What Ice Express does

Ice Express is a family-owned ice distribution and special-events logistics company headquartered in Houston, Texas, operating since 1977 as a DBA of Beer Wholesale Jr., Inc. The company produces and distributes bagged ice (16 lb and 40 lb), 10 lb block ice made from Culligan-filtered water, dry ice in slabs and pellets, and bottled water sourced from Premium Waters, alongside equipment rentals including mobile ice trailers, 28'-53' reefer trailers, and ice merchandisers. A core differentiator is a snow-making capability built on proprietary snow blowing equipment that can produce over 300,000 pounds of snow per event, enabling year-round snow parties, snow slides, and film/commercial snow effects in a warm-climate market.

The company serves a diversified customer base across residential events, commercial events (including the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, corporate events, weddings, festivals), disaster/emergency response (FEMA-affiliated hurricane and winter storm response serving hospitals, restaurants, and communities), industrial/manufacturing clients (chemical plants and concrete companies with T.W.I.C.-certified drivers), and food and beverage operators. Distribution is direct via the company's own fleet and a drive-thru EZ Dock pickup location, with emergency 1-hour delivery service achieving a stated 98% fulfillment rate.

The business model is primarily transactional, with pay-as-you-go unit pricing for ice and bottled water (with volume discounts for 2-18+ pallets and truckload), tiered snow party packages priced from $1,050 (4,000 lbs) to $6,300+ (40,000+ lbs), and recurring rental income from trailers, merchandisers, and snow equipment. Marketing is conducted through a content-rich website, organic social channels (Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn), and direct phone sales, with online ordering available through a hosted portal for EZ Dock pickup. The company is privately held, has no external investors, and reported no funding activity in the available data.

Name

Ice Express

Legal name

Beer Wholesale Jr., Inc.

Website

https://iceexpress.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ice Express is a family-owned Houston ice distributor founded in 1977, delivering bagged ice, block ice, dry ice, bottled water, snow parties, and emergency response services to residential, commercial, industrial, and government customers across Greater Houston and Louisiana.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Ice Delivery (Bagged, Block, Dry Ice): Core revenue stream from delivery of various ice products including 16lb and 40lb bagged ice, 10lb block ice, and dry ice in slabs and pellets. Sold to both wholesale and retail customers with minimum orders starting at 400lbs for delivery.
2. Snow Party Services: Snow blowing and snow party services for residential and commercial events. Includes on-site snow creation from processed ice, snow slides, and large-scale snow projects. Revenue based on pounds of snow ordered with pricing tiers from 4,000 to 40,000+ lbs.
3. Equipment Rentals: Rental revenue from portable freezers, ice merchandisers, ice trailers, reefer trailers, snow flaker machines, and snow slides. Available on daily, weekly, and monthly basis.
4. Hydration Solutions: Bottled water delivery by case or pallet, H2O 2 Go portable hydration stations (200 and 500 bottle packages), and Water Monster 125-gallon tank rentals for events.
5. Special Event Ice Services: Complete ice logistics for special events including mobile ice trailers, refrigerated trailer placement, and staffing for large events like Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Ice Express is a family-owned ice distributor that sells and delivers bagged ice, block ice, and dry ice, and rents mobile ice trailers, reefer trailers, and ice merchandisers to residential and commercial customers. The company also produces man-made snow through snow-blowing equipment for snow parties, snow slides, set designs, and TV/film productions, and supplies bottled water and portable hydration stations for events and emergencies across Greater Houston and Louisiana.

