Decentralized Manufacturing Of Beverages?

Decentralization is something that we discuss regularly in the cryptocurrency world. This makes sense since we are seeking to break down the existing centralized financial system into one, we perceive, will be more equitable to all involved.

It is important to note, however, that we do not have a monopoly on this concept. A lot of what took place over the last 50 or 60 years was basically a glorified push towards centralization. This is something we call globalization.

Basically, this took over the production of the goods we utilize. The idea was to seek out the lowest cost of labor and then mass produce items in gigantic centralized plants. For those companies that operated all over the planet, it was possible that a few plants were set up. Nevertheless, we were looking at a centralized structure.

Of course, this means having to transport these goods long distances. An entire supply chain network was erected, with raw materials being moved to these centralized locations with finished products being carted all over the planet. Through the use of freighter, rail, and trucking, enormous volumes were shipped to distant lands.

Just writing this shows how burdensome all of this is.

It makes one wonder if there is a better way.

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Decentralizing Beverages

The existing system obviously favors the large companies that are able to keep up operations on this level. It naturally creates a barrier to entry that prevents newer players from entering.

It is a practice we see in most industries. Tesla is the first new automobile manufacturer in the last 100 years to produce over 500K automobiles. This is a capital intensive industry along with being dependent upon efficiencies of production. Both are difficult for newcomers.

The beverage industry is no different. Sure, newer players can enter and become local operators. We see a lot of microbrewers in the beer industry as an example. However, few are able to scale up to the level of the big entities.

What if there was a way around? To achieve that, it likely would have to be someone who seeks to completely upend the industry.

Let us keep an eye on Cana.

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Here is an idea that we do not know much about. However, it is one of those concepts that could have major impact. While this company might not be the one to completely change the industry, it could be part of the foundation that helps to transform it.

In going through the Cana website, it is hard to determine where they stand. This is what we see:

With over four years of scientific research, our team has created a universal beverage ingredient set. These are ONLY the essential 5% of beverage ingredients that we need to give any beverage its taste, aroma, and mouth feel. We can now create great tasting beverages from cocktails to wine, to coffee, and your favorite sparkling seltzer all from a single set of beverage ingredients. We combine our beverage ingredients with the tap water in your home to reduce water waste, reduce plastic bottle and packaging waste, and CO2 emissions from shipping water from point A to point B.

It seems this company believes it has found a way to decentralize the manufacturing process while eliminating the new for the growing of crops and other ingredients for these beverages. Without much information, it is hard to know how it works yet the idea is of interest.

This is from a Medium article that was posted. It provides a lot more details about the vision and what was accomplished so far (worth a read):

The great news for consumers: Decentralized manufacturing doesn’t require any compromises. In fact, it will upgrade our quality of life — having a beverage printer in every home will eliminate the need for mundane errands to pick up and transport beverages, free up space in refrigerators and cupboards, and save money. A molecular beverage printer in every home would create infinite options for personalized products — low-sugar, low-alcohol, vitamin-boosted, and custom flavor options — across all traditional beverage categories. A molecular beverage printer would unleash entirely new beverage categories and establish a platform to enable creators to build digital-only beverage brands.

Here we see an idea that is long discussed. At some point, it is believed, we are going to have devices in our homes that will "print" out products we require. Certainly, all of this is a light years from the Replicator on Star Trek. However, the goal is to move in that direction.

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Localized Production

Over the next couple decades, we are going to see a shift away from the globalized supply chain to more localized production. Automation is helping us along with path since industry always seeks out the lowest cost of labor. When we couple this with a savings in transportation, it is easy to see how regionalized manufacturing is going to become the norm.

During time, we can expect this to push closer to our homes. The last mile could be solved by simply transitioning the production of goods into the home.

The era of decentralization is upon us. It is starting to penetrate every industry. Manufacturing is going to look completely different in two decades. Certainly there will be some things that have to be made in a similar fashion such as cars and planes. However, a lot of what we consume is going to undergo a massive shift.

