Endgame for Currant 3D and Sugar Lab because the Pioneers of 3D Printed Candy Treats – 3DPrint.com

From powdered sugar to gravity-defying creations, the 3D printing of candy treats was pushed additional than ever by culinary manufacturers Currant 3D and Sugar Lab. Co-founded by Kyle von Hasseln and Meagan Bozeman, these firms got down to revolutionize meals via 3D printing. Nonetheless, the corporate introduced it was closing on January 22, 2025. This closure displays a broader development over the previous 12 months, with many 3D printing companies shutting their doorways amid difficult market circumstances.

The Beginnings

The story started in 2012 when von Hasseln, then an structure graduate scholar, developed a technique for 3D printing intricate sugar sculptures. This innovation caught the eye of 3D Programs, a pacesetter in 3D printing expertise, which acquired Sugar Lab in 2013 and appointed von Hasseln as Director of Expertise. Sugar Lab turned a pioneer in 3D printed confections, leveraging powdered sugar and water to create superbly edible designs.

Throughout his time at 3D Programs, von Hasseln met Bozeman, a mechanical engineer with over a decade of expertise at Xerox. Collectively, they refined culinary 3D printing expertise and envisioned a future the place 3D printed meals wouldn’t solely look nice but additionally remodel industries.

Whereas at 3D Programs, von Hasseln and Bozeman performed key roles in creating the Currant 3D Printer, a cutting-edge gadget designed for high-speed, full-color 3D meals printing. Then, in 2019, von Hasseln and Bozeman left 3D Programs to launch Currant 3D, an organization targeted on scalable 3D meals manufacturing.

Currant 3D food-printing expertise.

By Might 2022, they’d reacquired the Currant 3D printer expertise they’d developed, bringing it below their very own umbrella and paving the best way for formidable development. This acquisition, made doable by $5 million in funding that valued the corporate at $16 million, included the mental property and patents associated to the printer. With full management over the expertise, Currant 3D aimed to additional develop and scale their revolutionary options.

Currant 3D mixed {hardware} and companies. Their flagship product, the Currant 3D Printer, helped culinary professionals produce two customized objects per minute with exact coloration and element. The corporate additionally operated a business kitchen to satisfy large-scale orders, providing flexibility and effectivity for occasions, retail, and advertising and marketing activations.

Sugar Lab, now working as a model below Currant 3D, turned a “digital bakery,” delivering gorgeous, personalized confections to prospects worldwide. Collectively, the 2 manufacturers needed to make 3D printed meals accessible and scalable, partnering with main manufacturers like Apple, Amazon, Netflix, and Google. They usually built-in model logos, themes, and imagery into bespoke edible creations, bridging the hole between high-tech innovation and culinary artistry.

Customized marriage ceremony cake 3D printed sugar figurine toppers, designed to resemble the bride and groom.

A Exhausting-Fought Battle

Regardless of their improvements and high-profile partnerships, Currant 3D and Sugar Lab confronted an uphill battle. Financial headwinds in 2024 (a 12 months marked by quite a few firm closures within the tech sector) worsened their challenges. Rising operational prices, restricted scalability in a distinct segment market, and the necessity for continued funding proved inconceivable.

In January 2025, Bozeman introduced the closure of the enterprise. In a heartfelt LinkedIn publish, Bozeman wrote: “Nicely, that’s a wrap. For anybody who is aware of me, a basketball analogy is so as. It was a nail biter of a sport. Generally we had been up, generally we had been down. We fought again tooth and nail to pressure double and triple extra time. Sadly, the final shot circled the rim earlier than rolling out on the buzzer. We gave it our greatest shot. My largest remorse just isn’t bringing dwelling the trophy for our buyers and workers. This sport modified me. I’m headed to the locker room, a special participant than I used to be at tip-off. A bit battered for certain. However stronger, wiser; extra expert, extra decided; prepared for the following season. And sure, this implies I’m now a free agent.”

3D printed sugar Holly Jolly Glitter Skulls.

Breaking Down the Finish

The closure of Currant 3D and Sugar Lab might be a mixture of challenges relatively than one single difficulty. Their concepts had been undeniably inventive and revolutionary, however the marketplace for 3D printed meals should still be discovering its ground. Was the expertise forward of its time, or was it just too area of interest to maintain a enterprise on a bigger scale?

Prices might even have performed a job. In any case, operating a business kitchen with 3D printers and making intricate, personalized designs may need been costly, making it exhausting to maintain costs reasonably priced for most individuals. Did the prices put prospects off, or did they only not see a necessity for these merchandise day by day?

One other issue may be timing. That they had to purchase again their expertise from 3D Programs in 2022, which could have slowed them down in constructing a strong spot within the meals market earlier. May this delay have affected their progress in getting observed and funded in a busy startup market?

The financial challenges of 2024 can also’t be ignored. Many startups, not simply in 3D printing, struggled with rising prices, tighter funding, and altering priorities amongst companies and customers.

3D printed glitter drops within the type of helmets shipped to the Kennedy Area Heart for a SpaceX occasion.

Finally, Currant 3D and Sugar Lab made their mark by pushing culinary boundaries. Alongside the best way, they crafted distinctive creations like its lime-flavored Holly Jolly Glitter Skulls to adorn cocktails, the Koreatown Assortment in collaboration with nonprofit GYOPO to focus on the work of diasporic Korean artists, and customized marriage ceremony cake toppers designed to resemble the bride and groom. Additionally they produced distinctive tasks comparable to 3D printed glitter drops within the type of SpaceX helmets and Dragon capsules, shipped by the lots of to the Kennedy Area Heart for a SpaceX occasion, and a 3D printed honeycomb for Las Vegas restaurant Partage, which was crammed with a medley of honey goat cheese, apple, ginger, and lemon.

Las Vegas restaurant Partage’s 3D printed honeycomb printed by the SugarLab PRO crew is crammed with honey goat cheese, granny smith apple, ginger and lemon condiment. Picture courtesy of Partage.

All through the years, they’ve demonstrated the potential of 3D printing in meals by combining expertise, design, and artistry. Whether or not the market merely wasn’t prepared for 3D printed treats or whether or not different elements performed a job, their story raises vital questions on innovation, timing, and success in area of interest markets.

All pictures courtesy of Currant 3D and Sugar Lab.