The Coca-Cola Co. welcomed attendees from the National Restaurant Association Show, which took place May 16-19 at McCormick Place in Chicago, to highlight its latest release dispenser formats and technology.

Attendees had an opportunity to test Freestyle Equinox, which will be available beginning June 23. Equinox is the most significant overhaul of the Freestyle user experience since the platform launched, the company says. The interface features immersive visuals and highlights unique and limited-time offerings, it adds.

The Coca-Cola Co. also highlighted the modularity of the Freestyle dispensing equipment. Freestyle’s modular architecture means the internal and external building blocks of the equipment can be assembled for tighter spaces, new beverages categories or unique outlet needs, the company says. 

New modular add-ons include a remote non-nutritive sweetener system for high-volume outlets, a self-cleaning nozzle, cup and lid holders and a bag-in-box (BIB) Weigh Station, which provides operators with real-time visibility into product levels.

Another highlight from the show was the Coca‑Cola x Micro Matic Mixology. Developed in partnership with Micro Matic, this non-alcohol mixology dispenser takes traditional beverages such as sodas, lemonades, teas and coffees and layers in syrups, dairies and alternative dairies to create drinks that reflect the craft and customization consumers are increasingly seeking. 

The dispenser is designed for both crew-serve and guest-facing environments, featuring a consumer-facing digital screen and dispense window that drives awareness and engagement, it says

Every piece of equipment that debuted at the National Restaurant Show shares a unified visual identity: Hydrous. Applied across the entire Coca‑Cola dispenser fleet, Hydrous is a consistent design language that signals quality and sets expectations before a single drop is poured. Wherever a consumer encounters a Coca‑Cola machine, the experience now begins the same way.

What remains a constant with the Freestyle platform is its ability to capture a real-time data signal from tens of thousands of machines, showing exactly what consumers are reaching for and returning to order again. 

That data now drives product development, as the data translates into a finished, market-ready drink in as few as 90 days, while the traditional process takes 18 months, the company notes. For example, Coca‑Cola Freestyle developed and launched Fanta Crimson Sour Cherry in White Castle and Sprite Loco Lime in Wingstop, both in fewer than three months from concept to pouring. 

“With live data from roughly 11 million servings per day, Coca‑Cola Freestyle is the largest, live consumer taste test in the world,” said Megan Tallman, Vice President of Foodservice Innovation and Equipment for the North America Operating Unit at The Coca‑Cola Co., in a statement. “No other company has the real-time insight into exactly what consumers are choosing nor the ability to use that same equipment to then craft and launch new drinks based on the trends we see emerging.”