No freezer. No fridge. No cold chain. Ever. −6°C · 90 seconds · 200ml · room temperature storage
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VanillaChocolateStrawberry3 SKUs · Phase 1 Launch
The Target
22°C
Room temperature → soft-serve in 90 seconds
Soft-serve territory. Achieved using chemistry sealed inside the packaging wall.
Two-stage endothermic cascade. Squeeze to activate. Zero chemical contact with food. Room temperature storage — no cold chain, no refrigeration, no equipment.
Squeezing breaks an inner membrane. Chemistry meets water. The reaction fires. Food sleeve hits −6°C in 90 seconds. Food never contacts chemistry at any point.
~540g is chemistry. You feel it working in your hands.
90s
Room temp to −6°C
Squeeze, shake, done. Cold window holds for 12+ minutes.
0
Freezers required
No cold chain. No infrastructure. Ice cream anywhere.
Phase 0 · Chemistry validation in progress
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This isn't a launch announcement. It's an open build log. Sign up and you'll get an update when something real happens — test results, prototype photos, the first time someone eats one on a trail.
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The Product
The Pouch. Fully Specified.
92 × 170mm stand-up pouch. Six distinct zones. One architecture. Three SKUs at launch. Everything needed to go from room temperature to −6°C ice cream in 90 seconds — no infrastructure required.
01 — Architecture
Five zones. One pouch.
Select a zone to explore
02 — SKUs
Three flavors. Each one earned.
Vanilla planifolia crystal size and freeze behavior
Chemistry interaction
Fat-to-sugar ratio 1:2.75. At −6°C, ~25% of the water phase converts to ice — the remainder acts as cryoprotectant. Shaking at 20–25 cycles disrupts crystal aggregation and introduces air. Thin sleeve geometry (5–8mm) gets the cold front to centre in under 40 seconds.
SKU 01 · Vanilla
The baseline case. Every variable controlled.
Vanilla was chosen first because it eliminates noise. Clean fat-to-sugar ratio of 1:2.75, predictable freeze behavior, no competing compounds to confuse the chemistry read. When you need to know whether the mechanism works, you start with the flavor that reduces every variable except temperature. It also happens to be the most ordered soft-serve in the world — which matters for Phase 2 retail placement.
Key Ingredients
Dextrose
3% · anti-crystallisation
Lower molecular weight than sucrose — depresses the eutectic point further per gram, producing finer crystals across the full cold window.
Locust bean gum
0.10% · crystal inhibitor
Prevents ice crystal growth post-activation. Synergistic with carrageenan — the pair outperforms either compound at double the individual dose.
Sunflower lecithin
0.30% · emulsifier
Creates nucleation sites for air incorporation during shaking — directly responsible for the 15–20% overrun target.
Heat-stable vanilla extract
0.50% · UHT-compatible
Sourced specifically to survive 140°C UHT sterilisation intact. Standard extracts degrade at that temperature.
Texture Target
Crystal size
<50μm
Below tactile perception threshold — registers as creamy, not grainy
Overrun
15–20%
Air incorporated during 20–25 shake cycles via lecithin nucleation
Mouthfeel
Clean
Fat-forward, neutral, classic soft-serve. No persistent coat.
Theobroma cacao fat structure and mouthfeel
Chemistry interaction
Cocoa butter melts at ~34°C — fully liquid at room temperature, partially re-solidifying at −6°C. That crystallisation isn't a defect: it produces the density and waxy back-palate that distinguishes this SKU. Fat-to-sugar ratio 1:2.8, freeze fraction ~25% at sleeve.
SKU 02 · Chocolate
The first real formulation challenge.
Chocolate added complexity the vanilla baseline didn't have. Higher fat (10g vs 8g), higher protein (6g vs 4g), and cocoa solids that function as a secondary emulsifier — changing how the fat system behaves under cold. The fat-to-sugar ratio shifts to 1:2.8. Cocoa butter is fully liquid at room temperature storage and partially re-solidifies at −6°C. That's not a problem to solve — it's the mouthfeel.
Key Ingredients
Dextrose
3% · calibrated freeze point
Counterbalances additional cocoa solids — lower molecular weight depresses freezing point more per gram than sucrose.
