What Caterlink does

Caterlink operates as a wholly-owned trading subsidiary of NIC ICE LTD — the UK and Ireland consolidating entity of the Nic Group, itself part of Orkla Food Ingredients. The business is a B2B supplier of ice cream and dessert products, selling soft serve mixes (under the Whoopee dairy brand), milkshake bases, gelato ingredients sourced from Italian producers (Fabbri, IRCA, Dreidoppel, Leagel), frozen drinks (slush, granita, frappe), cones and wafers, toppings, sauces, decorations, packaging, accessories and commercial soft serve, milkshake and slush machines. Customers are ice cream parlors, gelato shops, mobile dessert vendors, food service operators and trade retailers across Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Great Britain.

Operations span four UK sites — head office in Barking (Thames Road, Essex), a main distribution warehouse in Omagh (32 B Deverney Road), and manufacturing/production facilities in Bodmin and Witham-St-Hughes — with a further EU office in Feucht, Germany. Production runs under full BRC food safety accreditation. Around 168 personnel support manufacturing and distribution across these sites. The group also incorporates the former Gortrush Trading (now rebranded Nic Ireland), Marcantonio Foods Ltd and Waverley Bakery as consolidated wholly-owned subsidiaries under NIC ICE LTD.

Revenue is generated through three B2B streams: ice cream product sales (mixes, ingredients), equipment and machines (hardware resale from third-party manufacturers), and accessories and packaging. The go-to-market is sales-led via regional area sales managers covering distinct territories, supported by the new Gelato Lab Training Academy near Omagh, demo days, and a digital presence across a corporate website, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram. Pricing operates on 28-day credit account terms with no minimum order value, tiered delivery fees for orders below thresholds (NI under £250: £32.50 + VAT; ROI under €350: €60 + VAT; NI-to-GB under £1,000: £85 + VAT), and 2% per-month compound interest on overdue invoices. A planned 2025 e-commerce webshop is expected to add a direct online ordering channel.

Name

Caterlink

Legal name

NIC ICE LTD

Website

https://caterlink.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Caterlink is a B2B supplier of ice cream products — soft serve mixes, gelato ingredients, cones, toppings, packaging and commercial machines — serving ice cream parlors, food service operators and dessert retailers across the island of Ireland and Great Britain. It operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of NIC ICE LTD, part of the Orkla Food Ingredients group.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Foodservice Ice Cream Supplies and Ingredients

NAICS

Ice Cream and Frozen Dessert Manufacturing (31152), Packaged Frozen Food Merchant Wholesalers (424420)

SIC

Ice Cream & Frozen Desserts (2024), Canned, Frozen & Preservd Fruit, Veg & Food Specialties (2030)

akta.pro primary industry

Ice Cream & Refrigerated Desserts (CRADACAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ice Cream & Frozen Dairy Wholesale (AFAIAEAF), Soft-Serve Ice Cream Mix Manufacturing (AFAHAEAB)

Keywords

• Ice cream supplies
• Gelato ingredients
• Soft serve mix
• Commercial ice cream machines
• Dessert packaging accessories

Headquarters

HQ city

Barking

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Ice Cream Products Sales: B2B sales of ice cream products including soft serve mixtures, gelato ingredients, milkshake bases, frozen drinks, and toppings to businesses across the island of Ireland
2. Equipment and Machines: Supply of commercial ice cream machines, soft serve machines, milkshake machines, slush machines, and frappe machines from leading manufacturers
3. Accessories and Packaging: Sale of cones, wafers, sprinkles, topping sauces, napkins, cups, tubs, and other dessert accessories and packaging materials

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Caterlink (operating as Nic Ireland, legal entity NIC ICE LTD) is a B2B supplier of ice cream products, gelato ingredients, and commercial dessert equipment. The company manufactures and distributes soft serve ice cream mixes (Whoopee brand), milkshake bases, slush and frappe products, gelato pastes and inclusions, cones and wafers, toppings, packaging, and accessories to ice cream parlors, food service operators, and mobile dessert vendors across Ireland and the UK. It also supplies commercial soft serve, milkshake, slush, and frappe machines from leading manufacturers.

Product overview

Caterlink (Nic Ireland) is an ice cream ingredients and supplies business operating as part of the Nic Group. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of products organized into core offerings (soft serve ice cream, milkshakes, frozen drinks, gelato ingredients, machines, cones & wafers, and the Flavour House range) and add-on products (topping sauces, sprinkles, packaging, accessories, and personalised packaging). Services include the Gelato Lab training academy and point of sale marketing materials. Products are supplied primarily to B2B customers across Ireland.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Whoopee: Full dairy ice cream mix brand - rich and creamy dairy ice cream beloved by generations in Ireland, with distinctive dairy creaminess.

