Elgin, Ill.-based United Food Group, Inc. (UFG) is pushing into broader foodservice and convenience-store channels with an expanded line of beverage dispensing equipment engineered to replace traditional bag-in-box liquid coffee and cream systems with shelf-stable, dry-powder alternatives carrying a two-year shelf life.

The company's flagship new dispenser offers up to 24 selections — including cappuccinos, lattes, drip coffee, hot chocolate, and cream — and integrates a built-in sugar and sweetener dispenser. According to Bryan Real, President of United Food Group, the shift to soluble dry-powder products is designed to cut product, storage, freight, and waste costs for operators compared with conventional liquid-concentrate equipment, with the potential to save customers thousands of dollars annually.

Versatility as a Selling Point

A core design feature is rapid reconfiguration. Operators can convert a liquid-cream dispenser into a cappuccino and hot-cocoa machine by swapping consumable products and updating on-unit flavor labels and product videos — a process Real says takes only minutes and requires no tools. That kind of flexibility matters in prep-and-storage-constrained environments like convenience stores, ghost kitchens, and office coffee service locations, where dedicating counter space to single-function equipment is increasingly impractical.

Bob Long, Head of Engineering for UFG, says the hardware was built for demanding commercial environments, with an emphasis on reliable components alongside digital controls and graphic-customization capabilities. The dispensers were developed over three years of internal investment covering concept, engineering, testing, and market introduction.

Dr. Coffee Partnership and Channel Strategy

UFG has also expanded its equipment portfolio through a relationship with Dr. Coffee, a global commercial bean-to-cup equipment manufacturer, giving dealers and distributors a whole-bean option alongside the company's dry-powder line. Doug Shea, Vice President of Business Development, says the strategy is to align more closely with distributors and regional and national coffee brands to bundle beverage products, equipment, and service support — a model that mirrors how larger ice-and-beverage equipment suppliers have structured their go-to-market approach in the convenience and foodservice sectors.

The company's primary trade targets are foodservice operators, convenience store chains, and the office coffee service segment, with plans to significantly scale U.S. and international distribution through the remainder of 2026 and accelerate in 2027. For dealers and distributors evaluating the line, UFG's Perfect Servings® branded platform sits alongside the core UFG equipment range as a secondary go-to-market vehicle.

The dry-powder dispenser category has seen renewed operator interest as supply-chain volatility and refrigeration costs have made liquid-concentrate systems more expensive to operate. Shelf-stable formats reduce cold-chain dependency and can simplify back-of-house storage — a tangible operational advantage for operators managing tight energy-and-sustainability targets or limited refrigeration capacity.

Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.