by Flow
byFlow B.V. is a Dutch company that manufactures the OPUS 3D Chocolate Shaper and byFlow Studio+ design platform, enabling professional chocolatiers, patisseries, bakeries, and food R&D teams to automate precision chocolate decoration at up to 550 pieces per hour.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersEindhoven, Netherlands
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What by Flow does
byFlow B.V. is a Dutch private limited company founded on November 19, 2015 and headquartered at High Tech Campus 29 in Eindhoven, Netherlands. The company develops and sells the OPUS 3D Chocolate Shaper, a compact, fully automated extrusion-based 3D food printer specialized in chocolate shaping and decoration, alongside the companion byFlow Studio+ online design platform. The OPUS system is differentiated by a patented built-in automatic tempering mechanism with three temperature zones inside the printhead (basin, pump, and nozzle heating each with ±0.1°C precision), a precision pump capable of 0.01-gram dosing, an integrated mini cooling tunnel, swappable print heads for sub-minute color/material changes, and 700g chocolate cartridge capacity with auto-refill. The OPUS claims up to 550 decorations per hour versus 50-100 for competing 3D food printers, with up to 90% labor cost reduction and a stated 4-6 month payback for users.
byFlow serves professional chocolatiers, patisseries and bakeries, food R&D/innovator teams, and HORECA operators (notably Restaurant Smink, the first high-end Dutch restaurant with 3D-printed menu items, and Cube Restaurant featured on Australian MasterChef). The company reports 250+ customers across 38 countries, 100+ OPUS printers sold as of 2025, and 2 granted patents (US and European). Revenue is generated through three streams: one-time/perpetual hardware sales of the OPUS machine (priced on request, sold direct and via resellers in Switzerland through Nera Technologies AG and France through Savy Goiseau), a monthly subscription to the byFlow Studio+ design platform, and a service/spare-parts revenue line. The company appears bootstrapped — only two very small 2015 funding rounds totaling approximately $33,608 are disclosed — and has been recognized in the Top 20 of the Global FoodTech 500 (2024) and as #1 Innovation at Horecava 2018. Leadership is held by co-founder Nina Hoff (CEO) and the Hoff family, reflecting the company's origins as a family enterprise.
by Flow firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- by Flow
- Legal name
- byFlow B.V.
- Website
- https://3dbyflow.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- byFlow B.V. is a Dutch company that manufactures the OPUS 3D Chocolate Shaper and byFlow Studio+ design platform, enabling professional chocolatiers, patisseries, bakeries, and food R&D teams to automate precision chocolate decoration at up to 550 pieces per hour.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
by Flow industry classification
Industry- Product category
- 3D Food Printing Equipment
- NAICS
- Chocolate and Confectionery Manufacturing (31135), Confectionery Manufacturing from Purchased Chocolate (311352)
- SIC
- Sugar & Confectionery Products (2060), Bakery Products (2050)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Chocolate & Confectionery Patisseries (Bonbons, Truffles, Macarons) (THAFAFAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Cake Shops & Custom Celebration Cakes (THAFAFAC), Chocolate & Confectionery Shops (THAFAGAD), Chocolate & Chocolate Confectionery (CRADABAA)
Keywords
Where by Flow is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Eindhoven
- HQ country
- Netherlands
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
by Flow business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- OPUS 3D Chocolate Shaper Hardware: Sale of the OPUS 3D Chocolate Shaper machine, which includes the main unit, printhead, build plate, cartridges, and starter chocolate callets. The hardware is sold directly and through resellers with pricing provided upon request.
- byFlow Studio+ Software Platform: Online software platform for designing and managing chocolate printing operations. Accessed via plus.byflowstudio.com with online training and support services included.
