---
title: This machine can print thousands of beverages
description: The Cana One sounds like the Star Trek replicator, capable of printing thousands of beverages with the touch of a button.
---

[Hustle News ](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/news)

# [This machine can print thousands of beverages](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/news/03152022-cana)

 Written by [Juliet Bennett Rylah](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/news/author/juliet-bennett-rylah) | Mar 15, 2022 7:20:22 AM

Martini. *Printed*, not stirred.

Bay Area startup [Cana](https://help.cana.com/hc/en-us) raised [$30m](https://techcrunch.com/2022/01/21/cana-technology-raises-glass-to-new-capital-as-it-readies-beverage-printer-for-market/) in January to bring its “molecular beverage printer,” the Cana One, to life.

It’s a countertop device that can make thousands of drinks, including coffee and cocktails, using an ingredient cartridge.

#### **Here’s how it works:**

Every beverage, no matter if it’s a seltzer or a fine wine, is mostly water.

And just ~1% contains the compounds that give it its unique flavor, aroma, and mouthfeel, Cana CEO Matt Mahar told *The Hustle*. For example, [tartaric acid](https://www.randoxfood.com/why-is-testing-for-tartaric-acid-important-in-wine-making/) is key in winemaking, while [quinic acid](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinic_acid) gives coffee its acidity.

But while a glass of wine might contain ~400+ unique compounds, we humans can only register ~30-50.

Cana identified ~150 ingredients that comprise those compounds and concentrated them into a cartridge.

#### **When users choose a drink…**

… the cartridge dispenses ingredients in ~30 seconds and mixes them with water.

Also inside the Cana One are a CO2 cylinder for carbonated drinks and 2 additional cartridges: one with liquid sugar, and another with neutral grain alcohol. Users can customize drinks’ sweetness and potency.

#### **The goal is to reduce waste**

The soft drink industry alone is [estimated](https://oceana.org/press-releases/oceana-report-soft-drink-industry-can-stop-billions-plastic-bottles/) to produce and sell 20B-34B plastic bottles per year.

Cana’s cartridges last about a month (or ~200 drinks). New ones auto-ship when customers run low, while old ones are recycled.

Consumer cost* is* significantly more upfront. Machines are $799 (or $499 for the 1st 10k orders). Cartridges are free, but an app tracks and charges per drink — ~$0.29 for a seltzer to $2.99 for a cocktail.

Yet costs are typically 25%-50% cheaper than stores — not to mention bars, cafes, and restaurants — so big-time LaCroix guzzlers and party hosts would break even sooner than later.

#### **But… is it tasty?**

Apparently! A *CNET *writer [found](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bbiMZHMarQ) samples to be “quite good, if different,” while *TechCrunch* said samples had bold flavors with smooth finishes.

And now, here’s a [supercut](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaAT6-dY1QI) of how we imagine Cpt. Jean-Luc Picard would use the Cana One.

[View full post](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/news/03152022-cana)

```json
{
  "@context" : "http://schema.org",
  "@type" : "BlogPosting",
  "author" : {
    "@type" : "Person",
    "name" : "Juliet Bennett Rylah"
  },
  "dateModified" : "2023-10-11T20:13:15.534Z",
  "datePublished" : "2022-03-15T07:20:22Z",
  "headline" : "This machine can print thousands of beverages",
  "image" : {
    "@type" : "ImageObject",
    "height" : 683,
    "url" : "https://7355427.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/7355427/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1327341738-News-Brief_2022-03-15T001126.736Z-1024x683.webp",
    "width" : 1024
  },
  "mainEntityOfPage" : "https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/news/03152022-cana",
  "publisher" : {
    "@type" : "Organization",
    "logo" : {
      "@type" : "ImageObject",
      "height" : 60,
      "url" : "/hs/hsstatic/content_shared_assets/static-1.4092/img/default-amp-logo.png",
      "width" : 60
    },
    "name" : "Hustle News"
  }
}
```