The Deal
365 Retail Markets and ColdSnap have signed a multi-year agreement to place ColdSnap's on-demand frozen treat machines across 365's network of nearly 40,000 micro market operators nationwide. The partnership, announced September 23, 2026, gives unattended retail operators access to a frozen dessert and beverage category that has historically been off-limits without cold storage, plumbing, or dedicated cleaning protocols.
ColdSnap's patented system works from shelf-stable, room-temperature pods that the machine freezes at the moment of purchase — producing ice cream, smoothies, frozen lattes, and protein shakes in roughly two minutes. Because the product never contacts the machine's internal components, the unit requires no cleaning cycle, no plumbing hookup, and no cold-chain logistics for incoming inventory. That operational profile is a meaningful unlock for micro market operators, where back-of-house infrastructure is either minimal or nonexistent.
Why It Matters for Operators
Frozen treats have long represented a high-margin daypart gap in unattended retail. Vending and micro market operators running locations in corporate campuses, hospitals, manufacturing facilities, and distribution centers have largely been unable to serve the category because traditional soft-serve or hard-pack frozen equipment demands refrigeration, sanitation labor, and reliable cold-chain delivery — costs that erode the asset-light economics that make micro markets attractive in the first place.
Jeff Dumbrell, Chief Revenue Officer at 365 Retail Markets, framed the partnership as a revenue-per-location play: operators on the network are looking to drive more revenue per location and increase client satisfaction without adding operational complexity, and ColdSnap's pod model addresses both constraints simultaneously. Room-temperature pods can be shipped and stored alongside existing ambient inventory, keeping procurement simple.
Rollout and Network Scale
365 Retail Markets significantly expanded its operator footprint through its acquisition of Cantaloupe, Inc. in May 2026, combining Cantaloupe's payments, telemetry, and device network with 365's micro market and smart store platform. That combined infrastructure — now supporting nearly 40,000 operators — gives ColdSnap an immediate distribution channel at a scale that would be difficult to replicate through independent operator outreach. Matthew Fonte, Founder and CEO of ColdSnap, noted that the agreement puts ColdSnap machines into thousands of new micro market locations, a category expansion the company could not have achieved organically at this pace.
ColdSnap plans a phased rollout of machines through 365's operator network over the term of the agreement. No unit deployment targets or machine pricing were disclosed. For operators evaluating the addition, the key unit-economics question will be pod cost versus selling price in a location where frozen treats face no direct competitor — a dynamic that typically supports premium price positioning and healthy store-level margin contribution.
The partnership arrives as the broader micro market segment continues its post-pandemic expansion into non-traditional locations. Operators looking to differentiate amenity programs — particularly in competitive corporate real estate markets — have increasingly leaned on specialty food and beverage formats to justify placement fees and drive repeat engagement. Adding a frozen treat offering with minimal incremental infrastructure cost fits squarely within that operator calculus. For more on emerging unattended retail formats, see our coverage of vending and micro market trends and workplace foodservice innovation.
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.
