Hershey Ventures Into 3D Chocolate

Company teams with up with tech partner to make special printer
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 17, 2014 1:45 PM CST
Hershey Ventures Into 3D Chocolate
Hershey's is getting into the world of 3D chocolate.   (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Imagine what Willy Wonka could do with this: Hershey says it's teaming up with a company called 3D Systems to develop a 3D printer that spits out, yes, chocolate, reports CNN. Essentially, the "ink well" would be filled with chocolate, and the machine would use it to produce candy in traditional or funky shapes. "This means that, provided you have enough raw chocolate on hand, you can finally fulfill your dream of creating a giant chocolate replica of Michelangelo’s David, Rodin’s Thinker and other famous sculptures," writes Brad Reed at BGR. "Or you can just pop out a ton of Hershey’s Kisses and eat them."

It's not clear when the printers might be out or how much they will cost, but don't expect them to be cheap. At the recent Consumer Electronics Show, 3D Systems showed off its candy-printing ChefJet, which will soon be on the market for professional confectioners, reports the Verge. The models are $5,000 and $10,000. The market for 3D printing of all kinds is expected to boom in the coming years, notes the Wall Street Journal, and Hershey's early entry into the candy business could give it an important head start if things take off. (More Hershey stories.)

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