Arctic Glacier

What Arctic Glacier does

Arctic Glacier is a North American manufacturer and Direct Store Delivery (DSD) distributor of premium packaged ice, operating under the Arctic Glacier® brand with a heritage dating to 1882. The company produces 2 billion pounds of ice annually across more than 100 production, warehouse, and office facilities in 18 U.S. states and 6 Canadian provinces, deploying a fleet of over 1,000 trucks to serve 75,000+ customer locations. Core product lines include packaged ice (multiple retail sizes), 300-lb block ice, and crushed ice; specialty offerings include artificial snow, ice sculptures and luges, dry ice, events ice, and concrete cooling. All products carry IPIA food-safety certification and comply with FDA, CFIA, and FSMA standards under the Packaged Ice Quality Control Standards (PIQCS), with annual third-party audits.

The business operates a B2B transaction-based revenue model, serving four primary verticals: retail grocery, convenience, and liquor stores (DSD core); industrial and construction (heat relief, concrete cooling, food processing compliance); events and entertainment (specialty ice and logistics); and disaster/emergency relief. Go-to-market combines enterprise field sales for retail and industrial accounts with self-service channels including the Glen Glacier mobile app (iOS/Android) and a customer web portal for SMB and event customers. Pricing is quote-based, volume-driven, and not publicly disclosed. Customer engagement is supported by an online Ice Calculator tool and direct sales engagement.

Arctic Glacier was privately held by The Carlyle Group from prior to 2018 through February 2026, when it was acquired by Reddy Ice, LLC (a portfolio company of SCI Capital Partners), combining the two largest North American packaged ice producers. The transaction was approved by the DOJ Antitrust Division subject to divestitures of four facilities in Washington, Idaho, and California, and customer contracts in Oregon and the New York/Boston metropolitan areas. The company had been executing an active regional roll-up strategy, completing acquisitions of Superior Ice (2020), Norton Ice (2021), Mid-Central Ice (2021), and North Star Ice (2022) prior to the Reddy Ice combination.

Name

Arctic Glacier

Legal name

Arctic Glacier Canada Inc. / Arctic Glacier U.S.A., Inc.

Website

https://arcticglacier.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1882

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Arctic Glacier is a North American manufacturer and direct-store-delivery distributor of premium packaged ice, producing 2 billion pounds annually across 100+ facilities and serving 75,000+ retail, industrial, events, and emergency-relief customers in the U.S. and Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bala Cynwyd

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices23 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Packaged Ice Sales: Sale of premium packaged ice products to retail, commercial, and industrial customers through direct store delivery and bulk ordering
2. Specialty Ice Services: Specialized ice products and services including artificial snow for events, ice sculptures and luges, concrete cooling applications, and dry ice
3. Industrial Solutions: Ice products and delivery services for employee welfare programs, construction sites, and food processing operations
4. Disaster & Emergency Relief: Emergency ice delivery services for disaster relief and emergency situations

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Arctic Glacier manufactures premium packaged ice (multiple sizes), 300-lb block ice, and crushed ice, and distributes them via a Direct Store Delivery (DSD) model to retail, commercial, industrial, and event customers across North America. The company also supplies specialty ice products and services, including artificial snow, ice sculptures, dry ice, concrete cooling, industrial heat-relief and food-processing solutions, and disaster/emergency relief ice supply, supported by 100+ production facilities and a 1,000+ truck fleet.

