Gourmia, the Brooklyn, N.Y.-based countertop appliance brand, has placed its upgraded 2-Quart Automatic Soft Serve Ice Cream and Slushy Maker into Costco's in-store and e-commerce channels, positioning the unit as a warm-weather impulse buy for households and small operators looking to replicate QSR-style frozen dessert formats without dedicated commercial equipment.
The machine's headline specification is a sub-30-minute cycle time that eliminates the overnight pre-freeze step common to compressor-free ice cream makers. That cycle compression matters in a foodservice-adjacent context: operators running concession stands, micro-markets, or catering setups often cite long freeze times as a barrier to adding soft-serve or slushy dayparts to their menu mix. Gourmia's 2-quart capacity — roughly 64 fluid ounces per batch — is sized for low-volume service windows rather than full quick-service throughput, keeping the unit squarely in the prosumer and light-commercial tier.
The Costco placement is strategically significant. Warehouse club distribution gives Gourmia access to the small-business buyer segment that routinely shops Costco for light-commercial kitchen equipment, including catering operators, food-truck owners, and office-campus micro-café managers. Costco's membership base skews toward higher household incomes and bulk-purchase intent, a profile that aligns with operators evaluating capital-light frozen-dessert solutions ahead of the summer peak daypart.
The launch arrives as the broader frozen-dessert appliance category tracks elevated consumer interest following post-pandemic investment in at-home food production. Soft-serve and slushy formats have seen renewed LTO activity across QSR chains, with brands including Dairy Queen, McDonald's, and regional chains using frozen beverages and soft-serve as traffic drivers during Q2 and Q3. Gourmia's retail play effectively gives that same daypart to operators who lack the volume to justify commercial soft-serve machinery, which can run $3,000 to $10,000 or more per unit.
No AUV, franchisee, or comp-sales data were disclosed in connection with the launch, as Gourmia is a privately held appliance manufacturer rather than a foodservice chain. Pricing and additional SKU details were not included in the announcement, though the product is currently listed on Costco.com. Buyers sourcing equipment for light-commercial frozen-dessert applications should verify NSF certification and duty-cycle ratings before deploying the unit in a revenue-generating context.
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.
