Ice House America

What Ice House America does

Ice House America (IHA), founded in 2003 and headquartered in Moultrie, Georgia, is the pioneer and largest dedicated manufacturer of automated ice and water vending machines in the United States. The company designs, builds, and sells a four-model hardware portfolio — the Ice House (6,500 lb storage, ~13,000 lb/day production), Ice Kiosk, Ice Merchant, and Inline Merchant — using patented auto-bagging, ice leveling/raking, and multi-stage water filtration systems. IHA holds 5 U.S. patents and several international patents and supports its machines with the proprietary SmartIce remote monitoring platform and the ICE2U consumer-facing mobile app (250,000+ users). Machines are constructed in America from stainless steel with a 20+ year operational lifespan.

IHA operates a hybrid business model combining direct hardware sales (ranging from $49,000 for Merchant models to $150,000+ for the Ice House), a directly-owned fleet of 300+ machines generating transaction-based revenue, and recurring or profit-sharing arrangements with national retail chains and commercial customers. The company's installed base spans 5,000+ machines across 50 U.S. states, the Caribbean, Central America, Australia, and Brazil, owned by 4,000+ independent entrepreneurs and operated under the consumer-facing "Twice the Ice" brand at no franchise fee. Named enterprise deployments include Circle K, QuikTrip, Wawa, SpaceX, Southwest Airlines, and GoPuff.

IHA's go-to-market combines sales-led outreach to individual entrepreneurs (with location vetting, SBA-partnered financing, and territory protection for multi-machine operators), enterprise field sales for national retail and commercial accounts, and a regional independent dealer network. Supporting functions include location scouting services, Penguin University owner training, and a suite of ROI and vended-vs-delivered calculators aimed at mid-funnel conversion. The company is privately held, bootstrapped (no disclosed funding rounds), and employs 101-250 people across its manufacturing and corporate operations.

Name

Ice House America

Legal name

Ice House America

Website

https://www.icehouseamerica.com/

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Ice House America manufactures and sells automated ice and water vending machines through a network of 4,000+ independent owners and 300+ directly-operated machines, serving entrepreneurs, national retailers (Circle K, QuikTrip, Wawa), and custom enterprise accounts (SpaceX, Southwest Airlines) across four continents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Jacksonville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Ice and Water Vending Machine Sales: Ice House America manufactures and sells ice and water vending machines to entrepreneurs and businesses. Four models are available ranging from $60,000 to $150,000+ depending on capacity and customization. This represents the primary revenue stream from new machine sales.
2. Profit Sharing / Revenue Share: For retail locations and large commercial customers, Ice House America offers profit-sharing arrangements where the company handles monitoring and support while sharing revenue with the location owner. Available for multi-store roll-out strategies in specific geographic areas.
3. Managed Services: For customers who own machines but want outsourced support, IHA offers managed services where they handle all monitoring and routine machine support for a fee. Owners keep all revenue from their machines.
4. SmartIce Monitoring (First Year Free): Remote monitoring platform included free for the first year with new machine purchases. After the first year, monitoring services provide ongoing revenue while helping owners manage their machines.
5. Owned and Operated Machines: Ice House America owns and operates hundreds of their own machines (300+ mentioned), generating direct revenue from ice and water sales at their own locations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Ice House America manufactures and sells automated ice and water vending machines under the Twice the Ice brand, offering four core hardware models (Ice House, Ice Kiosk, Ice Merchant, Inline Merchant) that produce, bag, and dispense ice and water on-site 24/7. The company complements its hardware with the SmartIce remote monitoring platform, ICE2U consumer mobile app, cashless payment systems, and optional managed services for commercial accounts, while also directly operating 300+ of its own machines to generate retail revenue.

Product overview

Ice House America offers a portfolio of four core ice and water vending machine models: Ice House (largest capacity, 6,500 lbs storage), Ice Kiosk (mid-capacity, 2,400-3,000 lbs storage), Ice Merchant (compact, 750-1,000 lbs storage), and Inline Merchant (built-in model for retail locations). The company pioneered ice vending in 2003 and continues as the industry leader. Supporting the hardware portfolio are technology add-ons including SmartIce remote management system, ICE2U mobile application for touchless vending and customer rewards, cashless payment processing (credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay), water vending with multi-level filtration, and ice auto-bagging. The Twice the Ice sub-brand provides consumer-facing brand recognition at no franchise cost. Additional services include location scouting, financing assistance through SBA-partnered lenders, Penguin University training platform, territory protection, fleet management, and custom machine configurations. The product architecture is modular, allowing purchasers to customize capacity, payment methods, branding, and add features like water dispensing or security systems based on their operational needs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Twice the Ice: The consumer-facing brand name for Ice House America's ice vending machines. Entrepreneurs can use the Twice the Ice brand name and logo at no cost, or use their own branding.
• SmartIce
• ICE2U
• Penguin University

