Coca-Cola tests customizable drink equipment to expand food service beverage sales

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Customizable drink equipment test

Highlights

Coca-Cola is developing customizable equipment including Freestyle prototypes for dirty sodas and energy drinks, targeting a 2027 launch for energy options.
Coca-Cola Freestyle dispensers have poured over 67 billion servings in 17 years, collecting data to inform flavor launches and regional beverage strategies.
Sparkling soft drinks remain 69% of unit case volume, but Coca-Cola is expanding into faster-growing categories like refreshers, coffee, and energy drinks through food service partnerships.

Equipment pipeline targets new drink formats

As first reported by CNBC, Coca-Cola is developing new equipment and beverage concepts at its Atlanta innovation labs to help restaurant and entertainment partners add more customizable drink options. The company is testing a Freestyle prototype for dirty sodas, a Micro Matic dispenser for refreshers and iced coffee drinks, and additional white-label offerings including a customizable energy drink planned for the first half of 2027.

The push reflects a broader shift in food service, where handcrafted drinks are becoming a more important driver of traffic and margins even as diners pull back on overall spending. Circana data cited in the report shows restaurant beverage servings in the second quarter of this year outpace servings of food alone and food paired with beverages.

Coca-Cola is also expanding the role of its Freestyle platform, which marks its 17th anniversary in July. The dispensers have poured more than 67 billion 8-ounce servings, and the real-time data they collect helps the company track flavor trends by region, daypart and venue type, while also informing retail launches such as limited-time Coca-Cola Orange Cream.

The company is preparing other equipment formats as well. Its Freestyle Mini, first launched in Europe, is designed for smaller bars and restaurants and offers up to 16 drink options, although Coca-Cola has not yet sold it in the U.S.

Food service demand shapes category strategy

Coca-Cola's product testing comes as restaurant operators broaden beverage menus to defend sales and profitability. Chains from McDonald's to Wendy's are adding refreshers, crafted sodas and lemonade-based drinks, while specialty beverage chains continue to expand across the U.S., giving consumers more ways to customize flavor, sweetness and toppings.

Within Coca-Cola's portfolio, sparkling soft drinks still account for 69% of overall unit case volume, according to a company filing, with Coca-Cola itself representing 47% of global unit case volume and 42% of U.S. unit case volume in 2025. Even so, the company is trying to capture faster-growing adjacent categories such as refreshers, coffee and energy drinks.

The company is already working with customers on new concepts. Whataburger launched its Whatafreshers line in July after about 18 months of development with Coca-Cola, and Wendy's sells a white-label lemonade product under the Dave's Craft Lemonade brand. Coca-Cola says more than 40,000 bubbler dispensers carry that lemonade offering.

Coca-Cola's planned energy drink platform is designed as a neutral base that can be customized by color and flavor in frozen or liquid form. The company says the drink will be employee-served to help limit consumption, a decision that comes as caffeine levels and liability risks remain in focus across the restaurant sector.

U.S. shoppers tightening budgets was the focus of our earlier coverage, noting how higher fuel costs and pressure on middle-income households are pushing more spending toward essentials while larger discretionary purchases soften. We also highlighted that demand is holding up for smaller indulgences and premium items, prompting retailers and restaurant chains to lean on discounts, new products, and elevated offerings to protect traffic and profitability.

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