It is no different than what happened with information. There was a time when the production of information was highly centralized, done on printing presses. This is where the economies of scale kicked in. Of course, it was a time when we lived in an analog world. Once digitization entered, it was only a matter of time before it became just as cheap to reproduce the information in-house. Ultimately, most homes has a printer in them.

Why does anyone think it will not happen in other areas? We are seeing digitization enter many different realms. For that reason, it only stands to reason that the shift from atoms-to-bits will keep expanding.

Could there be a day when you manufacture your favorite beverage at home. If Cana has anything to say about it, you will.


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I checked out the Cana website, and I like the idea that it reduces waste, because you can produce the product at home. Just look at all the plastic bottles and empty cans in landfills!

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That looks like that goal. I am not sure how they are going about it other than what was mentioned in the Medium article and on the website. I didnt see any product they are selling.

I guess it is still in development and going to take a while longer. This might not be the solution but it does show where research is going.

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That beverage company sounds really interesting, I’ll have to check it out! I wonder if they are on the stock market, I’m assuming they are. We are experimenting with some stocks with our own money so I’ve been poking around looking for ones to try to get into. I’ll have to give this one a look! Decentralization is definitely best, and this is a cool concept for sure.

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I wonder if they are on the stock market, I’m assuming they are.

No they are a start up. I think just completed another round of VC funding.

This appears to be a long way from truly producing anything that is useful. Perhaps they will get something to market in the next couple years.

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Ah okay thanks! I'll have to keep them on my watch list for sure.

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This is a great idea, decentralizing manufacturing for food and drinks. However, Cana doesn't seem like they want to really decentralized it. They want to be THE distributor of the chemicals and machinery that people will print their food with. With all the proprietary adaptors and containers that only they can make. Like the Hewlett Packard printers and their ink cartridges.

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That is true, the entity is not decentralized. However, the process is.

It is hard to deny that HP did not decentralize the production of information on paper. Even if they controlled most of the market, it was spread further out from the traditional print shops.

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And consider the degree of control HP has over that now. None. You can't give most people a printer these days, because of that business model. A new printer just means another kind of ink cartridge to find before they stop making it.

And who prints anything anymore anyway? If you can't figure out a goddamn email I don't want to do business with you.

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Interesting concept. However, a beverage is not just the sum of its constituent ingredients, but the processes used to combine those ingredients (which includes the order in which they are combined and the temperature and pressure, etc.). The multitude of processes required to create unique beverages is not likely to be replicable with a single at-home 'beverage printer'.

Think of baking a cake. You cannot simply take all the ingredients in their relative percentages and mix them together and have a delicious, edible cake.

With that said, if the printer is very specific, such as carbonated soft drinks only, then they might be able to provide a way to combine various flavors, although I think such a device already exists, such as this.

I applaud their efforts, but I am very skeptical as to whether this product will be able to deliver on its promises.

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I am not sure this will ultimately be successful either. It seems like they are still more at the vision stage although they did do a lot of research.

How it all comes together, I have no idea. They do not seem to have much on the site other than general information.

At least people are thinking in this direction. If they are into it, I am sure others are experimenting too.

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I am unsure how they will operate and actual physical company being decentralised. The following country of course would not allow it and even being decentralised there will be some power controlling company be it government or some investors etc.

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It is not the company that is decentralized but the production of the end product. It is like was mentioned above. Hewlett-Packard is not a decentralized company but they decentralized the production of paper documents. It took that realm from centralized print shops and enabled people to produce documents in their home or office.

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I am wondering whether or not the drinks will taste the same if it's only the 5% being copied between all manufacturing hub. It is a great idea but I just hope the 5% doesn't have any supply chain issues after it gets on the way.

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I have no idea. Hard to see what they are doing from the information provided.

As for the supply chain, it looks like they are a long way from market so those issues might be resolved if this ever goes into production.