Product overview

Ice Express is a family-owned ice distribution company operating since 1977, serving the Greater Houston Area. The company operates as a DBA of Beer Wholesale Jr., Inc. Its product portfolio centers on ice products (bagged ice, block ice, dry ice) and snow entertainment services (snow parties, snow slides, snow machine rentals), complemented by bottled water and hydration solutions (Water Monster, H2O 2 Go) and equipment rentals (ice trailers, reefer trailers, ice merchandisers). The core offering combines emergency ice delivery services with special event logistics and man-made snow creation for entertainment purposes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ice Delivery Service Scheduled ice delivery of 16 lb and 40 lb bagged ice plus 10 lb block ice to residential and commercial customers throughout the Houston Metropolitan Area, available 7 days a week.
• Emergency Ice Delivery One-hour emergency ice delivery service in Greater Houston delivering 400 lbs to 20,000 lbs of ice, with a stated 98% success rate within one hour.
• Mobile Ice Trailers Refrigerated trailer rentals holding 1,000 to 4,000 pounds of ice, powered by standard 120v electrical connection, available for daily, weekly, and monthly rental.
• Reefer Trailers for Ice Delivery Diesel-powered refrigerated trailer rentals in 28', 48', and 53' lengths holding 4,000 to 40,000 pounds of ice, suitable for locations without electrical power.
• Special Events Ice Services Complete ice logistical services for special events including trailers holding 1,000 to 6,000 lbs of ice, 53-foot refrigerated trailers on site, and staffing for rodeos, fairs, weddings, and sporting events.
• Ice Merchandisers Portable freezer and ice merchandiser rentals with capacities up to 4.25 cubic meters, available in low profile, indoor, and knockdown models, CE and UL certified.
• Industrial Ice Service Ice and water supply service for chemical plants and industrial facilities in Greater Houston, with T.W.I.C. certified drivers and reefer trailer setups for concrete companies.
• National Disaster Emergency Response Emergency ice and water distribution during natural disasters including hurricanes and winter storms, serving hospitals, families, and restaurants.
• Dry Ice Supply Dry ice in multiple formats including slabs (10x10x2 inch), pellets, and HD rice pellets for industrial cleaning and specialized shipping, at -109.3 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Dry Ice Emergency Delivery Emergency dry ice delivery within one hour in Greater Houston, with 95% of emergency deliveries completed within the hour.
• Snow Parties Man-made snow creation service using processed ice for birthday parties, holiday events, corporate parties, and community events, available year-round.
• Snow Slides Snow slide rentals and setup in various sizes including small (25' long), large (35' long), XL 2-lane (35' long), and double slide designs.
• Snow Flaker Machine Rental Rental of snow flake machines using Snobiz biodegradable snow fluid for indoor and outdoor snow effects, includes machine, remote, pedestal, stand, and setup instructions.
• Ice Set Designs Snow and ice design services for movie sets, commercials, and video productions.
• TV, Commercials & Movies Snow Service Professional snow effects for television, commercials, and film productions, including work on movies like The Rookie, The Alamo, and Muhammad Ali, with capacity to blow over 300,000 pounds of ice.
• Bottled Water Delivery Bulk bottled water delivery with pallets of 84 cases (2,016 bottles of 16.9oz) sourced from Premium Waters, featuring filtration, reverse osmosis, and ozonation.
• Water Monster 125-gallon portable hydration station equivalent to 1,000 water bottles or 3,000 paper cups, with 6 self-serving spigots and UV-resistant construction.
• H2O 2 Go Portable hydration station featuring ice-cold purified water bottles in a large-capacity cooler, available in 200-bottle and 500-bottle packages.
• Ice EZ Dock & Pick Up Drive-thru ice and water pickup location offering bagged ice, dry ice, bottled water, and block ice with fast service 7 days a week.
• Bagged Ice Premium cocktail ice in 16 LB and 40 LB bags made from purified water meeting International Packaged Ice Association (IPIA) guidelines, never touched by human hands.
• Block Ice (10#) 10-pound solid block ice made with Culligan filtered water, measuring 5.5" x 5.5" x 11", designed for ice shaving machines, snow cones, and slow-melting cooling applications.
• Large Scale Snow Projects Large commercial snow projects for festivals and major events, including projects exceeding 300,000 lbs with multi-slide installations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 98% of emergency deliveries completed within one hour in Greater Houston area
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Premium WaterscoreOthersIce Express partnered with Premium Waters, a respected leader in high-quality bottled water, to ensure every delivery provides exceptionally clean, crisp, and refreshing water. Premium Waters products reflect the same standard of excellence, consistency, and reliability that Ice Express customers have trusted for decades.
• CulligancoreOthersIce Express uses locally filtered water from Culligan for all its block ice products. Culligan-filtered water ensures premium quality ice that is crystal-clear and dense.
• Reddy IcecoreTechnology or IntegrationBagged ice is manufactured by Reddy Ice using reverse osmosis purified water. Reddy Ice produces Vogt Tube ice (1-1/8" diameter x 1" length) described as the best ice in Texas.
• IBWA (International Bottled Water Association)minorOthersProduction facilities are regularly audited by IBWA (International Bottled Water Association) as part of the bottled water quality assurance program.
• SQF (Safe Quality Food)minorOthersProduction facilities are regularly audited by SQF (Safe Quality Food) as part of quality assurance standards.
• NSF InternationalminorOthersProduction facilities are regularly audited by NSF International as part of quality assurance standards.
• Houston Area Safety CouncilminorOthersIce Express is a member of the Houston Area Safety Council, supporting safety standards for industrial operations in the Houston area.
• FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency)coreOthersIce Express participates in emergency disaster response, providing ice and water to communities affected by hurricanes and natural disasters as part of FEMA-related emergency response efforts.
• NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)minorOthersNOAA weather tracking information is referenced for monitoring hurricane and storm conditions that trigger emergency ice needs.
• Ready.govminorOthersReady.gov resources are shared to help communities prepare for emergencies and natural disasters, aligning with Ice Express emergency response services.
• SnobizcoreOthersIce Express uses Snobiz biodegradable snow fluid in their snow flaker machines. Snobiz is a product used in movies for snow effects, providing realistic artificial snow.
• Texas Motion Picture AllianceminorOthersIce Express is registered with the Texas Motion Picture Alliance for providing snow and ice effects for film and commercial productions.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Penguin Ice: Penguin Ice is a regional ice manufacturer and distributor serving the Gulf Coast and southern U.S. markets. It overlaps with Ice Express in commercial ice delivery and special event services.
• Interstate Ice: Interstate Ice is a regional ice and dry ice distributor serving Texas and the Gulf Coast region. It directly competes with Ice Express in the Houston-area ice delivery market.
• Polar Ice: Polar Ice is a regional ice manufacturer and distributor serving the southern U.S. with packaged ice and dry ice products. It competes with Ice Express in commercial and industrial ice supply.
• Crystal Ice: Crystal Ice is a regional packaged ice manufacturer and distributor serving Texas and surrounding markets. It competes with Ice Express in retail and foodservice ice distribution in overlapping geographies.

