Ice House America Disrupts Direct-Store-Delivery Ice Model

May 24, 2023

Ice House America Disrupts Direct-Store-Delivery Ice Model

Moultrie, GA – Ice House America (IHA) has seen fast recent growth through strategic partnerships and powerful new features. Working with national and international brands, IHA and the Twice the Ice® brand is rethinking how consumers and businesses get ice, and disrupting the labor-intensive, energy-hungry business model of direct-store-delivery ice companies. Ice vending is replacing this model in many areas with a cleaner, faster, more sustainable alternative.

Growth through partnerships

Partnerships with international businesses have brought IHA and TTI to new corners of the world, and to new consumers. There are now over 4,000 automated retail locations, including those owned by IHA, independent owners, and our corporate partners. Twice the Ice machines can now be found at Quicktrips, Circle K, Sprint Foods, PFJ, HEB, Southwest airlines flights, and SpaceX.

Disrupting DSD

The direct-store-delivery (“DSD”) model has been the industry norm for decades. This process of making ice, shipping it, cooling it, storing it, and selling it, is not only inconvenient, but enormously labor- and energy-intensive. IHA’s ice machines allow businesses and individuals to make ice on-location using the local water source, thereby eliminating untold costs associated with shipping and storage. The result is not only vastly more efficient, but also provides cleaner, more affordable ice.

ICE2U provides more convenience

The ICE2U app added a variety of features for owners and consumers alike. In the first year since it’s launch in June, 2020, the app has already been downloaded over 200,000 times.

ICE2U’s mapping feature makes it easy for consumers and other businesses to find nearby TTI locations, and purchase fresh, loose ice fast. The app also builds brand loyalty by offering consumers cost-savings and giveaway opportunities with each purchase. Additional features also allow organizations to connect company credit cards, and easily manage or limit employee purchases. The app has offered new functionality and convenience for small and large businesses, from food trucks to construction crews to utility workers to truck drivers, and many more. Finally, the ability to make purchases in the app makes touchless vending possible, providing a clean and easy customer experience. Ice from IHA machines are handled only by the consumer, with no need to handle cards or cash.

An expanding vision

Ice House America’s vision is to leverage superior technology to offer clean, affordable fresh chilled water and ice globally in a way that is kindest to our planet. As more businesses and consumers enjoy the benefits of affordable, fresh, clean, ice, IHA will continue to rethink and reshape the packaged ice industry.

 

Who is Ice House America

Ice House America (IHA) operates under the Twice the Ice® brand, and is the nation’s largest distributed network of free‐standing, automated retail kiosks. These machines offer clean, affordable fresh‐chilled water and ice across more than 4,000 units located predominantly in the southern United States. Collectively, this system‐wide network of automated retail kiosks, which comprises both company‐owned and independently-owned units, is the 3rd largest provider of ice in the US. IHA is also one of the most environmentally-conscious providers of ice and water worldwide. IHA manufactures and markets OEM equipment and extensive aftermarket services, and it operates the largest owned fleet of IHA automated retail kiosks in the US.