Mellow

Mellow, a brand operating under FNV Labs, emerged from Lisbon, Portugal, in 2014, founded by Zé Pinto Ferreira and Catarina Violante. The company introduced a novel concept to the home culinary market: a smart sous-vide machine distinguished by a patented, built-in refrigeration system. This feature was designed for busy individuals, allowing them to place ingredients in the water bath in the morning, keep them safely chilled throughout the day, and have a meal perfectly cooked and ready upon returning home. The business operates on a direct-to-consumer model, selling its hardware through its website.

The initial product, the Mellow V1, is an all-in-one countertop appliance controlled entirely via a smartphone app connected through Wi-Fi. Key features include the cooling system, a 1000-watt heater, a weight sensor that notifies the user when food is placed inside, and an "in-app chef" that learns the user's taste over time. The double-walled, 5-liter water container is designed for energy efficiency and can prepare up to six portions. After a series of delays, the first units, manufactured in partnership with Flextronics, shipped in late 2017. However, the journey was not without challenges; co-founder Zé Pinto Ferreira departed the company before the product launch, with COO Gary Itenson stepping in as CEO.

In 2018, the company faced a critical review from Wired regarding the effectiveness of its refrigeration. Later that year, Mellow was acquired by food tech investor Zalmi Duchman after the original founders exited. The new ownership addressed the V1's reliance on costly external servers—a design choice by the founders—by introducing a monthly subscription fee in 2020 to access smart features like scheduling and recipes, a move met with backlash from early adopters. This change was positioned as necessary to prevent a complete shutdown of the service for V1 devices, which would have rendered them inoperable. The company also ran a Kickstarter for a second-generation product, the Mellow Duo, in late 2019.

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