Products and services

• Ice House Ice House America's largest-capacity ice and water vending machine with 6,500 lbs of ice storage and approximately 13,000 lbs of daily production, designed for high-traffic locations and capable of serving up to 50,000 customer visits per year. Targeted at entrepreneurs and retailers buying the highest-tier model in the lineup.
• Ice Kiosk Mid-capacity ice and water vending machine with 2,400-3,000 lbs of storage and 2,500-4,500 lbs of daily ice production, intended for medium-to-high-traffic locations that need more capacity than the Merchant models but less than the flagship Ice House.
• Ice Merchant Compact standalone ice vending machine with 750-1,000 lbs of storage and 800-2,400 lbs of daily production, sized for smaller retailers and parking lot placements.
• Inline Merchant Built-in ice vending machine designed to be installed into the exterior wall of a retail location like an ATM, with 1,000 lbs of storage and 800-3,200 lbs of daily production in a small 4'x6'x8'5H footprint. Deployed at convenience retail customers such as QuikTrip.
• SmartIce Remote Management Platform Proprietary IoT-based remote monitoring platform that provides machine owners with real-time sales data, maintenance alerts, security camera feeds, and remote troubleshooting for their ice and water vending machines via smartphone, laptop, or tablet.
• ICE2U Mobile Application

Quantifiable outcome

• Ice can be produced for 10-20 cents per bag vs $2+ for delivered ice
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and secondary.

• Circle KflagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNational convenience store chain that replaced bunker ice with Ice House America vending machines at retail locations. Ice made, bagged, and vended on-site.
• QuikTripflagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorConvenience store chain using Inline Merchant models installed for easy ice vending access. Multiple locations deployed.
• WawaflagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor convenience store chain that replaced bunker ice with on-site ice vending machines.
• SpaceXcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerCustom ice vending machines designed with corporate badge access instead of credit cards for employee use at SpaceX facilities.
• Southwest AirlinescoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerModified vending machines to use corporate badges instead of credit cards for turnaround ice needed for passenger flights.
• GoPuffsecondaryOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerAlcohol and food delivery service with custom vending solutions allowing staff to grab bags on-the-go for deliveries.
• Twice the Ice Brand NetworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIndependent machine owners who use the Twice the Ice brand form a network of 5,000+ machines. Free brand usage with no franchise fees, creating brand consistency across locations.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Follett: Manufacturer of ice machines, ice and beverage dispensers, and healthcare-grade refrigeration. Comparable to IHA as a commercial ice equipment peer, with overlap in ice and water dispensing for retail, foodservice, and institutional applications.
• Hoshizaki: Largest global manufacturer of commercial ice equipment, refrigerators, and dispensers. A broad incumbent in the same commercial ice equipment category as IHA's machines, with a global installed base and significantly larger scale, though its core focus is traditional ice makers and dispensers.
• True Manufacturing: Manufacturer of commercial refrigerators, freezers, and foodservice equipment. While not focused on ice vending specifically, True serves similar c-store and foodservice customers with refrigeration equipment that overlaps with IHA's addressable equipment market.
• Manitowoc Ice (Middleby): The Manitowoc Ice brand operates under Middleby Corporation, a major commercial foodservice equipment manufacturer. Produces commercial ice machines and dispensers directly comparable to IHA's product category, with the resources and distribution of a much larger parent.
• Scotsman Ice Systems: Major commercial ice machine manufacturer producing ice makers, bins, and dispensers used in foodservice, healthcare, and convenience retail. Directly comparable as a commercial ice equipment provider serving the same end customers as IHA, though primarily focused on traditional machines.
• Ice-O-Matic: Established commercial ice machine manufacturer with a full line of ice makers, ice dispensers, and water filtration products. Comparable to IHA as a commercial ice equipment peer serving similar foodservice and retail customers with overlapping product categories.

Direct peers

• Easy Ice: Commercial ice machine subscription and management service. Operates an ice-as-a-service model comparable to IHA's managed services, providing businesses with ice equipment, monitoring, and servicing for a recurring fee, though focused on traditional ice machines rather than automated retail vending.

Others

• Reddy Ice: Largest packaged ice manufacturer and distributor in North America. Not in the vending machine business, but the dominant traditional ice supplier that IHA's network competes with and is positioned to disrupt in c-store and retail channels.
• Culligan: Global water treatment and services company offering water dispensers, filtration, and bottling services. Comparable to IHA's water vending capabilities and overall approach to monetizing water, though Culligan's model is more service- and subscription-based rather than automated retail vending.
• Polar King: Manufacturer of mobile refrigeration units and walk-in coolers/freezers. Adjacent to IHA's commercial refrigeration business in foodservice and retail, though Polar King focuses on cold storage enclosures rather than automated ice production and vending.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights8 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/groups/IHAOwners
• Xx.com/icehouseamerica
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ice-house-america

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Ice House America