Kickstarter Campaign Raising Money for SCOFF3D: Café and Catering for 3D Printed Food

I’ve heard a lot about 3D printed food and I think it’s fascinating, but I’ve never gotten a chance to try it. So far, it’s been mostly relegated to specialty events and high-end restaurants, and it hasn’t quite reached the masses yet. Martin Furze would like to change that. The Suffolk, England-based caterer has been working in the food industry for nearly his entire working life, and his new business venture is a novel one. Furze intends to create the first café  fully dedicated to 3D printed food. SCOFF3D, which is currently raising capital through a Kickstarter campaign, will, if successfully funded, bring together 3D printing, smart technology, and, of course, food.

Image: Natural Machines

“The café is to be a place where customers are able to site at a smart table and select something to enjoy from there,” Furze told 3DPrint.com. “This will include traditional refreshments but its focus will be selecting the desired edible treat from a constantly updated gallery of prints. These will start with sugar, marzipan and chocolate sculptures that will come out with a tea, coffee or soft drink but to make the printing experience more personal I plan to have both software and printers accessible to customers so they can come in and print their own treats…As the printers develop so will the café, pastries and sponges will take a place along with other advancements in the industry.”

SCOFF3D won’t be just a café, though. Furze intends to actually create three businesses in one. Beyond the café, he plans to start a catering service that will 3D print food for weddings, birthdays and other events. His ideas include bespoke sculptures created with 3D scanners, customizable chocolate plate settings, and specialty holiday prints. Finally, he wants to become a reseller and supplier of 3D food printers, including a rental service.

A business this expansive will need a lot of capital, so Furze is trying to raise £400,000 (nearly $595,000 USD) by February 14 – Valentine’s Day, appropriately enough. The money will be used for everything from food printers and smart tables to initial wages for staff. Rewards start at as little as £2, which will put your name on the website’s “wall of thanks,” and go all the way up to a personal preview tour of the business for those who contribute £5,000 or more. In between, there are T-shirts, keychains, water bottles, hoodies and more. Donate £1,000 and you’ll get to be one of the first to benefit from SCOFF3D’s services, with a 3D printed edible treat delivered right to your door. 

Image: International Business Times

“From this I have had multiple spin-off ideas that I won’t disclose at this point but potentially will be huge and help spread the branding further still,” Furze told us. “With each aspect of the business is an opportunity to start a chain which is extremely exciting!”

Personally, I hope this one succeeds. I think 3D printed food is incredibly cool, and the opportunity to go to a café and print my own would definitely be something I would take advantage of. I also find the idea of renting a food printer for a party very appealing. Go take a look at the Kickstarter page – Furze’s ideas are nothing to scoff at.