that are safe, convenient (little cleaning), economical and sustainable; the containers are aluminum, like a can of soda. Keurig and other single-use capsule manufacturers have long been criticized for their inability to recycle their products.
“This is challenging and requires significant development and engineering expertise,” said Fonte, who holds a PhD in mechanical engineering from Tufts University. “In the beginning, many people didn’t think it was [scientifically] possible to create an ice cream like this in about a minute. “
The company says the machine simultaneously pulls heat from the capsule, creating a cooling effect in the liquid ice cream mix, and involves a part of the capsule that shakes the ingredients during the cooling process. Air is sucked into the can to make the necessary loft in the ice cream.
The idea started years ago, when Fonte and his two daughters got tired of reading the same books at bedtime and decided to write in “invention diaries”.
“We included new toys, toothbrushes and hoops,” he told CNN Business. “One day, they ordered an ice cream machine.”
He explained that home ice cream machines are not typically efficient; many require a bucket to be frozen overnight, a consistent mixing process and a mess to clean. “How about a Keurig ice cream machine?” a daughter asked.
The rest is blackberry.
Fonte’s track record played a significant role in the beginning of the process. He and his brother worked alongside their father, an Italian immigrant, for 20 years in a metallurgical industry, producing rocket engine cases for missiles. After selling the business, they started another one focused on superelastic orthopedic implants. Later, his team from that company left together to start ColdSnap.
“It has been a lot of fun with my daughters, who have seen the whole start of a company, buying a 2,500 square foot building, obtaining patents and owning shares in the company,” he said. “I have explained how investors invest in us and how we cannot disappoint them.”
Since then, the company has grown to a team of 18 people. Despite the high price, Fonte said the company has “thousands” of people signing up to buy the product. “Sometimes we get notes on our website that just say, ‘Hurry up. I need this.'”
ColdSnap, however, was originally intended for commercial spaces such as office lounges, car dealerships and student unions. When Covid struck early last year, the company shifted its focus. Fonte said he plans to reduce the price to $ 500 by exchanging stainless steel parts for plastic accessories. The pods will cost $ 2.99 each when they are released.
Products derived from the Keurig type are abundant, ranging from coffee and cocktails to cookies. ColdSnap says its product is a much cleaner game, due to the recyclable aluminum capsules, which resemble cans of Red Bull, and the process of keeping the ice cream cold inside the trucks that transport it.
Judging by the enthusiastic response, it seems that people still want a product like this to become a reality. Source said US interest is high, but he also sees opportunities in places like India and China, where the cold supply chain is irregular and could benefit from an on-demand system like ColdSnap.
“We hope that maybe someday, in 20 years, people will look back and say, ‘Remember when the ice cream was frozen all the time. How crazy is that?'”
Perhaps innovation is a dish that is served cold.