- Spare Parts and Service: Service, repair, and spare parts supply to maintain equipment in optimal condition and keep operations running smoothly.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | OPUS 3D Chocolate Shaper - Base Unit |
| Subscription | Monthly | byFlow Studio+ Software |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels9 records
by Flow product offering
Product offeringCore offering
byFlow designs, manufactures, and sells the OPUS 3D Chocolate Shaper, a compact, fully automated extrusion-based system that tempers, shapes, and decorates premium chocolate with up to 0.01-gram precision and output of up to 550 decorations per hour. The company complements this hardware with byFlow Studio+, an online subscription design platform that lets users create custom chocolate shapes and send them directly to OPUS for printing. Customers are primarily professional chocolatiers, patisseries, bakeries, food R&D teams, and HORECA businesses across 38 countries.
Product overview
byFlow offers a focused portfolio of two core products plus one legacy offering: the OPUS 3D Chocolate Shaper (the primary flagship product launched in September 2024) is a compact, fully automated system with built-in tempering for precision chocolate decoration and personalization; byFlow Studio+ serves as the companion cloud-based design platform enabling users to create custom text, logos, and artistic designs with vector tools and a design library, which then send to OPUS for printing; the Focus 3D Food Printer was an earlier generation food printing system for the culinary industry, now discontinued in favor of OPUS. The portfolio centers entirely on professional chocolate production applications, with no current active food printing products.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- OPUS: OPUS 3D Chocolate Shaper - world's first compact, fully automated 3D chocolate shaping machine with automatic tempering, touchscreen interface, and swappable print heads.
- byFlow Studio+
Products and services
- OPUS 3D Chocolate Shaper The world's first compact, fully automated 3D Chocolate Shaper with built-in automatic tempering, touchscreen interface, and swappable print heads. OPUS shapes personalized decorations directly with tempered chocolate automatically and accurately, enabling professional chocolatiers, patisseries, bakeries, and HORECA businesses to save time, reduce costs, and increase output without compromising on creativity. The machine supports up to 700g of chocolate callets with auto-refill, integrates a mini cooling tunnel, and uses a precision pump capable of 0.01-gram decoration accuracy. Sold via direct enterprise sales and authorized resellers; pricing available on request.
- byFlow Studio+ Online subscription design platform (accessed via plus.byflowstudio.com) for creating custom chocolate shapes that are sent directly to the OPUS 3D Chocolate Shaper for printing. Features a Design Tool supporting text input (names, messages, fonts), image upload with automatic vector conversion, vector file upload, an extensive design library, and customizable templates for shaping on objects or molds. Online training and support are included.
Quantifiable outcome
- Up to 550 decorations per hour
- +8 more outcomes
Companies that use by Flow
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
by Flow technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature7 records
by Flow partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Savy GoiseaucoreAuthorized reseller and strategic partner for the French market. Partnership announced as 'Shaping the Future of Chocolate in France', positioning Savy Goiseau as a key distribution partner for OPUS in France.
- Nera Technologies AGcoreAuthorized reseller for Switzerland, enabling regional market coverage. Located at Hubstrasse 66, 9500 Wil, Switzerland.
- VDL ApparatenbouwcoreManufacturing and development partnership for equipment and production capabilities.
- VerstegencoreVerstegen became the world's first supplier of fillings for byFlow's 3D Food Printer. Partnership included delivery of food printers with fillings and introduction of 3D Food Print Farm.
- Beko TechniekminorTechnology collaboration confirmed with signatures 3D-printed in Speculoos (biscuit spread), demonstrating OPUS capabilities with various food ingredients.
- HANOSminorCollaborative masterclass partner for food industry events and education, working with byFlow and Jan Smink.
- Jan SminkcoreCelebrity chef and key collaborator on multiple initiatives including Restaurant Smink (first high-end restaurant with 3D-printed food), state visits, and product development. Long-standing partnership since 2015.
- Restaurant SminkminorFirst high-end restaurant in the Netherlands with 3D-printed food on the menu, showcasing OPUS capabilities in high-end culinary applications.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
by Flow competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Choc Edge (ChocEdge): Closest historical direct peer — a UK-based 3D chocolate printer (Cocoa Press / Choc Edge) targeting chocolatiers and patisseries. Builds extrusion-based 3D printers for professional chocolate decoration, directly competing with byFlow's OPUS in the same niche customer segment.
