NATURAL MACHINES IBERIA SL

Their core work

Natural Machines is a Spanish technology company that develops and commercializes 3D food printing appliances, most notably the Foodini — a connected device that uses fresh ingredients to print food in custom shapes and portions. Their work spans hardware engineering, food processing technology, and IoT connectivity, positioning the product for both professional catering environments and home kitchens. They moved from concept validation (2015 feasibility study on efficient cooking systems) to full commercial product development (2018–2020 scale-up of the FoodiniPro appliance), following the classic SME Instrument Phase 1 → Phase 2 trajectory. Their real-world output is a physical product with software and connectivity layers, not research papers.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Their H2020 trajectory is a textbook SME Instrument progression: a 2015 Phase 1 feasibility study focused on sustainable and efficient cooking systems, followed by a 2018–2020 Phase 2 innovation project to bring a fully connected, commercialized 3D food printer to market. The shift is less about changing domain and more about depth — from validating whether the concept works to engineering and scaling the actual product. By the end of their EU-funded period, the focus had moved decisively from food processing research into consumer and professional appliance manufacturing.

Their trajectory points toward commercial product scaling — they have moved past R&D and into market launch, making them a more likely collaboration partner for distribution, foodservice integration, or manufacturing partnerships than for basic research.

How they like to work

Natural Machines always coordinates and never participates in other organizations' projects — both H2020 entries are as sole coordinator under the SME Instrument, which by design does not require consortium partners. This means there is no track record of multi-partner collaboration to assess. They operate as an independent innovator, driving their own agenda rather than joining existing research consortia. Anyone considering them as a partner should expect to engage them as a technology provider or licensee, not as a co-investigator in a joint proposal.

No consortium partners are recorded across either project, which is expected for SME Instrument applications — these are solo fast-track grants, not collaborative consortia. Their EU project network is effectively isolated from external research or industry partners within the H2020 framework.

What sets them apart

Natural Machines occupies a rare niche: a hardware-first food tech SME that has successfully commercialized a 3D food printing appliance and secured nearly €1.9M in EU funding to do so — with no external partners diluting their IP or product vision. Most food technology players in H2020 are universities or research institutes; Natural Machines is a product company building for real kitchens. For a consortium looking to include a proven food-tech hardware SME with a market-ready product and EU validation, they are difficult to replicate.

Highlights from their portfolio

• FOODINIPRO
  The largest SME Instrument Phase 2 grant in their portfolio (€1.84M), funding full commercialization of the FoodiniPro connected 3D food printer — rare for a hardware consumer product in the food sector.
• Efficient Cooking
  The Phase 1 feasibility study that de-risked the concept and directly enabled the FOODINIPRO Phase 2 application, demonstrating a deliberate and successful two-stage EU funding strategy.