Natural Machines
Natural Machines is a Barcelona-based deep-tech company that designs, manufactures, and sells the Foodini 3D food printer, a precision IoT-connected kitchen appliance that extrudes fresh ingredients into custom shapes. It serves professional kitchens, food manufacturers, healthcare, and education customers, and is extending its platform into pharmaceuticals and skincare.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersBarcelona, Spain
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Natural Machines does
Natural Machines is a Barcelona-headquartered, privately held deep-tech company founded in November 2012 by Emilio Sepulveda (CEO) and Lynette Kucsma (CMO). It designs, manufactures, and sells the Foodini, a precision 3D food printing kitchen appliance that extrudes fresh, user-supplied real-food ingredients into 2D and 3D shapes using up to five stainless steel auto-exchanging capsules, interchangeable nozzles, and integrated capsule heating. The device is paired with Foodini Creator (pre-installed design software accessible via an onboard touchscreen or remotely from a tablet/laptop) and Foodini World (a proprietary WiFi/IoT cloud platform for recipes, settings, backups, and OTA updates). The company's core go-to-market is a hybrid model combining direct e-commerce (US, EU/EEA, China), five country-specific Authorized Dealers (Australia, Brazil, China, Korea, Japan), and the 2024-launched Advantage Program, a subscription service that bundles warranty, repairs, hardware upgrades, and end-of-use take-back/refurbish/recycle. Revenue also accrues from accessories and from co-development partnerships extending the platform into pharmaceuticals (Curifylabs) and personalized skincare (BASF). Natural Machines serves professional kitchens (HORECA), food manufacturers and contract caterers (Nestlé, Elior Group, Compass Group, Whitsons, Vorwerk), hospitals and elderly-care providers (University of Utah Hospitals and Clinics, DomusVi), culinary and STEM/R&D institutions, and a longer-tail of individual consumers in 90+ countries. It is co-listed with 3D Systems and Barilla as one of three major companies driving commercial-kitchen 3D food printing adoption, has accumulated 40+ awards, and has been featured in BBC, Bloomberg, CNN, Forbes, NYT, and WSJ. Funding to date totals roughly $5.65 million across disclosed rounds and grants, with a headcount of 11-50 employees.
Natural Machines firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Natural Machines
- Legal name
- 2 Vegan Natural Machines S.L.
- Website
- https://naturalmachines.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Natural Machines is a Barcelona-based deep-tech company that designs, manufactures, and sells the Foodini 3D food printer, a precision IoT-connected kitchen appliance that extrudes fresh ingredients into custom shapes. It serves professional kitchens, food manufacturers, healthcare, and education customers, and is extending its platform into pharmaceuticals and skincare.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Natural Machines industry classification
Industry- Product category
- 3D Food Printing Equipment / Commercial Kitchen Appliances
- NAICS
- Food Product Machinery Manufacturing (333241)
- SIC
- Food And Kindred Products (2000)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Electronics/Additive Electronics Printers (Printed Circuit & Functional Materials) (IMAAAAAH)
Keywords
Where Natural Machines is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Barcelona
- HQ country
- Spain
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices4 records
Markets served
Natural Machines business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Foodini hardware sales: One-time purchase of the Foodini 3D food printer (inclusive of one accessory box) shipped from the company's own e-commerce site, currently listed as 'Sold out' in favor of the subscription model. Hardware includes integrated Foodini Creator software with free OTA updates.
- Advantage Program subscription: Subscription service (no hardware purchase required; Natural Machines retains ownership) with monthly or annual plans of varying lengths. Includes lifetime warranty for the subscription period, normal wear-and-tear coverage, repairs, hardware upgrades, accessory bundles, end-of-use take-back/refurbish/recycle, and a one-time refundable deposit.
- Authorized dealer/distributor sales: Sales through a network of country-specific Authorized Dealers (3D APAC in Australia, 3D Foods in Brazil, Tableway in China, LSB in Korea, Innova Global in Japan) who resell Foodini and accessories.
