Philadelphia-based startup, Cocoa Press, developed by Evan Weinstein, a graduate student in the School of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Pennsylvania is taking pre-orders for a 3D printer for chocolate.
The machine is designed to make chocolate a more efficient and cost-effective process without the use of traditional moulds, and using food-grade stainless steel and climate controlled enclosure, their printer has been tested to ensure a clean food-safe environment for the chocolate.
HOW THE PRINTER WORKS:
- Load a chocolate cartridge into the 3D printer
- Select design and hit print on the touchscreen
- Watch your design being printed and the finished product is complete
Weinstein envisions the Cocoa Press becoming an all-in-one chocolate shop, where customers can buy the printer and the chocolate from the company and then make their own designs. There are even plans to work with a couple of bean-to-bar chocolate manufacturers to distribute some of their own single origin chocolates.
According to Weinstein, chocolate shops can spend around $57,000 purchasing customising equipment, but his machine will only costs $5,500, making the Cocoa Press begins to look like a bargain. The machine expects to be shipping the printers by the middle of next year and will be launching pre-orders on October 10, 2020.
The young entrepreneur estimates that the market for 3D-printed confections would be half-a-billion dollar industry worldwide.
The company sources its chocolate from The Guittard Chocolate Company and Barry Callebaut and will resell chocolate refills to its customers to create a recurring revenue model. Companies can make their own chocolate and use that as well.