Nourished Printed Vitamins: The Most Useful 3D Printing Achievement (So Far)
While the whole world is writing with admiration, ecstasy or sarcasm about the possibilities of food 3D printers, we decided to talk about a British startup that has no questions in terms of quality, usefulness and even price. True, he prints not food, but vitamins.
Meet Nourished, the world's first vegan-printed bespoke vitamin supplement.
To whom they owe
Nourished founder Melissa Snover is a London-based, golden-haired American with radiant eyes, a beaming smile, and a mother of three. And a real monster in the promotion of food technology and 3D printing, a visionary and trendsetter. And a femtech star, of course.
In 2010, she offered the first vegan, natural and hypoallergenic fruit sweets Goody Good Stuff. After selling the brand and hard research, she patented a 3D vegan printer that creates personalized sweets, and the Magic Candy Factory was born. “After two years, we had over 100 printers located in 35 locations around the world – the customer could go to the site and create their own candies right in front of them!" Anything from selfies and logos to 3D messages and stick figures in just 5 minutes.
Today, Mrs. Snover is the founder and CEO of the Rem3dy Group, a premier developer of customized nutrition and medical solutions, with brands Nourished and Scripted. Scripted at the "delivery" stage, clinical trials in hospitals have been successfully completed, and this will be the first personalized medical dispensary with 3D printed solutions. And Nourished became mega-popular in 18 months.
Vitamins are Champions
Prior to founding Nourished, Melissa drank vitamins 7 times a day (which is not surprising in her busy life). I prepared mixtures on my own from those available on the market, tracking my regimen and the needs of the body. It is logical that the next and more serious product for printing on a vegan printer was vitamins. With a personal touch, of course.
In an interview with https://wearetechwomen.com, Snover explained:
“Nourished was born out of the need to solve a huge problem: why in 2020 are our clothes more personalized than our medicines and nutrition? After the success of Magic Candy Factory, I just had to develop the theme of personalization. And for something more serious.
By subscribing to Nourished, a person must answer important questions: about allergies, the use of glasses or contact lenses, the consumption of processed foods, exercise, sleep habits … body for normal health and the fight against diseases and conditions. The collection is being 3D printed to create a sugar-free vegan gum in seven layers. These daily portions are packaged in boxes and sent to customers with a three-month supply.
Interestingly, Nourished is cheaper than regular vitamins, but works better!
An independent review based on 459 reviews gave the brand a 4.5 out of five FEETO score. And the Gold Trusted Service Awards, the highest rated vitamin company in the UK.
And in March, for example, more than 15,000 sets were sold.
What's in the composition?
Among the nutritional supplements may be long-time industry favorites: vitamin C, zinc or folic acid. And herbal superfoods like ginseng or ginger extract. And lesser-known supplements like cordyceps mushroom or the patented scutell'up, an extract of the Scutellaria plant from the mint family, known for its ability to improve mood. There are 30 components in total.
Vitamins can be sweet or sour, but they do not contain sugar, erythritol is used instead. The taste will differ depending on the ingredients, seven out of 30 possible. Some nutrients are tasteless and odorless; others, like resveratrol, are harsh and masked by citrus flavors.
The 3D printing is done at Nourished's factory in Birmingham, England. Seven selected nutrients are placed in seven vegan 3D printer cartridges made from pectin, fiber and fruit thickener and extruded into hexagonal layers. A 10.5 gram chewing gum is formed with seven evenly stacked layers. Why 7? As mentioned, Melissa took seven vitamins a day. And surveys have shown that the British take an average of five to eight vitamins a day. The lucky number brought the company success and victory: a well-deserved one.
Snover acknowledges that not everything is perfect. But, unlike vitamins that are produced in bulk and in advance (and without individual questionnaires), her "made-to-order" vitamins with nutritional supplements retain their effectiveness by delivering immediately after production, and address more specific consumer needs.
What's next?
More recently, the Nourished Kids program has appeared with vitamins for children and an online quiz, among the questions of which are the tendency to whims and the amount of screen time. At the end of the year, the brand promises customizable 3D printed protein bars. New ingredients will be added to 30 ingredients. Snover is sure: an abundance of choice is necessary. Most subscribers switch vitamins seasonally, she says, “because people don't need the same nutrients all the time—life changes with the seasons and events.”