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The Spoon

Daily news and analysis about the food tech revolution

Vitamix

Connected Compost: Vitamix Launches an At-Home Device to Turn Food Scraps Into Soil Nutrients

Vitamix is the latest appliance-maker to address the issue of food waste in the consumer kitchen. The company today announced the launch of its Vitamix FoodCycler FC-50, a device that turns food scraps into additives for soil consumers can then use in their gardens. 

The device itself is compact enough to fit on a kitchen countertop. As the explainer video below shows, food scraps go into a portable bucket, which, when full, goes into the FoodCycler device. The user then simply attached the lid and hits the power button, and the device agitates the scraps into a compound that can be used as soil additive:  

Introducing the Vitamix Foodcycler FC-50!

Vitamix says the entire process can be done in four to eight hours, and works on not just produce but also meat and dairy items. A carbon filter built into the device gets rid of methane gases and odors.

The device is available now for $399.95, including a three-year warranty. 

Vitamix is positioning the device as an alternative to composting, which remains challenging to a lot of consumers. At-home compost piles require quite a bit of time and maintenance. They can also attract rodents, and most guides tell you to avoid putting meat and fatty foods in your pile (see: rodents). Some cities provide bins for compost scraps that are picked up on a weekly basis just like trash or recycling, but that’s not yet a widespread practice outside major cities.

U.S. households waste roughly 76 billion pounds of food per year. And with more people now staying home to cook and eat, it wouldn’t be surprising if that number went up in the future.

The key is to help consumer break longstanding behaviors and habits around simply throwing scraps in the garbage bin or down the drain, and the painstaking nature of traditional composting is not likely to do that on a widespread basis. The seeming ease-of-use of Vitamix’s latest device could be instrumental in helping consumers change some of those behaviors.

Here Are Three Ingredients For Building Services In The Connected Kitchen

Sure, the kitchen of the future will be driven by data and standards, but one crucial element not to be overlooked among all the gadgets and tech is the human touch.

This is one of the insights you can glean from watching the video for the “Building Services for the Connected Kitchen” panel at our recent Smart Kitchen Summit. Brita Rosenheim of The Mixing Bowl moderated this fascinating and forward looking discussion with Lisa Fetterman, CEO, Nomiku; Mike Wallace, CEO, Perfect Company; and Tony Ciepiel, COO, Vitamix.

They cover a wide range of topics, but here are three big takeaways:

Data Brings Out Needed Connections
Connected devices are able to record a lot of data about what, when and how often you eat or drink. This data doesn’t just help the device maker better understand you — but it can help companies throughout the consumption process better serve you.

Perfect’s platform fills in a huge knowledge gap for spirit makers who currently have no idea how their product is used after the sale. And Nomiku’s connected sous vide system, they can identify what types of food you prefer and fulfill accordingly.

Standards are Needed
Right now every connected device has its own app. This can be confusing and overly complicated for the consumer. This obviously is not the best solution for creating a vast interconnected kitchen where your fridge knows when you get home and automatically starts up your sous vide.

The solution, however, isn’t so cut and dry. It’s doubtful that any one company will cede control of a platform to another, but as Fetterman points out, things are moving so quickly that no one has time to invent an independent unifying language. Consumers have shown they can live with a multi-app approach (see: navigation on your phone), but will it be a stalemate rather than superiority that determines the outcome?

The Human Touch is Needed
As 80s rocker Rick Springfield once sang — we all need the human touch. And this is true for the connected kitchen as every speaker on the panel talked about the role of personal interaction leading to adoption. Vitamix does 48,000 demonstrations a year to show people how to use its product. Perfect’s cocktail maker is by nature social and almost becomes like a modern day, boozier Tupperware party.

This is just some of what was touched on in the panel. Watch the full video right here and leave a comment with your thoughts on the best path for building connected services in the kitchen.

Making Traditional Food Prep Smarter With Vitamix

Vitamix is a household name is the kitchen; in 1949, founder William G. Barnard demonstrated the Vitamix blender in the first U.S. infomercial in the early days of television. Since then, Vitamix has worked to uphold William’s mission, developing kitchen food preparation tools as technology continues to mature and provide new capabilities. As COO, much of Tony Ciepiel’s work is thinking about how the market is evolving and how Vitamix can lead in bringing new technology to traditional kitchen prep devices like the Vitamix Ascent Series.

The company’s smart blender series builds on the traditional Vitamix blender and adds emerging technology and capabilities such as built-in timers and wireless connectivity. “As we began designing and planning for the launch of the Ascent Series, we asked ourselves how we might add value for our customers through intuitive design and maximum ease of use,” said Ciepiel. “Among other things, that line of thought drove us to incorporate Near Field Communication (NFC) technology into the containers for our Ascent Series blenders.”

Through NFC, the blender can detect what size container has been placed onto the base and will change blending program parameters accordingly. Those parameters include ramp-up times and blade speeds as well as the overall length of a blending program. “That was really a breakthrough moment that brought us to the forefront of intelligent technology within the blending space. We intend to remain there.”