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Wait, what?

I barely wrapped my head around 3D printers and now this comes along. Printing Coke and coffee at home was not on my 2022 bingo card.

Nevertheless, I like where this is going, for now.

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Printing Coke and coffee at home was not on my 2022 bingo card.

I am not sure you have to worry about it in 2022. Nothing I can see leads me to believe they will be to market anytime soon, at least from the information provided. Perhaps they are further along than they are posting.

Nevertheless, the at home production model is likely to keep growing. The mindset in many areas is to localize as much as possible. Ultimately it will be in the home.

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@taskmaster4450le Your write is quite insightful, especially the way you explained both centralization and decentralization. By the way,the subject of decentralization always entail reducing the power of monopoly.And for beverage, I think Cana is really innovative in that aspect. Infact, after I am done with this reply, I am going to research about them. Keep up the good work,friend.💪

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Well Cana itself could become a monopoly. Keep in mind, if this is successful, they are a centralized company. So they might disrupt the traditional beverage makers but become a controlling force themselves.

However, it will decentralize the production of beverages if they are successful. Instead of done at a plant, the aim is to have people do it in their homes.

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Uhm...thats quite true. If they become centralized then they do not fulfill the ideal decentralized network. Maybe other companies that might come up will make the network more decentralized then.... @taskmaster4450le

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Their ideal, I dont believe, is to become a decentralized network. Their goal is to decentralize the production of beverages. They will attain that if they have their printers in people's homes making the different drinks.

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(Edited)

Yeah, just the decentralization of beverages.... And those printers, when finally achieved would go a long way.

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This is very exciting to see!

I consider "printing" food to be the Promethean fire of this tech and this is getting us closer.

I'm also excited about the idea of in home manufacturing, but I can already see the drawbacks of that while we perfect it...

Loud appliances/equipment, excess power usage, probably such that most homes won't be able to handle the load without upgrades, which are usually expensive in the early stages, not to mention all the cheap junk to sort through to find the stuff that lives up to the hype.

None the less, it's a clear, and defining, milestone in the evolution of our species and those don't come cheap.

And regarding the Star Trek replicator... it's just a matter of complex molecular manipulation, which is something we already do, that's probably just a matter of time... however, would we even need them? If we have such mastery over matter on a molecular level we can just manifest a chicken dinner out of thin air, why would we still need to ingest anything? We could probably just breath nutrition by that point.

This is where one could get into some seriously freaky sci-fi speculation...

If we don't need our stomachs anymore, what else could we use that space for?

I'll stop. This is ridiculous even for me. Lot of fun, though. :D

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LOL well I dont have to worry about that because, like you said, it is a matter of time but I will be gone by then.

All this is a step in the process until we get there. The starting point, and drawback, is the early tech will be expensive and clunky. So it will be received but not truly mainstream. Plus do we want a printer for everything we need? If that is the case, going to need a bigger house.

The key will being able to use the same device for different products. We arent even close to that concept yet.

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Cana have one please. I don't want to wait decades for this as the replicator on Start Trek was what we all wanted. If they can do this then that is great, but it boggles the mind how. Alcoholic beverages through a printer just doesn't quite comprehend how.

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Alcoholic beverages through a printer just doesn't quite comprehend how.

Without seeing a prototype picture, I have no idea. Not even sure how this is a printer. Perhaps it is a giant slushie machine.

Who knows.

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Technology is changing the world so quickly that decentralized manufacturing is a design that has been around since the late 60s.
Unfortunately, it only existed in a Sci-Fi show called Star Trek. Not trying to sound stupid but with the 3D Printer, a person could manufacture certain goods for themselves.
Rather than have manufacturing facilities in every home we could centralize it like Walmart does a manufacturing facility for so many people, but instead of just one a bunch are built let's say 20 for every city.
With the way Blockchain technology has changed not only the internet but currency and banking as we know it. I can do the mental gymnastics required to follow the current trend for the next decade.

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