• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Skip to navigation
Close Ad

The Spoon

Daily news and analysis about the food tech revolution

  • Home
  • Podcasts
  • Events
  • Newsletter
  • Connect
    • Custom Events
    • Slack
    • RSS
    • Send us a Tip
  • Advertise
  • Consulting
  • About
The Spoon
  • Home
  • Podcasts
  • Newsletter
  • Events
  • Advertise
  • About

These 3D-Printed Cups Give Energy Drinks a Much-Needed Boost

by Jennifer Marston
December 27, 2017January 3, 2018Filed under:
  • 3D Food Printing
  • Foodtech
  • Future of Drink
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
Smart Cups

Energy drinks always seem to come with a catch. It’s convenient but loaded with sugar. It’s low-calorie but you can’t pronounce anything else on the ingredient label. It’s all-natural, but you have to join some Ponzi scheme to get it.

Smart Cups, a company of self-proclaimed “beverage industry disruptors,” wants to change that.

Smart Cups are single-serving, 3D-polycapsule printed cups that turn into energy drinks when you add water. Microcapsules containing vitamins, minerals and other ingredients are printed onto the surface of the cup; adding the water activates those ingredients. The result is a sugar-free, self-transforming drink that packs as much energy as a 16-ounce high-performance drink from a can.

“This delivery system is a scientific breakthrough that the food and beverage industry has never seen before,” CEO Chris Kanik said in a statement. The proprietary technology is reportedly the first of its kind, though Kanik reckons it will become a standard for “a variety of industries including pharmaceutical, beverage, water purification and beyond.”

Kanik enlisted the help of microcapsule technology expert Sal Celeste, CEO of engineering company The Additive Advantage. Together, the two developed the proprietary technology Smart Cups now uses to deliver its next-gen energy drink.

Trying to disrupt the energy drink concept seems a wisely timed move. Right now, the global energy drink market reached $55 billion in 2017 and is expected to be worth $84.80 billion by 2025. But just a few companies rule the space: Monster, Red Bull, Rockstar, and Pepsi. Most of these companies offer some kind of sugar-free or low-calorie alternative, but SmartCups is the first company to take an entirely new approach to this type of beverage.

Health-wise, it’s not quite as pure as the water you pour in the cup. There are a few additives (e.g., sodium bicarbonate), but the company claims there are “zero calories and no sugar” as one of its “core advantages,” which is a few steps up from, say Red Bull’s 37 grams of sugar per regular can or Rockstar’s 62 grams. Regardless, the “no sugar” sell Smart Cups will probably make it a popular choice amongst energy beverage drinkers.

Right now, SmartCups come in four flavors: Tropical Recess, Nerdy Lemon-T, Pucker Up Brain Boost, and Magna Cum Latte. They can be purchased in packs of 5 or 10 for $11.99 and $17.99, respectively.

The current line of products is targeted at busy consumers who need a quick boost on the go. Kanik says his company plans to expand its line, and is set to deliver coffees and teas, juices and mixers, water purification, and sport drinks in the future. Whether they drastically change the beverage industry remains to be seen. But for those seeking an eco-friendly, sugar-free way to get through the afternoon blues, this seems like a smart choice.


Related

Get the Spoon in your inbox

Just enter your email and we’ll take care of the rest:

Find us on some of these other platforms:

  • Apple Podcasts
  • Spotify
Tagged:
  • energy drinks
  • monster
  • red bull
  • rockstar
  • smart cups

Post navigation

Previous Post Small Wineries See Big Business in Direct-to-Consumer Delivery Services
Next Post Gebni Adds Price Alerts to App, Raises Additional Angel Money

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Get The Spoon in Your Inbox

The Spoon Podcast Network!

Feed your mind! Subscribe to one of our podcasts!

How ReShape is Using AI to Accelerate Biotech Research
How Eva Goulbourne Turned Her ‘Party Trick’ Into a Career Building Sustainable Food Systems
Combustion Acquires Recipe App Crouton
Next-Gen Fridge Startup Tomorrow Shuts Down
From Starday to Shiru to Givaudan, AI Is Now Tablestakes Across the Food Value Chain

Footer

  • About
  • Sponsor the Spoon
  • The Spoon Events
  • Spoon Plus

© 2016–2025 The Spoon. All rights reserved.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.