In addition to the Ascent Series product, Vitamix has plans to launch an app that gives customers control over their blenders and what they can make. The app includes the ability to design blending programs that can then be uploaded to the blender to provide users the ability to customize programs to meet their needs. The app pairs those programs with recipes that go directly to the blender. Vitamix allows users to access those recipes but also works with their Perfect Blend Smart Scale, to let the user know exactly – down to a fraction of an ounce – how much of each ingredient to load into the blender container, and can scale the recipe to desired volume or calorie count.

“When you combine that level of automation, product intelligence and connectivity, you impart the expertise of professional chefs to the novice user, which in turn creates unparalleled joy of use and a real feeling of accomplishment,” said Ciepiel of the app.

But how are consumers reacting to this kind of technology? Tony sees it as both an opportunity and a challenge. “One of the interesting challenges we face as an industry is giving consumers a compelling reason to invest their time and money into learning how to integrate “Internet of Things” features into their daily lives,” said Ciepiel. “We’re in a unique position to evolve a product that people already love for its convenience and reliability…. we need to help our customers understand why we’re integrating new, connected technology into our products, and why it’s more than worth their time to come along for the journey.”

Vitamix recognizes that a unique approach is needed when addressing the future of kitchen technology and communicating its benefits. Through in-depth research, they’ve been able to gain a better grasp on the voice of their customer and from that research, are working to develop products that can be woven seamlessly into customers lives.

“It’s not just creating technology for the sake of technology, but rather creating products that directly fulfill what customers want and help them achieve their personal goals, whatever those may be. This will inevitably include more connected, high-tech products in the kitchen as time goes by,” Ciepiel acknowledged. “The industry needs to create and agree upon technical communication standards sooner rather than later.”

The Smart Kitchen Summit is the first event to tackle the future of food, cooking and the kitchen with leaders across food, tech, commerce, design, delivery and appliances. This series will highlight panelists and partners for the 2017 event, being held on October 10-11 at Benaroya Hall in Seattle.

Don’t miss Tony Ciepiel of Vitamix at the 2017 Smart Kitchen Summit. Check out the full list of speakers and register for the Summit, using code VITAMIX to get 25% off ticket prices.

Vitamix’s Ascent Series Is Focused on Using IoT to Create Memorable Kitchen Experiences

As the premier name in high-performance kitchen blenders, Cleveland-based Vitamix has consistently shown its ability to stay close to and understand its customer base. The company was among the first to use television infomercials to illustrate its benefits. Much of Vitamix’s brand persona is linked to healthy lifestyles as demonstrated in their series of raw, vegan cookbooks.

Working with Vancouver, Wash.,-based Perfect Company, Vitamix is using IoT to strengthening its appeal to millennials and cooks who want to use the latest technology to up their culinary games. The Vitamix Ascent Series, which uses its partner’s wireless technology embedded in its new smart containers, allows the blender to read the container and automatically adjust program settings and maximum blending times. The Ascent Series blenders will not power on if the container isn’t sitting properly on the motor base.

The Ascent Series of blenders comes on the heels of the Vitamix Perfect Blend Smart Scale & Recipe App, its first collaboration with Perfect Company, announced in October 2016. The app allows users to select a recipe and tailor it to fit their needs based on portion size and nutritional needs.  In the new Ascent Series, the lid plug doubles as a measuring cup for additional convenience.

Each model in the Ascent Series includes a 64-ounce smart container with optional attachments that include 20-ounce cup and an 8-ounce bowl, including lids suitable for blending and serving, taking along or storing.

According to Tennant, the partnership between Vitamix and Perfect Company is in its early stages. “We’ve only just begun to imagine the possibilities for our Ascent Series machines and how they will continue to elevate the blending experience,” he says. “Look for new versions of the app in the future that incorporate Ascent Series machines, including our upcoming additional containers through which we can optimize the finished recipe by recognizing the container size and the amount of ingredients to create a custom blend program.”

Aside from their relationship with Vitamix, Perfect Company sells the Perfect Kitchen® PRO Smart Scale and App System, a Bluetooth-connected scale that works with apps for baking, blending and making cocktails.

As smart kitchen ecosystems go, the Vitamix Ascent Series offers a solid experience for cooks using its powerful blenders to make a variety of dishes from soups and smoothies to frozen desserts. As with any IoT-based system, some key questions will determine what level of holistic impact Vitamix will make on the kitchen of the future.

For example, how extensible is wireless connectivity between the blender and its containers? Is the IoT system based on a Bluetooth protocol or an open system that may allow other accessory companies to produce companion products? Are there plans down the road to allow Vitamix to wirelessly connect to other appliances or part of a smart home system? Imagine waking up in the morning and telling your Amazon Echo, “Alexa, make me a smoothie.”

Whatever direction Vitamix goes in, those decisions, the company says, will be based on the feedback it gets from its users. “The home cook will tell us what that invention should be,” adds Tennant. “The product that home cook is looking for may be a network of key tools in the kitchen that sequence the Thanksgiving dinner or the family heirloom cake recipe. We believe the ambitious home cook, young and old, is looking for ways to work smarter, not harder. Connected products have the chance to create those experiences.”