Broad incumbents

• Arctic Glacier: Arctic Glacier is one of the largest producers and distributors of packaged ice in North America, serving retail, foodservice, and industrial customers. It overlaps with Ice Express in commercial and emergency ice supply.

Direct peers

• Reddy Ice: Reddy Ice is the largest manufacturer and distributor of packaged ice in North America. It is both a direct competitor (in packaged ice distribution) and a key supplier to Ice Express for bagged ice, making it the most strategically relevant peer.
• Ice House America: Ice House America operates a national network of automated ice vending kiosks and bulk ice delivery services. It competes directly with Ice Express in commercial and retail ice distribution across the southern U.S.
• Hawkeye Ice: Hawkeye Ice provides packaged ice, dry ice, and commercial ice distribution services across the southern and midwestern U.S. It is comparable in size and service mix to Ice Express.

Others

• Premium Waters: Premium Waters is a national bottled water supplier and a strategic partner for Ice Express's bottled water delivery line. It is an enabling supplier rather than a direct competitor but is closely tied to the company's water revenue stream.
• FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency): FEMA is a key institutional buyer and partner for emergency ice and water distribution during declared disasters. Ice Express participates in FEMA-related emergency response, making it both a customer and a partner in the disaster response revenue stream.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/IceExpressHouston
• Facebookfacebook.com/Ice-Express-173004125370
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ice-express-houston
• Instagraminstagram.com/iceexpresshoustontx

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Express