New Coke Dispensers...
“Coca-Cola is debuting a new soda fountain that can hold more than 100 sodas. That’s ten times more than current soda fountains. Currently, fountains work through syrup bags. The restaurant buys a bag (actually, a bag in a rectangular box) from Coke or Pepsi, hooks it up to a soda line and then the fountain combines the carbonated water with the syrup to create your soda. The machines are limited by soda lines, which tend to gunk up with sugar mold, and by bulky soda bags that weigh 30 pounds or more. The new Coke machine is completely different. The new fountain is like an ink printer with space for hundreds of cartridges. Each cartridge contains a concentrated formula of ingredients. When you press your choice, say Diet Coke, the machine will tell cartridge 12 to release three squirts, cartridge 81 two squirts and so on, then it combines it with carbonated water and viola! The same drink as old machines.
The new fountains can hold a lot more of these little cartridges, so they can handle a lot more flavors. Coca-Cola promises 120 different drinks, but there could be even more as the technology gets better and the company gets more confident. Hypothetically, the machine should be able to act as a bartender too, allowing customers to get a Shirley Temple or Roy Rogers in addition to regular drinks. All it would take is a cherry syrup cartridge.
The first new fountains are rolling out in Atlanta and California in a month. Assuming tests there go well and the public loves its overwhelming choices, the new fountains would come to Kansas City next year. Coca-Cola’s product list is more than 2,800 beverages long so the company will have no shortage of drinks to pick for the new machine. The main problem is how Coke protects its customers from the paradox of choice, when too many options overwhelm our brains and shuts them down from making a decision.”
Posted in Cooking/Food/Health
April 16th, 2009 at 9:49 am
we are doing a project for school and soda has a big part in it. we were looking for a different kind of soda machine that holds more than 6 flavors. we found your idea, and this is just for a project so its not like we are planning to actually buy, but we would like to know how much you estimate on selling your soda machine for. Please email me back.
Sencerely
Rissa
June 2nd, 2009 at 9:59 am
Jeremy, are these Coke dispensing pictures real machines or just mock-ups to represent the cartridge concept ?
Sincerely,
Roberto
August 24th, 2009 at 4:46 pm
Jeremy, they have these in north San Diego Jack in the Box stores (the red ones) and they look identical… they ROCK!!! I hope this is the new trend I love them!!!
San Diego Coke Fan
January 9th, 2010 at 8:04 pm
I’m opening a new restaurant to the Salt Lake City area and would like to be the first in Utah to have one of these in my store. I saw these on TV news the other night and I loved it. Jay