Can a machine make a great steak from scratch? This Chinese food start-up says yes, so long as it has enough ink.
Hangzhou-based food production company Moodles has introduced a 3D printer capable of printing food, offering a healthier alternative to processed food.
Using high-quality protein, the device creates noodles, steaks, tacos and more in line with calorie and nutrient specifications input by consumers.
“I believe that personalized and precise diets will be in huge demand in the future,” said Ryan Zhu, who founded Moodles in 2021 after eight years of material science and intelligent engineering research.
Moodles won backing from some of China’s top venture capital firms including GGV Capital in a pre-A financing round, according to an announcement last year.
For this year’s Taobao Maker Festival, Alibaba’s annual celebration of young entrepreneurs, it’s bringing its latest innovation, a 3D-printed steak, to consumers that want to try nutritionally-enhanced food.
Transcript
Ryan Zhu: The coronavirus pandemic has had a huge impact on people’s daily work and life. Consumers worldwide have become highly concerned about health issues. What we eat and the nutrients we take in should be personalized. However, the current food industry is mass-produced, and everyone eats the same things.
I used to be a researcher who worked on chip production, material science and engineering, and intelligent manufacturing. I believe that personalized and precise diets will be in huge demand in the future. Based on this mission, we created Moodles.
Moodles combines molecular gastronomy and 3D printing technology to create a wide variety of food products. We can print high-quality proteins into globally beloved shapes such as noodles, rice, hamburger patties and tacos.
We produce products for consumers who pursue a healthy lifestyle. We can help people who require precise control of nutrient intakes. We can even produce infant and toddler food supplements. We have achieved the perfect combination of health and taste.
Tmall is the largest and most recognized e-commerce platform in China, where most global consumer brands choose to open stores to sell their products to Chinese customers. At Moodles, we also hope to better showcase our brand image on the Tmall platform, while providing consumers with a more convenient and efficient shopping experience.
We were very honored to receive an invitation to participate in the Taobao Maker Festival this year.
The Taobao Maker Festival is an important event held by Taobao every year. Here, young people can see the latest technology being implemented and experience first-hand the new consumption trends brought about by product innovation. This festival also offers brands the opportunity to receive large amounts of offline traffic and interact with consumers face to face.
After establishing a strong presence in the domestic market and running the entire business model, we plan to expand our operations overseas. We have received many requests from international customers who are interested in introducing our products abroad.
We will prioritize opportunities in North America, Europe, and Asia while leveraging the power of the Alibaba international platform to spread awareness of Moodles to more overseas consumers.
Discover more Taobao Maker Festival stories here
