The system is marketed as taking long-life, recyclable ice cream pods of various flavors and freezing them in about 90 seconds before pouring into a cup or cone. The company is also working on pods for smoothies, frozen coffee, protein shakes, non-dairy ice cream, and frozen cocktails, such as mud slides and daiquiris. The machine reads a QR code on top of the pod’s label to find the specific freezing temperature for each product.
The product, which is still in the prototype phase and plans to launch in selected locations in the second quarter of 2021 and ship directly to consumers early next year, is under the where has this been all my life? category. But the price is less sweet than the product: $ 1,000. (The company said it’s aiming to cut it by half eventually.)
Matthew Fonte, the serial entrepreneur behind the product, said it has been a great venture to create pods that are safe, easy (little tidy up), cost-effective and durable; the pad containers are made of aluminum like a soft drink can. Keurig and other disposable pod makers have long been criticized for the inability to recycle their products.
“This is challenging and requires significant development and engineering expertise,” said Fonte, who has a PhD in mechanical engineering from Tufts University. “In the beginning, a lot of people didn’t think so [scientifically] it is possible to make ice cream like this in about a minute. “
The company says the machine simultaneously extracts heat from the pod, creating a cooling effect on the liquid ice cream mix, and uses a component in the pod that churns the ingredients during the cooling process. Air is sucked into the can to make the necessary cage in the ice.
The idea started years ago when Fonte and his two daughters got tired of reading the same books before going to sleep and decided to write in ‘invention diaries’.
“We’ve added new toys, toothbrushes and hoola hoops,” he told CNN Business. “One day they asked for an ice machine.”
He explained that home ice machines are usually not efficient; many require a bucket that is frozen overnight, a consistent mixing process, and it’s a mess to clean up. “What about a Keurig machine for ice cream?” asked a daughter.
The rest is his strawberry.
Fonte’s background was instrumental in starting the process. He and his brother worked with their father, an Italian immigrant, for 20 years in a metalworking company and produced rocket motor cases for rockets. After they sold the business, they started another focusing on super-elastic orthopedic implants. His team from that company later left together to found ColdSnap.
“It was a lot of fun with my daughters, who went through all the beginnings of starting a business, buying a 2,500 square foot property, getting patents and owning shares in the company,” he said. “I explained how the investors invest in us and how we can’t let them down.”
The company has now grown into a team of 18 people. Despite the hefty price tag, 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. ” ‘
However, ColdSnap was originally intended for commercial spaces such as break areas in offices, car dealers and student associations. When Covid hit earlier last year, the company re-established itself. Fonte said he wants to lower the price to $ 500 by swapping stainless steel parts for plastic fixtures. The pods cost $ 2.99 each when launched.
Neat-ish spin-offs are plentiful, ranging from pod coffee and pod cocktails to pod cookies. ColdSnap claims its product is a much cleaner game, due to the recyclable aluminum pods, which resemble Red Bull cans, and the process of keeping ice cold in the trucks that then transport it.
Judging from the enthusiastic response, it seems people still want a product like this to become a reality. Fonte said American interest is high, but he also sees opportunities in places like India and China, where the cold chain is spotty and can take advantage of an on-demand system like ColdSnap.
“We hope that one day, 20 years from now, people will look back and say, ‘Remember when ice was frozen all the time. How crazy is that?”
Perhaps innovation is a dish that is best served cold.