A Golden Compass award would certainly make an excellent addition to that which, since 2016, has been known as the Museum of Ice cream but which is in reality a travelling exhibition of rainbow lollipops and pools of sprinkles, currently showing in San Francisco. The award has recently been assigned to the delightfully-named compact ice cream workstation PopApp and is perfect for an ice-cream museum. Created by the research and development department of ifi, the brand specialised in technology and furnishings for food & beverage venues, PopApp is a really incredible workstation: in just a few square metres, it contains all the activities related to the world of ice cream, from preparation to sale. How? Through the organisation of spaces using technology which recalls the castles and forests that emerge like magic from the pages of children’s pop-up books.

And it is assembled and disassembled with the same ease, even though it is composed of professional components such as a display unit with Panorama® technology, a professional machine, a sink with independent water system, a refrigeration unit and various containers. An ergonomic combination of form and function which simply needs to be plugged into the nearest socket, as though it were a hair-dryer. This makes PopApp unique in its field. It is obviously portable, but above all can be used in contexts which until recently were inaccessible, such as the terrace of a grand hotel, a restaurant, events and temporary shops. With the hygienic safety of the antibacterial work surface made in Krion® K-life, a 100% recyclable material. Closed, it occupies just 3.5 square metres. Much more than just a simple ice cream cart, PopApp also has the essential look of a timeless object with the style of Dieter Rams. A reference which for ifi is twice as important, as it is a product created entirely by the company. A project with a ecumenical mission: take ice cream to the four corners of the earth.