Earl Grey, Hot! 10 Current Day Food Replicators

Star Trek: the Next Generation brought the idea of the “Replicator” into being. In that universe Replicators could make food by taking requests from users, querying a database that contained the molecular make up of the requested food, and then assemble it atom by atom, out of thin air. It is a fascinating concept that captured people’s imaginations. We are decades away from a true replicator, but a number of entrepreneurs have combined web apps, custom manufacturing technologies, and calories to offer customized food to the masses.

1. OnLatte – Printed Latte Foam

OnLatte is a Boston based company that uses a proprietary “Drink Jet” printing process to deposit caramel on the foam of a latte or the smooth head of Guinness. A print takes about a minute and the resolution is pretty high considering the nature of the substrate. The technology is still in development, but local bars and cafe’s are using the technology, and the founders see a big future in drinkable art.

This video show the printer in action:

2. Fruit Roll-Ups

Also making use of edible inks, Fruit Roll-Ups can now be customized. A number of readymade templates are offered into which customers can add a saying, commemorate a date, or even include their photos.

3. Custom Cereals and Granolas

A number of sites offer customers the ability to create the perfect box of cereal or granola. These services allow you to choose flake styles, flavors, and a host of add-ins like dehydrated fruits. This is a fun product category to watch because one of the most famous flameouts in the history of Mass Customization is “www.mycereal.com” an initiative General Mills launched at the height of the first web boom. $12 boxes of Captain Crunch didn’t go over then, but these new organic offerings seem to have found a niche.

4. Custom Energy Bars

Continuing on the grain theme, a number of companies offer customized energy bars. YouBar and Element Bars provide customers a great deal of granularity in their selections. Both services offer base materials (a variety of nut butters, granolas, dried fruits, and nutritive add-ins along with the ability to specify their relative proportion which determines how crunchy or chewy the bar is. Cereal and energy bars are great products to be customized since they are made using a batch process where customization is achieved by mixing commodity materials rather than having to use specialized materials and processes.

5. Customized Soda

MyJones is the personalized offering from Jones Soda. Using their interface you can select a flavor, upload an image, and choose a name for your personally branded cola. They offer a wide range of flavors with the customized service, even their controversial turkey flavor.

6. Chocolate

Using the Chocograms service you can tell your loved one how much you care with milk choclately pearls of wisdom. Your customization options are limited to letters and icons, but it is a fun exercise.

I don’t get the fascination of taking a bite out of a loved one’s chin, but if that is your thing, Kustom Konfections can print your picture on a piece of chocolate using a technology called “Chocolography“.

7. M&M’s

If a branded chocolate experience is your desire, My M&M’s enables anyone to announce weddings, birthdays and other special events in convenient candy form. They even allow you to upload pictures, while a little weird, is certainly gratifying.

9. Jelly Beans

PartyBeans gives you the ability to customize an assortment of flavored beans and personalize the tin they come in with an image, logo, or message.

8. Caned Candies

Closing out the candy theme, a couple companies provide candies that can be customized during the manufacturing process. Using a process called canework strings of pulled sugar are combined into a rod and when sliced, a logo or image is revealed.

If you want more info on customized candy the Candy Addict blog has a rundown on other companies offering custom solutions.

10. Custom Tea Bags

It isn’t as quick as the Star Trek version, but you can now get your Earl Grey, with choice of flavor infusions, delivered to your home. Jean-Luc’s dream is quickly becoming a reality.

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Tagged as: Candy, Food, Fruit Roll-Ups, General Mills, Home, Jones Soda, mass customization, Personalization, Shopping, Star Trek: The Next Generation