Carrageenan
0.15% · protein interaction
Higher protein content (6g vs 4g) produces a stronger gel network — this SKU sets slightly firmer than vanilla at the same sleeve temperature.
Mono & diglycerides
0.20% · fat control
Cocoa butter competes with emulsifier binding sites. Mono & diglycerides intercept that competition and keep fat dispersed through the cold window.
Nonfat dry milk solids
4% · aeration amplifier
Elevated protein creates more nucleation sites during shaking — pushing overrun ceiling to 18–22% vs 15–20% for vanilla.
Texture Target
Crystal size
<50μm
Matched to vanilla — same perception threshold, different fat matrix
Overrun
18–22%
Highest ceiling — elevated protein amplifies aeration during shaking
Mouthfeel
Dense
Slight resistance, waxy back-palate from cocoa butter re-solidification at −6°C.
Fragaria × ananassa sugar profile and acidity balance
Chemistry interaction
pH 4.0–4.2 simultaneously suppresses carrageenan gel strength, shifts sweetness perception, and alters protein-emulsifier interaction — each requiring a distinct fix. Lower overrun ceiling (15–18%) reflects acid interference with foam stability. Fruit acid also creates perceived cold brightness before temperature consciously registers.
SKU 03 · Strawberry
The chemistry problem the other two don't have.
Strawberry introduced pH. Post-formulation, the base sits at approximately 4.0–4.2 — compared to ~6.5 for vanilla and chocolate. Fruit acids hydrolyse polysaccharide chains at UHT processing temperature. The stabiliser system couldn't be replicated from the other SKUs — it required recalibration from the ground up. The formulation accounts for this explicitly, not as a workaround but as designed behavior.
Key Ingredients
Carrageenan
0.18% · elevated vs baseline
Elevated from 0.15% to compensate for partial hydrolysis at low pH during UHT — effective concentration at serving stays within working range.
Locust bean gum
0.12% · structural insurance
Backup viscosity carrier in acid conditions — provides structural coverage when carrageenan underperforms batch to batch.
Dextrose
3.5% · perception correction
At low pH, sourness suppresses sweetness perception. Elevated dextrose restores balance without meaningfully increasing caloric load.
Citric acid
0.10% · pH standardisation
Fixes pH at ~4.1 across batches — strawberry puree varies naturally, and uncorrected pH drift means gel strength drift at scale.
Lower ceiling — acid interference with protein foam stability limits hold time
Mouthfeel
Bright
Light, water-forward. Fruit acid creates cold brightness before temperature registers.
03 — The Difference
0
Freezers required
Manufacture to mouth
3
Steps to eat
vs 6 for conventional
6mo+
Ambient shelf life
Room temperature storage
5+
Distribution channels
vs 1 for conventional
Why we built it →The cold chain problem, the origin, and where this is going.
Phase 0 · Chemistry validation in progress
Follow the build.
The pouch is specified. The chemistry is being validated. When Phase 1 physical prototypes exist, early list members get first access to testing them.
Updates go out when something real happens. Not before.
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Why it exists
Ice cream has always needed a building.
This is the problem, the mechanism, and the thinking behind the work. Not a pitch. Just an honest account of what this is and why it matters.
01 — The Problem
The cold chain is everywhere. Until it isn't.
Every cold treat you've ever had was made possible by infrastructure. A factory freezer. A refrigerated truck. A freezer aisle. A plug in the wall at home. The cold chain is a continuous, unbroken line from the moment ice cream is made to the moment you eat it. If that line breaks anywhere, the product is gone.
It works well in cities. In suburbs. Anywhere the grid reaches.
The places you most want something cold — the summit, the trail, the beach an hour from the nearest town — are exactly the places the cold chain can't go. That gap has existed for the entire history of ice cream. Nobody solved it because nowhere that mattered was without infrastructure.
Until you tried to get somewhere worth being.
The conventional ice cream journey
Factory
Frozen at production · −18°C
REQUIRES FREEZER
Refrigerated transport
Continuous cold chain · diesel-powered
REQUIRES FREEZER
Retail freezer aisle
Display case · temperature-controlled store
REQUIRES FREEZER
Home freezer
Stored until consumption · grid-dependent
REQUIRES FREEZER
Trail. Beach. Summit.
