Former Lancaster student and successful businesswoman Melissa Snover returned to campus recently to donate one of her patented 3D food printers, which are the first in the world to have FDA and FSA approval for consumers.

She also gave a talk on her entrepreneurial journey at the university’s career fair, to give current students an insight into starting their own business. Snover developed the disruptive 3D printer business just over 2 years ago and has since launched her innovation into retail outlets, amusement parks and education institutions all over the world. She was delighted to be able to come back to her alma mater and gift one of the machines to Lancaster University so they can use it to teach future innovators about the magic of 3D printing.

Rachel Newbury, the Head of Alumni Engagement at Lancaster University, said of the entrepreneur's visit and donation: "We were delighted to welcome Melissa back to campus. Her talk to students was a masterclass in entrepreneurship and very inspiring. We are extremely lucky at Lancaster to have supportive alumni like Melissa who not only give their time and expertise to us, but also make other donations, in this case, the generous donation of equipment. The 3D printer will be well used by students at the University and will inspire technologists and entrepreneurs of the future."

Since attending Lancaster University, Melissa has gone on to found and run several successful businesses. She was recently awarded the “Creative Entrepreneur of the Year” at the English Women’s Awards 2018 and is now regarded as a pioneer in the food tech industry. Her company, Katjes Magic Candy Factory, is also considered the global market leader in the field of 3D printing of food. Melissa and her small team are now also preparing to launch ground-breaking new concepts based around personalised nutrition and medicine, which they have developed using their patented 3D printing technology and expertise.

Melissa is incredibly proud to be part of Lancaster’s alumni and commented, following her donation: "It is wonderful to be able to give something back to a university which gave me so many skills and opportunities at the start of my career. I have very fond memories of my time at Lancaster and hope that by having my invention on campus, it will inspire future students to use technology and innovation to push boundaries and disrupt industries."