After perfecting the taste of her delicious lollipops, Jena Chambers discovered  a new way to add flair to her treats using 3D Printing.

unnamed

Jena Chambers, founder of Pandora’s Pops, began her business in 2012 with the pure purpose of creating treats that are as nourishing as they are delicious. Only a few short years into her lollipop-perfecting business, she paired up with 3D designer Lana Briscella to create 3D printed molds for her specialty flavors.

Jena Chambers and popsicles!

Below, we chat with Jena to learn more about her pops and her process.

Jena, tell us a little bit about yourself and Pandora’s Pops?

Pandora’s Pops™ are delicious holistic lollipops, elevating your brain and body with intentional superfoods, herbs & essential oils.  Some are sugar-free (made with all-natural xylitol, crystals from plant fibers), and others are sweetened with organic cane sugar. The most adventurous are our Aphrodisiac Pops, activating your love life. We also offer The Alchemist turmeric pops, lavender & chamomile Calming Pops, Happy Genius pops, and more. All are vegan & free of corn syrup, artificial flavorings & colorings, gluten & GMOs. Instead, they delight your tongue with fresh, carefully-sourced ingredients. Pandora’s Pops are handcrafted by wellness artisans in California.

What’s the story behind your designs? What inspires you?

Our candy has always been forward-thinking with ingredients and purposes, and this year we started breaking into innovative shapes too.  I learned candy mold-making and have started coming up with concepts for shapes that match the purpose of each lollipop. Our Taste the Rainbow shape, which came out for Gay Pride this year, was the first of many that will be 3D printed.  Our Burning Man lollipops, intended for playa gifting and extending the celebration beyond Black Rock City, are the second.

What brought you to 3D printing with Shapeways?

Our process is to design a new shape for candy, and then 3D print it, for use as a prototype. Once the Shapeways prints/prototypes arrive, we cast them in food-grade silicone, to create molds that can be used repeatedly to form candy. This is a mirroring process, where the prototype is the positive, and the silicone poure around it hardens overnight and becomes the negative. We pull out the prototype, and it leaves an imprint of its shape in the now-solid silicone.  This is our mold.  We pour hot molten candy into the mold, the candy hardens as it cools, and now we again have a positive, shaped just like the original prototype. 

Popsicles created with 3D printed molds

We ordered prints from both a local 3D printer and from Shapeways. The local ones arrived faster due to shipping timing, but were far less crisp and manicured. Even if I had filed them down to capture details, they wouldn’t have been nearly as precise as the Shapeways ones. I also have been very impressed with customer service throughout, especially as I’m new to 3D printing and have needed some guidance.

How did you learn how to design in 3D?

Recently I teamed up with Lana Briscella, who designed the 3D model for both our Taste the Rainbow and Burning Man lollipops. She and her husband have a studio called Aminimal. Their work is always inspiring.

How do you promote your work?
We sell online via our website and through various stores.
Who are your favorite designers or artists? Who in the Shapeways community has served as an inspiration to you?

Lana and John Briscella of Aminimal Studio.  I’m looking forward to meeting more of you!

If you’re headed to Burning Man this year, you can look forward to enjoying these tasty sweets out on the playa!