No grid. No cold chain.
CHAIN ENDS HERE
The gear that gets people to those places has improved every decade. The boots, the packs, the navigation, the clothing — all of it engineered to perform without infrastructure. The food hasn't kept up.
The shift
The cold chain is a solved problem. The solution fits in your hand.
03 — Why It Exists
The problem was personal.
The founder spends a lot of time outside. Beaches, trails, mountains, camping, long runs that end somewhere worth being.
The problem presented itself the same way it probably presents itself to most people: not as a research question, but as a moment. You push through something hard. You get somewhere. The thing you want — something cold, something that actually feels like a reward — doesn't exist in that context. Ice cream requires a freezer. The freezer requires the grid. The grid isn't on the trail.
Most people register that as a minor inconvenience and move on. The gap registered as a solvable problem.
The gear that gets people outdoors has improved every decade. The boots, the packs, the navigation, the clothing — all of it has been engineered to perform in the real world. The food hasn't kept up. That felt like an oversight worth correcting.
Chemistry validation underway. Three arms. Defined go/no-go criteria.
Environment
Outdoors
Beach. Trail. Summit. The places the cold chain doesn't reach.
What it is not
Not a novelty.
Not a science experiment.
Not healthy ice cream.
Real ice cream. Real places.
Adjacent to
Arc'teryx. Peak Design. Hydro Flask. Patagonia. Gear that earns trust.
03 — The Giving Commitment
The places it gets eaten are worth protecting.
One percent of revenue — not profit, revenue — goes to an outdoor conservation partner. The logic is direct: the places Shake-Ups gets eaten are the places this money goes toward protecting. Not a generic donation. A specific, narratable loop between the product and the cause.
The framework is 1% for the Planet. Third-party accountability, a community of brands that have made the same commitment, and a name the target audience already knows from brands they already trust.
Giving Intention · Phase 0
The partner hasn't been formally selected. Leave No Trace is the leading candidate — the connection between eating something on a trail and funding the organisation that protects that trail is too clean to ignore. This will be formalised before launch.
1%
Of revenue, not profit
1% for the Planet framework · third-party accountability
Honest position
This is a stated intention, not a locked commitment. Phase 0 is honest about what it is.
04 — Stay close
Follow the build.
You'll hear when the bench test results come in. When the first real prototype gets built. When there's something worth reporting — not before.
Early list members get first access to prototype testing when Phase 1 units exist.
Build updates · prototype access · no spam · unsubscribe any time
Questions
FAQ
Hover any question to read the answer.
The product
What is Shake-Ups?
Shake-Ups is a shelf-stable ice cream in a flexible pouch that chills itself. You squeeze the grip zones, shake for 90 seconds, tear open the top, and eat. No freezer at any point — not at the store, not at home, not on the trail.
How does it get cold without a freezer?
The outer wall of the pouch contains sealed chambers of endothermic chemistry. When you squeeze, an inner membrane breaks and the compounds dissolve — absorbing heat and dropping the chamber temperature to around −10°C. That cold transfers through a barrier wall into the food sleeve, chilling it to −6°C in roughly 90 seconds.
Does the chemistry touch the food?
No. Zero food contact is a hard design constraint — not a goal, a requirement. The chemistry is sealed inside the outer wall. The cold crosses the barrier. The chemistry never does.
What does it taste like?
Real ice cream. The base is whole milk, cream, sugar, and flavour — no unusual additives to support the mechanism. The shaking action creates soft-serve texture by distributing small ice crystals throughout the sleeve. It tastes like something you earned.
What flavours are available at launch?
Three SKUs at launch: Vanilla, Chocolate, and Strawberry. Each has its own colour system, botanical illustration, and flavour-specific accent. The architecture is the same across all three.
Using it
How long does it stay cold?
The target cold window is 12+ minutes below −3°C after activation. Phase 0 testing is validating this against the go/no-go criteria. Real-world performance will be confirmed before any claim goes on the packaging.
Can I use it again after activating?
