2023-05-15 04:00:00
A Montreal company is preparing to market a machine it invented to freeze food and liquids in seconds, without using electricity. A patented technology that its inventor sees as the “microwave of cold”.
The Ufrost machine, created by Julien Michalk, holder of a bachelor’s degree in engineering, can freeze small portions of food or liquids, including strong alcohols.
Since 2017, his flying team has been using the machine in event contexts.
Starting next June, an improved version, whose operation is accessible to all, will be marketed.
“We are starting by targeting the professional restaurant and bar market, and one day everyone will have access to this technology. It is a tool of creation, generator of value. There is a real ‘wow’ effect when customers see the machine in action”, explains Julien Michalk, owner of Ether Innovations.
Many uses
The operation of the Ufrost machine, sold for $4000, or rented for $250 per month, is simple. Simply place the food or drink in the round or square compartments of an ice cube mold. The lid of the machine closes, and in a few seconds, the portions of food, juice, or alcohol, are ready to be used.
“It allows us to make evolving cocktails, by integrating a portion of alcohol of another color into a cocktail, which will slowly dissolve, or even to create ice cubes of wine that we will put in our glass of wine, which which avoids adding water. It can be used for several purposes. Someone who grows tomatoes might freeze their tomatoes, for example,” suggests Julien Michalk.
-100° in less than a minute
Compared to traditional freezing, where the food must reach -30 to -50 degrees in 20 minutes, the Ufrost machine makes it possible to reach -100 degrees in less than a minute, thanks to the use of CO2, explains the 32 year old entrepreneur.
“You can use it anywhere, since it doesn’t require electricity. That’s why it’s very practical in an event context. All you have to do is refill your CO2 canister and it’s ready to use. »
Seeking investors who would like to become shareholders, Ether Innovations, whose average age of employees is 25, has patents to distribute the Ufrost machine in Canada, the United States, France, Germany and the United States. United Kingdom.
The idea for this technological innovation came to him one Saturday evening in January, when no customer had shown up at the establishment he operated in Montreal. Julien Michalk told himself that the cold wouldn’t stop him, and that he was going to find a way to create vodka “popsicles” to attract customers. Ten years of research and development later, the young entrepreneur has won his bet.
Ether Innovations
- Founding date : 2016
- Number of employees : 30 people
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