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Smart Cups discusses 3D printed beverages and its proprietary technology
It is increasingly often that we hear news about how 3D printing technologies are transforming the food industry. Today we have numerous companies 3D printing meat, relatively recently emerged a project of 3D printed fish… But we rarely talk about…
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It is increasingly often that we hear news about how 3D printing technologies are transforming the food industry. Today we have numerous companies 3D printing meat, relatively recently emerged a project of 3D printed fish… But we rarely talk about how innovative technologies are affecting the beverage industry. Perhaps, one of the most famous players on this arena is Smart Cups, LLC. Founded in 2017, Smart Cups prints energy drinks: on the bottom of a biodegradable plastic cup there are tiny printed particles filled with a certain flavor. Once you pour water – or any other liquid – into the cup, it turns into an energy drink. This summer the California-based startup appeared in the news around the world when they announced collaboration with Mike Tyson’s The Ranch Companies to 3D print a more accurate dosage of cannabis, thus demonstrating that Smart Cups’ advanced technology has applications across a variety of industries — from beverage to pharmaceuticals, and potentially beyond! We were curious to discuss with the Founder & CEO of the company, Chris Kanik, to better understand his unique product and the cutting-edge technology behind it.
My name is Chris Kanik and I am the CEO and Founder of Smart Cups, LLC, the company responsible for creating the world’s first printed beverage. Smart Cups is a sustainability-driven technology company with a mission to provide a mindful path forward for the beverage industry and beyond.
How and when was Smart Cups launched?
The genesis for Smart Cups came while I was at a busy Taco Tuesday a few years ago. I had a glass of water at my table and was waiting for my waitress to bring the margarita I had ordered, which was taking longer than usual due to the volume of business at the moment. I looked at my glass of water and wondered why no one has created an instant margarita. That’s when the idea hit me. I took a pen and napkin and wrote out a protocol. The next day I took a bottle of Everclear and maltodextrin and went to work in my kitchen.
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