- Natural Machines: Maker of the Foodini, a 3D food printer for professional kitchens and HORECA. Overlaps with byFlow on the '3D food printing for professional chefs/bakeries' value proposition, although Foodini is a multi-ingredient kitchen printer rather than a chocolate-specialized shaper.
Emerging players
- BeeHex: 3D food printing company (originated from NASA's pizza-printing project) focused on food personalization and automation. Comparable to byFlow as an early-stage 3D food printing equipment maker, though BeeHex's commercial focus has been more foodservice/personalized nutrition than chocolate decoration.
- Unifiller Systems: Manufacturer of depositors, injectors, and decorating equipment for bakeries, patisseries, and chocolatiers. Comparable as a specialized mid-market equipment supplier automating hand-finishing tasks in chocolate and bakery — the exact labor problem byFlow's OPUS is designed to solve.
Broad incumbents
- Bühler Group: Swiss global incumbent in industrial chocolate, cocoa, and confectionery processing equipment. Relevant as the dominant installed base of tempering, enrobing, and molding machines serving the same chocolatier/CPG customers byFlow targets, and a likely competitor or acquirer of 3D chocolate shaping technology.
- Sollich: German manufacturer of chocolate processing and confectionery equipment (tempering, enrobing, cooling tunnels). Competes for capex budgets of industrial chocolate producers and patisseries with a broad portfolio versus byFlow's single-function shaping focus.
- Aasted: Danish maker of chocolate molding, tempering, and cooling equipment for industrial confectionery. Comparable as a supplier of premium chocolate production machinery to the same customer base byFlow serves with OPUS.
- Royal Duyvis Wiener: Dutch industrial chocolate and cocoa processing equipment maker (acquired by Bühler). Highly comparable from a customer-base and geography perspective — byFlow is a Dutch niche challenger sitting next to a much larger Dutch chocolate-equipment incumbent.
- Bakon Food Equipment: Dutch manufacturer of industrial bakery and patisserie equipment (depositors, enrobers, decorating machines). Targets the same professional bakery/patisserie buyers as byFlow with broader automated decoration machinery, making it an incumbent competitor for bakery capex.
- 3D Systems: Large 3D printing company that has explored food/chocolate printing applications (including the Choc Edge acquisition). A credible potential acquirer or competitor that could bring 3D chocolate shaping into a much broader industrial 3D printing portfolio.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
by Flow social profiles
Digital presenceby Flow compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
by Flow financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
by Flow leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
by Flow funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
by Flow 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 by Flow
What does by Flow do?
byFlow designs, manufactures, and sells the OPUS 3D Chocolate Shaper, a compact, fully automated extrusion-based system that tempers, shapes, and decorates premium chocolate with up to 0.01-gram precision and output of up to 550 decorations per hour. The company complements this hardware with byFlow Studio+, an online subscription design platform that lets users create custom chocolate shapes and send them directly to OPUS for printing. Customers are primarily professional chocolatiers, patisseries, bakeries, food R&D teams, and HORECA businesses across 38 countries.
Is by Flow a public or private company?
by Flow is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was by Flow founded?
by Flow was founded in 2015. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is by Flow based?
by Flow is headquartered in Eindhoven, Netherlands, in the Europe region.
How does by Flow make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. OPUS 3D Chocolate Shaper Hardware is the primary driver. The others are byFlow Studio+ Software Platform and spare Parts and Service.
Who are by Flow's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Choc Edge (ChocEdge) and Natural Machines. Emerging players are BeeHex and Unifiller Systems. Broad incumbents are Bühler Group, Sollich, Aasted, Royal Duyvis Wiener, Bakon Food Equipment and 3D Systems.
Does by Flow have an API?
No public API is recorded for by Flow.
What industry is by Flow in?
by Flow's product category is 3D Food Printing Equipment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFAFAL, Chocolate & Confectionery Patisseries (Bonbons, Truffles, Macarons), with a secondary code of THAFAFAC, Cake Shops & Custom Celebration Cakes. Its NAICS code is 31135 and its SIC code is 2060.