Product overview

Arctic Glacier is a leading North American manufacturer and distributor of premium packaged ice, offering a portfolio of ice products and related services. The core product line includes Packaged Ice (multiple sizes for retail and commercial use), Block Ice (300-lb blocks for industrial/specialty use), and Crushed Ice. These are complemented by specialty services such as Artificial Snow/Snow Scene production, Ice Sculptures & Luges, Dry Ice sales, Events ice planning, and Concrete cooling. The company also provides operational services including Direct-to-Store Delivery (with 1,000+ truck fleet), Disaster & Emergency Relief, and Industrial Solutions (heat relief, construction support, food processing compliance). A mobile app and Ice Calculator tool support customer ordering. All products are food-grade certified, IPIA-accredited, and compliant with FDA and CFIA standards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Packaged Ice

Quantifiable outcome

• 2 billion pounds of ice produced and delivered annually
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Reddy IcecoreOthers · 1 February 2026Reddy Ice acquired Arctic Glacier from Carlyle Group in February 2026. The acquisition combined two major North American packaged ice providers, creating an entity operating over 115 manufacturing and distribution facilities. As a condition of DOJ Antitrust Division review, Reddy Ice was required to divest four facilities in Washington, Idaho, and California, along with customer contracts in Oregon and the New York/Boston metropolitan areas.
• North Star IceminorOthers · 1 May 2022Arctic Glacier acquired North Star Ice in May 2022 as part of strategic expansion in the ice manufacturing sector. The acquisition included the opening of a new production facility.
• International Packaged Ice Association (IPIA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArctic Glacier operates under IPIA's Packaged Ice Quality Control Standards (PIQCS), fully compliant with Food Safety Modernization Act. Products undergo annual third-party audits by IPIA to maintain food-grade safe product certification.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Polar Ice: Polar Ice is a regional packaged ice manufacturer and distributor serving the southern U.S. with a similar DSD model to grocery and convenience retailers, directly comparable in product mix (bagged ice, block ice) and customer base.
• Reddy Ice: Reddy Ice is the largest packaged ice manufacturer and distributor in North America and the direct competitor that acquired Arctic Glacier in February 2026. Both companies produce bagged/ packaged ice for retail and commercial customers via direct-store-delivery fleets and share virtually identical customer profiles (grocery, c-store, liquor store, industrial).
• Penguin Ice: Penguin Ice manufactures and distributes packaged ice to retail and commercial customers in the western U.S., offering a similar product portfolio (bagged ice, block ice) and competing head-to-head with Arctic Glacier in overlapping geographies.
• Sub Zero Ice Services: Sub Zero Ice Services is a packaged ice manufacturer serving retail and commercial customers across the Midwest with a DSD model, comparable to Arctic Glacier in customer mix, product offering, and regional footprint.
• Cassens Transport & Ice: Cassens combines packaged ice manufacturing with a long-haul transportation network in the Midwest, comparable to Arctic Glacier in ice production and direct delivery capabilities, with overlapping grocery and c-store retail customers.
• Ice Express: Ice Express is a regional packaged ice producer and distributor operating in the southeastern U.S., comparable to Arctic Glacier in core product (bagged and block ice) and target customer segments (retail grocery, c-store, commercial).

Emerging players

• Hoshizaki America: Hoshizaki is a major manufacturer of commercial ice-making machines used by foodservice and retail operators. While not a packaged-ice producer itself, it is an adjacent competitor/ecosystem player whose in-store ice machines can substitute for purchased packaged ice at the customer level.
• Manitowoc Ice (Welbilt): Manitowoc Ice (now part of Welbilt) produces commercial ice machines for foodservice and retail. Similar to Hoshizaki, it represents an adjacent enabling/integrator ecosystem that competes for the same end-customer ice-supply budget.

Regional players

• Crystal Ice Company: Crystal Ice is a regional packaged ice producer serving select U.S. markets, with a similar product offering (bagged, block, and crushed ice) to Arctic Glacier but a smaller, geographically narrower footprint.
• Country Ice: Country Ice is a regional packaged ice manufacturer in the central U.S. delivering bagged and block ice to retail and commercial accounts, comparable in core offering to Arctic Glacier though at a smaller scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/720138418021688
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/arctic-glacier
• Instagraminstagram.com/arcticglacierice
• Xx.com/arctic_glacier

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A4 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Arctic Glacier