No. Activation is irreversible. Once the membrane breaks, the reaction starts and can't be stopped or reset. Each pouch is a single use.
Does it work in hot weather?
Yes — that's the point. Phase 0 includes a stress test at 30°C ambient (beach/summer real-world conditions). The chemistry needs to overcome a higher starting temperature, so hot ambient is explicitly part of the testing protocol, not an afterthought.
Where & when
When can I buy it?
No launch date yet. Phase 0 chemistry validation is underway. If the test results clear the go/no-go criteria, Phase 1 mechanical development begins. The waitlist gets updates when there's something real to say — not before.
Where will it be sold?
The model is ambient shelf — no freezer case required. Target channels include outdoor specialty retail (REI, trail-focused stores), ambient vending, events and festivals, DTC online, and travel. The cold chain elimination is what makes all of these viable simultaneously.
What's the shelf life?
Target is 9–12 months at room temperature. The base is UHT-processed and aseptically sealed — the same technology used in shelf-stable milk. No refrigeration at any point in the supply chain.
The details
Is the packaging recyclable?
Honest answer: the multi-layer flexible film pouch is not currently recyclable in most markets. It's required for the mechanism to work. We're acknowledging that directly rather than obscuring it. Mono-material alternatives are on the roadmap as volume and material science allow.
What do I do with the pouch after?
The spent chemistry — ammonium chloride and sodium thiosulfate — is non-toxic and water-soluble. Safe to dispose of in a bin or, in a pinch, wash out with water. Disposal instructions will be printed on the pack. Leave No Trace principles apply.
How much will it cost?
Target retail price is $4.99–$6.99. COGS target is under $3.50 fully loaded. These are working assumptions — Phase 1 production costing will confirm whether the economics hold at the volume required to hit that price point.
Is this patented?
Patent pending. The specific architecture — the combination of endothermic chemistry, barrier wall geometry, food sleeve dimensions, and activation sequence — is the subject of an active application.
How It Works
Chemistry. Geometry. Cold.
No compressor. No electricity. No cold chain. Every degree of cooling comes from a sealed endothermic reaction inside the pouch wall — triggered by one squeeze, sustained by geometry.
01 — The Layer Stack
Seven layers. One cold object.
The pouch isn't packaging — it's the product. Every layer has a specific thermal or structural role. Cross-section view through the 92mm width, bilateral symmetry, food sleeve at centre.
Outer PET
Printed graphics layer. Structural shell. Grip zone texture.
Aerogel
2–3mm flexible composite. Primary insulation. Keeps cold in after reaction completes.
Foil Laminate
Aluminium barrier. Blocks radiant heat. Structural support for chemistry chambers.
Chemistry
Sealed endothermic system. Fires on activation. Architecture confirmed by Phase 0 testing.
Food Sleeve
PE/AL laminate. Food-safe PE inner surface. Aluminium outer face maximises cold transfer. 5–8mm flat profile. Zero contact with chemistry.
02 — The Trigger
One action. One reaction.
Squeezing the 14mm bilateral grip zones raises internal pressure. A membrane sealing dry chemistry from water ruptures. The endothermic reaction fires immediately, and the cooling chamber begins dropping.
Before — Sealed
Water sits on the outer side — against the grip. Dry chemistry sits inward, toward the food sleeve. Squeezing compresses the water compartment, building pressure against the membrane.
After — Activated
Membrane ruptures. Chemistry meets water. Endothermic reaction absorbs heat from surroundings. Chamber temperature drops.
Trigger
1
squeeze action
Reaction onset
<3s
from squeeze to active
Target reached
~90s
to −6°C at food sleeve
Chemistry
0
moving parts
03 — The Texture Science
You're not shaking it. You're making it.
Industrial soft-serve machines use a scraped-surface heat exchanger — a rotating drum that continuously sweeps ice crystals off a cold wall and distributes them through the bulk. The result is a dense network of tiny crystals (<50μm) suspended in a cream matrix. That's what gives soft-serve its texture.