- Vertical/co-development licensing (pharma & skincare): Co-development partnerships adapting the Foodini platform to adjacent verticals: with Curifylabs for personalized pharmaceutical drug treatments and with BASF for customized personal-care face masks.
- Paid support and additional service packages: Beyond the included online support, Natural Machines sells additional support packages to Advantage Program customers; standard subscription also covers preventive maintenance and 24/48-hour breakdown response depending on the plan tier.
- Additional accessories and add-ons: Accessories can be ordered separately from the Foodini purchase and are also available on subscription add-on basis, with separate shipping charges.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Foodini one-time purchase (inclusive of accessory box) — currently sold out on the site |
| Subscription | Monthly | Advantage Program — monthly subscription with no hardware purchase |
| Subscription | Annual | Advantage Program — annual subscription plans |
Go-to-market motion5 records
Distribution channels7 records
Marketing channels7 records
Natural Machines product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Natural Machines designs, manufactures, and sells the Foodini, a precision 3D food printer kitchen appliance that prints real, fresh, user-prepared food into 2D/3D shapes via a 5-capsule automatic-exchange system. The product is sold either as a one-time hardware purchase or via the recurring Advantage Program subscription (US, EU, China), and is bundled with the Foodini Creator design software and the Foodini World cloud/IoT platform. The same extrusion platform has been adapted into pharmaceutical personalized treatments (with Curifylabs) and customized personal-care face masks (with BASF).
Product overview
Natural Machines offers a single integrated product ecosystem built around the Foodini 3D food printer, rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core product is the Foodini kitchen appliance, which is sold bundled with the Foodini Creator design software and connected to Foodini World, Natural Machines' proprietary cloud/IoT platform for storing recipes, sharing designs, and delivering software updates. Customers can either buy Foodini outright or subscribe via the Advantage Program subscription service, which replaces hardware ownership with a managed, upgradable, and end-of-use recyclable service. An Accessory Box with the required printing accessories is included with every Foodini unit. Beyond the core food-printing offering, Natural Machines has extended the underlying platform into pharmaceuticals (via CurifyLabs) and personalized skin care (via BASF).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Foodini: Foodini is Natural Machines' flagship product: a 3D food printer kitchen appliance (smart kitchen appliance / IoT device) that prints real food from fresh ingredients via stainless steel refillable capsules. Includes the Foodini Creator companion software/application and the Foodini World cloud platform for recipes and designs.
Products and services
- Foodini 3D Food Printer A precision 3D food printer kitchen appliance that prints real food from fresh, user-prepared ingredients into precise 2D and 3D shapes. It supports up to 5 reusable food-grade stainless steel capsules that auto-exchange during printing, multiple nozzle sizes for different textures, an onboard touchscreen, and WiFi/IoT connectivity for remote design and OTA updates. Sold to professional kitchens, restaurants, food manufacturers, healthcare, education, and R&D customers.
- Foodini Creator Software Design and print software pre-loaded on Foodini for creating, editing, saving, and printing 3D food designs. Includes preset shape libraries and a recipe editor, and supports JPEG and STL file uploads. Operable directly on Foodini's touchscreen or remotely from a tablet or laptop over WiFi.
- Foodini World Cloud Platform Natural Machines' proprietary cloud/IoT platform that backs up Foodini settings, features, recipes, images and documents, distributes OTA software updates and new functionality, and enables Foodini users to share recipes, designs, and creations. Accessible only through Foodini hardware.
- Foodini Advantage Program (Subscription Service) A subscription-based offering that lets professional and home customers use Foodini without purchasing the hardware outright. Natural Machines retains ownership; the subscription includes a lifetime warranty, hardware upgrades, covered repairs, monthly preventive maintenance, and end-of-use take-back for reuse/refurbish/recycle. Available to customers in the United States, European Union, and China.
- Foodini Accessory Box A bundle of accessories included with every Foodini purchase that provides everything needed to start 3D food printing. Additional accessories and add-ons can be ordered separately from the Natural Machines store.