Products and services

• Soft Serve Ice Cream Mix (Whoopee brand) Full dairy ice cream mix with distinctive creamy texture sold under the Whoopee brand, available in 5 litre packaging for ice cream parlors and food service operators using commercial soft serve machines.
• Milkshake Mix Real Dairy and Non-Dairy UHT milkshake bases in 5 litre packaging for commercial milkshake machines, supplied in various flavour options for use by ice cream parlors and food service businesses.
• Frozen Drinks, Slush and Frappe Products Wide range of frozen beverage solutions including Granita/Slush drinks, Liquid Frappes, Sorbets, and an all-in-one Frozen Frappe Kit for cafés, ice cream parlors, and mobile vendors.
• Gelato Ingredients (Flavour House) Authentic Italian gelato ingredients including pastes, ripples, purees, base mixes, coatings, drink syrups, flavours, ready-to-use mixes, and cocoa powder from Italian brands Dreidoppel, Fabbri, IRCA, and Leagel, for artisan gelato producers.
• Commercial Ice Cream Machines Commercial soft serve, gelato, frozen yogurt, milkshake, slush, and frappe machines from leading manufacturers, supplied to foodservice operators and dessert businesses alongside appliances and sundries.
• Toppings, Sauces, Sprinkles and Decorations Premium topping sauces (chocolate, caramel, fruit flavours), sprinkles, inclusions, snacks, fudge, flakes, biscuits, and other dessert decorations for enhancing ice cream and dessert presentations.
• Cones and Wafers Cone and wafer products including waffle cones, retail cones, waffle baskets, and waffle cups in various flavour options, drawing on the Nic Group's 130+ year cone manufacturing heritage.
• Packaging (including Personalised Packaging) Ice cream tubs, milkshake cups, frozen drink cups, Napoli trays and lids, napkins, spoons, straws, fun mugs, and custom branded personalised packaging options including cone sleeves, wafer discs, and nameplates for brand reinforcement.
• Dessert Accessories and Dispensers Dessert presentation accessories including gelato scoops, spatulas, serving trays, cone holders, napkin dispensers, sauce dispensers, and sundae supplies for foodservice operators.
• Gelato Lab Training Academy Hands-on training sessions at the Nic Soft Serve & Gelato Lab in Omagh covering gelato, soft serve, milkshakes, and dessert creation techniques for beginners, professionals, and mobile dessert vendors.

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Marcantonio Foods LtdcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the union that formed Nic Ice, alongside Gortrush Trading, Caterlink, and Waverley Bakery, creating a stronger product portfolio and unified service.
• Waverley BakerycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the union that formed Nic Ice, creating a stronger product portfolio and unified service to customers.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Irca Group: Italian-headquartered manufacturer and supplier of ice cream and pastry ingredients, including pastes, variegates, and inclusions. Directly comparable to Caterlink's gelato ingredient offering and already a named supplier partner of Nic Ireland via the Orkla relationship.
• Fabbri 1905: Italian producer of gelato ingredients, syrups, toppings, and variegates serving B2B ice cream and pastry customers globally. Comparable product portfolio (toppings, syrups, inclusions) and overlapping customer base with Caterlink, and a current partner brand.
• Leagel: Italian producer of gelato and ice cream ingredients, including pastes, variegates, and inclusions, serving artisanal and industrial customers. Comparable in gelato ingredient range and current supplier to Caterlink via the Orkla relationship.
• Dreidoppel: German manufacturer of flavoring pastes, fillings, and decorative ingredients for ice cream, pastry, and bakery. Already a supplier partner of Nic Ireland and a direct comparable in gelato and ice cream ingredient categories.

Regional players

• Ornua (Irish Dairy Board): Irish dairy cooperative supplying dairy ingredients and consumer dairy products globally, with a strong presence in Ireland and the UK. Comparable in supplying dairy-based inputs to Irish and UK food manufacturers and foodservice operators.
• Glanbia Ireland: Irish dairy and ingredients business serving UK, Irish, and international customers with dairy proteins, cheeses, and functional ingredients. Comparable regional dairy ingredients supplier competing for similar UK/Ireland B2B customers.

Broad incumbents

• Nestlé Professional: Out-of-home ice cream, beverage, and ingredient division of Nestlé serving cafés, restaurants, and convenience operators. Competes with Caterlink for soft serve, milkshake, and frozen beverage supply to UK and Irish foodservice accounts.
• Froneri: Global ice cream manufacturer (joint venture between Nestlé and R&R) producing branded and private-label ice cream for retail and out-of-home. Comparable in ice cream manufacturing scale and B2B supply capability, particularly into UK and European markets.
• Kerry Group: Irish-headquartered global taste and nutrition company with a dairy and ingredients portfolio serving food and beverage manufacturers and foodservice. Comparable in dairy ingredient supply to UK/Ireland markets and substantially larger in scale.
• Unilever Food Solutions: Foodservice arm of Unilever supplying ice cream, sauces, and ingredients to UK and Irish out-of-home operators. Comparable in customer base (ice cream parlors, foodservice) but operates as a broad incumbent across many categories rather than a specialist.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/gortrushtradingomagh
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nic-ireland/people/?viewAsMember=true
• Instagraminstagram.com/nic_ireland

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries4 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 Caterlink