Shake-Ups replicates this with geometry. The food sleeve is flat and thin — 5 to 8mm wide. Every shake drags the cream across the cold inner wall of the sleeve. Each pass scrapes off a new layer of micro-crystals and suspends them in the bulk. Twenty to twenty-five shakes over ninety seconds produces the same distributed crystal structure as an industrial machine.
The shaking also introduces 15–20% air overrun. Soft-serve texture isn't just cold cream — it's aerated cold cream. The shaking action does both simultaneously.
Scraped-Surface Principle
Crystal size
<50μm
Below perceivable threshold. Smooth mouthfeel.
Air overrun
15–20%
Aeration from shaking. Soft, scoopable consistency.
04 — Temperature Timeline
Cold in 90 seconds. Holds for 12+ minutes.
Temperature at the food sleeve from activation through consumption. Chemistry checks out on paper — Phase 0 bench testing will confirm exact curve.
−6°C
target at food sleeve surface
90s
from squeeze to target temperature
12+ min
cold window below −3°C
05 — Zero Food Contact
The chemistry and the food never meet.
The food sleeve is a sealed, independent chamber. It's filled with ice cream base, heat-sealed shut, and then encased inside the outer pouch assembly. The chemistry chambers sit on either side — never above, never below, never in direct contact.
The isolation barrier between chemistry and food sleeve is a physical layer — not a distance assumption. Cold transfers through conduction, not through any opening. The food sleeve wall is the only thing the ice cream ever contacts.
Hard constraint
Zero food contact is non-negotiable. It is a design constraint, not a feature claim. The pouch cannot be manufactured in a configuration where it is violated.
Isolation Detail — Cross-section
Food contact
Zero
Chemistry is physically sealed from food by the isolation barrier and PE sleeve wall. Cold transfers by conduction only.
Food surface
PE only
The only material the ice cream base contacts is food-grade polyethylene — the inner wall of the sealed food sleeve.
Disclosure
On pack
"Self-chilling system. All chemistry enclosed in outer layers. Zero food contact." Printed on back panel of every pouch.
Story
To complete 2/26/25
Brand story, origin, and the people behind the build.
The Build
Five phases. One product.
From bench chemistry to retail shelf. Each phase has a gate. Nothing advances until it passes. Phase 0 is active now.
Select a phase to explore
00
Bench Test
ACTIVE
01
Mechanical
PENDING
02
Mfg Dev
AHEAD
03
Small Prod
AHEAD
04
Retail Exp
FUTURE
Phase 0● Active — bench test pending
Bench Test
"The chemistry either works or it doesn't."
00
What Phase 0 proves
That sealed endothermic chemistry can cool a food proxy from room temperature to −5°C or colder, hold that temperature for 10+ minutes, and produce no meaningful odour at working concentrations. Everything downstream — the pouch architecture, the sleeve geometry, the go-to-market — is conditional on this passing.
Test structure — three arms, eleven tests
Arm A
Two-stage cascade
NH₄Cl dissolution → Na₂S₂O₃ anhydrous. Original approach. Lower cooling power per gram but well-characterised at bench scale.
4 tests
LIKELY STRONGEST
Arm B
Single-stage NH₄NO₃
Ammonium nitrate alone. Significantly higher solubility than NH₄Cl — more cooling energy per unit volume. Cleanest mechanism if it reaches target.
3 tests
Arm C
Combined cascade
NH₄NO₃ Stage 1 → Na₂S₂O₃ anhydrous Stage 2. Potentially the deepest temperature drop. Most complex — only pursued if Arm B falls short.
4 tests + stress
Go / No-Go criteria
Any arm achieves −5°C or colder at food proxy
Cold window at or below −3°C holds for 10+ minutes
No significant odour from chemistry at working concentrations
No-Go outcome
If no arm achieves the criteria, the core chemistry approach requires a rethink before Phase 1 begins. No capital is committed to mechanical engineering until this gate passes.
That's by design. The point of Phase 0 is to fail cheaply if the mechanism is wrong.
Bench test materials being sourced — testing imminent
That the winning chemistry from Phase 0 can be translated into a manufacturable pouch architecture — one that activates reliably, isolates food from chemistry structurally, and hits a COGS target that makes a viable retail product possible.