Quantifiable outcome
- 40+ awards and recognitions accumulated over ~13 years since founding.
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Natural Machines
Customer profileNamed customers28 records
Segments8 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Natural Machines technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature8 records
Natural Machines partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
16 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship cross-vertical partnership, core ecosystem membership, project-level partner, country channel partner and capital-markets preparation program.
- Curifylabsflagship cross-vertical partnershipJoint partnership to deliver a platform for producing personalized drug treatments via 3D printing, extending the Foodini technology platform into pharmaceuticals. The co-announcement is hosted on Natural Machines' insights page (curifylabs-and-natural-machines-partner-to-deliver-a-platform-for-producing-personalized-drug-treatments).
- BASFflagship cross-vertical partnershipJoint partnership to deliver solutions for customized personal care face masks using the Foodini 3D printing platform (basf-and-natural-machines-partner-to-deliver-solutions-for-customized-personal-care-face-masks). Adapts the same Foodini extrusion technology to skincare.
- EIT Foodcore ecosystem membershipNatural Machines is a member of the EIT Food RisingFoodStars Association; in the first cohort since 2016. EIT Food is Europe's leading food innovation initiative, working for a more sustainable, healthy, and trusted food system. Funds several Natural Machines consortium projects.
- AZTIproject-level partnerProject partner on the EIT Food ONCOFOOD project — 'innovative and novel food solutions for cancer patients, taking into account nutritional requirements and sensory changes.' Spanish marine and food research centre.
- Matís (Iceland)project-level partnerJoint 'Future Fish' project with the Iceland-based Matís food research institute, focused on developing new and innovative seafood-based foods using 3D food printing, and promoting seafood sustainability and lowering food waste.
- Fundació Althaiaproject-level partnerPartner on the NutriAlth3D project — creating personalized and balanced diets for the elderly in dependency environments, selected via CIMTI 2019 challenge.
- RISE Research Institutes of Swedenproject-level partnerCo-development partner on the GoIndependent project — innovative solutions for elder independence: energy- and nutrient-rich foods that are juicy, easy to chew, and safe to swallow.
- Fujita Health University (Japan)
- Universidade de Lisboaproject-level partnerListed as a research/partner organization working with Natural Machines on EU consortium activities.
- 3D APACcountry channel partnerAuthorized Dealer servicing Australia; resells Foodini 3D food printers and accessories (3dapac.com).
- 3D FOODScountry channel partnerAuthorized Dealer servicing Brazil; resells Foodini 3D food printers and accessories (3dfoods.com.br).
- Tablewaycountry channel partnerAuthorized Dealer servicing China; resells Foodini 3D food printers and accessories (tableway.com).
- LSBcountry channel partnerAuthorized Dealer servicing Korea; resells Foodini 3D food printers and accessories (3dprinterda.com).
- INNOVA GLOBALcountry channel partnerAuthorized Dealer servicing Japan; resells Foodini 3D food printers and accessories (innova-global.com).
- ACCIÓ (Catalonia Trade & Investment)
- Euronext TechSharecapital-markets preparation programEuronext's pre-IPO program for European tech companies preparing to access capital markets as their next growth phase. Participation supports Natural Machines' fundraising readiness.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Natural Machines competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Barilla: Italian pasta major Barilla is named alongside Natural Machines and 3D Systems as a driver of commercial-kitchen 3D food printing adoption. Comparable as a CPG-scale food manufacturer exploring 3D food printing, with vastly greater distribution and category influence, but not a hardware competitor per se.
- 3D Systems: Public 3D Systems (NYSE: DDD) is the most-cited incumbent in 3D food printing alongside Natural Machines, with broader industrial 3D printing IP, manufacturing scale, and an established sales channel. Comparable as a direct competitor in commercial-kitchen 3D food printers but operating at vastly greater scale and across many non-food verticals.
