It's been more than four years since we covered MooBella's made-to-order ice cream vending machines, but it seems safe to say that consumers' love for custom frozen confections hasn't diminished in the meantime. Enter F'real, a California-based innovator of self-serve blending machines that make custom milkshakes, smoothies and frozen cappuccinos to order on the spot.

Targeting food and convenience retailers throughout North America, the F'real Blender machine features a full-size LCD touch screen that lets consumers tailor their frozen drink to suit their tastes exactly. They begin by selecting a cup that's prepackaged and frozen with most of the ingredients their drink will need. Ingredients are assembled and frozen at the dairy, with no syrups or canisters needed; cups are then labeled by flavour and stored in an accompanying freezer nearby. After peeling off the cup's lid, consumers then place the cup in the machine's holder and select whether they'd like their drink extra thick, regular or less thick. From there, the blender mixes and shakes up a drink to the consumer's exact specifications. Perhaps best of all from the retailer's perspective is that the F'real Blender power-cleans itself after each use.

Frozen confections are appealing enough in their own right, but the addition of a self-serve, interactive element and a splash of customization make F'real's concept a very appealing one. Retailers around the globe: better get in line now!

Website: www.freal.com.com