Three parallel workstreams — 12 weeks
Workstream A
Packaging Engineer
Aerogel sourcing and integration
Film spec and layer architecture
Burst sequence validation
Drop and stack testing
Workstream B
Food Scientist
UHT + stabiliser compatibility
Texture at −6°C target confirmed
Shelf-life validation (9–12 month)
Lab sample sign-off
Workstream C
COGS Model
Co-manufacturer calls and RFQs
Real aerogel and film pricing
Target: viable COGS at volume
Go/no-go financial model
Go / No-Go criteria
Sequential membrane activation in >95% of test-batch activations
Food sleeve isolation confirmed — zero chemical migration
UHT base produces acceptable texture at target temperature
COGS model shows viable path to target retail price
Timeline
12 weeks
Three workstreams run in parallel. Gate at week 12. Phase 2 begins only on full pass.
Phase 2 is not a manufacturing phase — it's a manufacturing development phase. The goal is to qualify co-manufacturers, establish a real supply chain, nail COGS with actual vendor pricing, and walk into a raise with proof rather than projections.
Stream 1
Vendor Qualification
Identify and qualify pouch fabrication co-manufacturers
Qualify aseptic UHT co-packer for food fill
Source aerogel and specialty film at production quantities
Chemical component supplier under NDA
Stream 2
Prototype at Scale
First physical prototypes with actual layer stack
Cold performance testing on physical samples
Activation reliability across 50-unit test batch
Consumer testing on texture and experience
Stream 3
COGS with Real Numbers
Actual vendor quotes replace Phase 1 estimates
Target COGS below $3.50 at Phase 3 volumes
Model validated against comparable flexible packaging
Stream 4
Pre-Raise Preparation
Phase 2 exits with a fundable manufacturing plan
Qualified partners, validated COGS, working prototypes
Raise with proof, not promises
Gated on Phase 1 full pass · Seed-stage capital required
"The gear change that breaks most early-stage brands."
03
What Phase 3 proves
Real demand, at real cost, with real customers. 500–5,000 units. DTC first, then specialty retail. Phase 3 is where projections become receipts — and where the brand either earns the right to scale or learns what needs to change first.
First production run
500–2k units
Actual COGS meets reality. QC process established. Yield rate understood. The estimate from Phase 2 either holds or it doesn't.
DTC launch
shakeups.com
Direct-to-consumer first. Full margin learning. Repeat purchase rate, activation failure rate, review data — all collected before retail dilutes the signal.
Specialty retail entry
REI, outdoor specialty
Outdoor specialty is the right first retail environment. Customers already understand premium gear. No cold case required. Adjacent to the brand DNA.
Phase 4 gate — when Phase 3 is done
Activation failure rate below threshold
Repeat purchase rate demonstrates product love
COGS at or below target at Phase 3 volumes
At least one specialty retail reorder
Series A raise closed
Duration
18–24 months
Four streams running in parallel. Bottleneck is typically working capital and CM lead times — not marketing.
Proof of demand is behind us. A manufacturing process that works exists. Phase 4 is about scale — Series A, outdoor specialty to regional grocery to major retail, dedicated production lines, and building a team that can actually run this.
Retail expansion path
Stage 1
Outdoor Specialty
REI, outdoor specialty chains. No cold case. High-intent buyers. Proven in Phase 3.
Stage 2
Natural & Specialty
Whole Foods, Natural Grocers. Distributor relationships established (KeHE / UNFI).
Stage 3
Regional Grocery
Ambient shelf placement. No freezer case competition. Entirely new fixture category.
Stage 4
Major Retail
National chains. High volume co-man. COGS below $2.30 required. Long game.
The Series A
Phase 4 is funded by a Series A raise. Working capital requirements jump significantly as retail inventory build-outs precede revenue. The raise closes on the strength of Phase 3 metrics — real sell-through, real repeat rate, real COGS.
The pitch is simple: the mechanism works, the product sells, the supply chain is qualified. Scale is a capital problem, not a technical one.
These phases are frameworks for thinking, not a locked schedule. Specific milestones will shift. Some phases will move faster than expected. Some will surface problems that require iteration. What doesn't change is the sequence and the gate logic — nothing advances until the prior phase passes.