Elgin, Ill.-based United Food Group, Inc. (UFG) is pushing its dispensed-beverage equipment platform into broader U.S. and international distribution, with the company targeting aggressive rollout through the remainder of 2026 and into 2027. The manufacturer, which supplies dry-powder beverage mixes and the machinery to dispense them, is pitching the lineup squarely at convenience-store operators, foodservice accounts, and office-coffee programs.
The Equipment Case
The strategic hook is replacement of traditional bag-in-box liquid coffee and cream dispensers with shelf-stable soluble products. Bryan Real, President of United Food Group, Inc., argues the swap cuts product, storage, freight, and waste costs — potentially saving operators thousands of dollars annually versus conventional systems. Shelf life on the soluble products runs two years, a meaningful advantage for single-store operators and regional chains managing tight back-of-house inventory.
UFG's newest machine handles up to 24 selections — cappuccinos, lattes, drip-style coffee, hot chocolate, and cream — and incorporates an integrated sugar-and-sweetener dispenser. Real notes that operators can convert a liquid-cream dispenser into a cappuccino-and-hot-cocoa unit in minutes by swapping products and updating on-screen flavor labels and product videos. That kind of menu flexibility maps directly to what convenience retailers need as dispensed-beverage programs evolve beyond basic roller-grill-era coffee into barista-adjacent offerings.
Distribution and Partners
UFG has also broadened its equipment portfolio through a partnership with Dr. Coffee, a global commercial bean-to-cup equipment manufacturer, adding whole-bean freshness credentials alongside its core dry-powder platform. Doug Shea, Vice President of Business Development for UFG, said the company intends to work more closely with distributors and regional and national coffee brands to bundle beverage products, equipment, and service under one go-to-market arrangement — a model that reduces friction for c-store buyers evaluating foodservice programs.
Bob Long, Head of Engineering for UFG, said the dispensers were built for demanding commercial environments, with high-reliability components, digital controls, and graphic-customization capability — the kind of menu-board flexibility that fits a forecourt-facing hot-beverage set.
Why It Matters for Operators
Dispensed beverages remain one of the highest-margin inside-sales categories in the channel. NACS data has consistently shown that hot-dispensed and cold-dispensed beverages punch above their weight on gross-margin contribution relative to packaged alternatives. For operators looking to sharpen their foodservice program without committing to full bean-to-cup capital expenditure, a modular dry-powder system with a two-year shelf life and rapid menu-swap capability addresses real operational pain points — spoilage risk, equipment downtime, and limited SKU flexibility.
UFG's Perfect Servings® branded platform is the consumer-facing side of the offering. The company says its expansion targets multiple classes of trade, but convenience retail is explicitly named alongside foodservice and office coffee as a primary channel. Operators evaluating the platform can review the equipment line at unitedfoodgroup.net/equipment.
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.
