A new interview @3DC, this time with the masterminds behind MELT Icepops Eva Rennen and Leonie Smelt. Thanks a lot for the interview, we know you are busy with the new office 🙂

Enjoy 🙂

Pic. By MELT Icepops

1. Could you please introduce yourselves.

MELT icepops is an Amsterdam based start-up, founded to reinvent the icepop in every way possible. No longer boring icepops! We can design and make any shape and flavor icepop imaginable.

2. What is Melt Icepops?

We Eva and Leonie started Melt Icepops almost three years ago, because we believe that food should be more than just tasty and nutritious.  And that especially icepops, could be a lot more than just a rectangular or conic shape on a stick.

Pic. By MELT Icepops

3. How did you started using 3d printers for your creations?

Because we wanted to be able to make small batches of changing designs, and the traditional industry couldn’t help us, we realized that we had to develop our own unique production process. 3d printers enabled us to produce moulds affordable, instead of the regular metal ones.

Pic. By MELT Icepops, 3d printed new icepop design

4. What is the most challenging to work with icepops? a great recipe or a great shape?

The shape because it forces us to develop and use a totally different making process then regular icepop production.

5. Most exotic shape and flavor?

For a special event in The science museum in Amsterdam we made a special collection of spicy/hot icepops with chilli pepper, fluorescent icepops with vitamin B to glow in black-light and icepops with poppin sugar. The most exotic shape is a difficult one! they are all special in a way, but if i should pick one than it would be a lamp we did for a dutch company called TNO for ict 2013 (applied scientific research organisation) With its 3 colors it was for us the most challenging icepop we made.

Pic. by MELT Icepops

6. What could you explain me about the icepop generator and the crowdfunding experience?

A lot of people seem to think that because of our use of 3d printing we print our ice pops as well. Because we also think it would be awesome if we could create special ice pops instant of an block of ice. we started a crowdfunding campaign to fund our ice-cnc machine. The campaign was very succesful but unfortunately the building of the machine is been a lot more difficult than we originally thought but it is still in the pipelines and we hope to launch a first version of it very soon.

Pic. Icepop cnc by MELT icepops

7. What kind of feedback do you get from people when you show them your work? Any great moments?

We had a lot of great feedback from all over the world! and it helped us a lot. especially  in the first period because it had been a long rocky road for us to get to where we are now and then it is very nice to know that there are people who really like what you do. We started this because we thought food products could be a lot more fun and it is nice to hear that it does bring more fun to a lot of people. We have a lot of great moments, they will all be in our book ones so stay tuned 😉 (since the day we started we keep a visual diary from every special moment and it is our dream to one day make a book from it) One of the most memorable ones was being on the Wereld Draait Door! one of the top rated television shows in the Netherlands.

Pic. By MELT Icepops

8. Do you think 3d food printing can have a big impact in our life?

I have mixed thought about that! I don’t really believe in the fact that there is an added value to print pizza’s at home, but i do think for special edition sweets and ice pops it could be interesting. And also in the medical industry or food for elderly people who can’t chew well anymore i see some great possibilities.

9. Could you share your opinion about the future of 3d food printing?

I think it wouldn’t really change the way we eat at home. But for specials (for example that you could create an ice pop from your face at a special event like an icepop photobooth) it can be very interesting. The fun thing about 3d printing is that there is so much devolopment going on that everything could be possible. Like everyone in the ‘90 couldnt see any benefits for having a mobile phone and see where that is nowadays.