- Vorwerk (Thermomix): German Vorwerk's Thermomix is a connected smart-kitchen appliance and existing customer of Foodini. Comparable as an established IoT-connected kitchen appliance incumbent that competes for the same home/professional kitchen real estate, and could in principle build or acquire competing 3D food printing capability.
Direct peers
- BeeHex: BeeHex (formerly 3D Systems ChefJet spinoff) develops 3D food printers targeting bakeries, foodservice, and personalized nutrition. Closely comparable to Foodini as a 3D food printing hardware specialist serving the same HORECA and personalized-food use cases, though BeeHex is more focused on pizza/dough formats.
- byFlow: Dutch maker of the Focus 3D food printer, one of the longest-running direct competitors to Foodini. Targets professional chefs, restaurants, and food R&D with extrusion-based 3D food printing — same product category, similar customer base, and similar go-to-market.
- Choc Edge: UK-based Choc Edge (University of Exeter spinout) makes 3D printers specialized for chocolate and confectionery, used in hospitality and bakeries. Comparable as a 3D food printing hardware company serving HORECA, but with a narrower ingredient scope than Foodini's multi-capsule system.
- Biozoon: German Biozoon produces 3D food printing systems and pureed-food texturization solutions for elderly care and dysphagia. Directly comparable to Foodini's healthcare/aged-care use case (DomusVi, University of Utah), though Biozoon is more focused on the medical/elderly-nutrition segment.
Emerging players
- Redefine Meat: Israeli Redefine Meat uses 3D printing to produce plant-based whole-cut meat analogs for foodservice. Comparable as a 3D food printing company serving HORECA and contract caterers with personalized, premium plant-based products, with a different technology base (inkjet-style deposition) but a similar end-market.
- Dovetailed: UK-based Dovetailed commercializes 3D food printing for culinary applications and molecular gastronomy. Comparable as an emerging player in 3D-printed food for premium dining experiences, overlapping with Foodini's chef/fine-dining use case but at a smaller scale.
- Modern Meadow: US-based Modern Meadow applies additive manufacturing/bioprinting to food and materials. Comparable as a 3D-printing-meets-food-tech company, with overlapping R&D themes around customization and bio-based materials, though Modern Meadow is more protein/material focused than finished-dish printing.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Natural Machines social profiles
Digital presenceNatural Machines compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Natural Machines financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Natural Machines leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Natural Machines subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
Natural Machines funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds5 records
Investors4 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Natural Machines M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Natural Machines
What does Natural Machines do?
Natural Machines designs, manufactures, and sells the Foodini, a precision 3D food printer kitchen appliance that prints real, fresh, user-prepared food into 2D/3D shapes via a 5-capsule automatic-exchange system. The product is sold either as a one-time hardware purchase or via the recurring Advantage Program subscription (US, EU, China), and is bundled with the Foodini Creator design software and the Foodini World cloud/IoT platform. The same extrusion platform has been adapted into pharmaceutical personalized treatments (with Curifylabs) and customized personal-care face masks (with BASF).
Is Natural Machines a public or private company?
Natural Machines is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Natural Machines founded?
Natural Machines was founded in 2012. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Natural Machines based?
Natural Machines is headquartered in Barcelona, Spain, in the Europe region.
How does Natural Machines make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Foodini hardware sales are the primary driver. The others are advantage Program subscription, authorized dealer/distributor sales, vertical/co-development licensing (pharma & skincare), paid support and additional service packages and additional accessories and add-ons.
Who are Natural Machines's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Barilla, 3D Systems and Vorwerk (Thermomix). Direct peers are BeeHex, byFlow, Choc Edge and Biozoon. Emerging players are Redefine Meat, Dovetailed and Modern Meadow.
Does Natural Machines have an API?
No public API is recorded for Natural Machines.
What industry is Natural Machines in?
Natural Machines's product category is 3D Food Printing Equipment / Commercial Kitchen Appliances. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAAAAAH, Electronics/Additive Electronics Printers (Printed Circuit & Functional Materials). Its NAICS code is 333241 and its SIC code is 2000.