If you’ve never stopped to consider what kind of ice cubes are in your drink, you’re actually in the minority of Americans who have a strong preference. Pewaukee-based startup Rockhopper Ice Collective hopes to tap into consumers’ ice preferences and give restaurants an all-in-one solution. Co-founders Daniel Guenther and Josh Cartellone are in the final
If you’ve never stopped to consider what kind of ice cubes are in your drink, you’re actually in the minority of Americans who have a strong preference.
Pewaukee-based startup Rockhopper Ice Collective hopes to tap into consumers’ ice preferences and give restaurants an all-in-one solution.
Co-founders Daniel Guenther and Josh Cartellone are in the final stages of building an ice machine that can make almost any ice cube shape imaginable.
The duo previously worked together at Accenture before Guenther left the company. He was unsure what he wanted to do, but knew he wanted to enter the realm of entrepreneurship.
The men, who are both trained engineers, continued to keep in touch and in January 2023, a light bulb went off.
Cartellone was out to dinner with his wife, Emily, when she questioned why customers can’t choose what kind of ice cubes they want in their drink.
“Josh texted me and said, ‘Hey Dan. Ice should be on the menu. I replied and was like what the heck are you talking about?” said Guenther.
Both men dove into research and quickly found that Cartellone’s wife is not the only consumer with a strong preference for a certain kind of ice cube. A quick search on Tik Tok showed 1.7 billion users have viewed ice-related videos on the app.
“When I grew up, we had Folgers coffee on the counter. That was what your parents and grandparents had to drink,” said Guenther. “There was no such thing as different kinds of coffee, you had two choices. Now, everyone has a preference. We thought ice could be going through a similar trend.”
[caption id="attachment_594415" align="alignleft" width="300"] Donut-shaped ice cubes. Image courtesy of Rockhopper Ice Collective.[/caption]
Guenther and Cartellone first considered the possibility of opening a store that would sell different kinds of ice. Through their discussions with restaurant equipment distributors, they realized there isn’t a single machine that can make varying cube shapes.
“I called and said I wanted to make the chewy ice that they make at Sonic and I also want to make cubes,” said Cartellone. “They said that doesn’t exist, but if you had it, I could sell it to 20 customers today.”
After interviewing 300 people across the country regarding their ice preferences, the men came up with unexpected results. They found most Americans do feel strongly about what kind of ice cubes are served to them.
“There’s really a huge market opportunity for anybody that goes to coffee shops or restaurants,” said Guenther. “No matter what ice a restaurant serves, 60% of people would prefer it be something different.”
This challenge can be difficult for restaurants to solve since they typically only have enough space and money for one ice machine. That’s where Rockhopper’s forthcoming ice machine will help.
The machine will be able to form ice cubes into any shape imaginable as long as the design can fit within a cubic inch.
Once a final version of the machine is complete, restaurants will get the product for free and be charged per drink. Rockhopper will also provide restaurants with continuous maintenance for the machines.
“With every brand that we want to work with, we want to help them develop their own proprietary ice,” said Cartellone. “What would be iconic for Culvers? Maybe an ice cream cone.”
The pair is focused on making sure they have investors lined up to support the actual production of the ice machines.
Rockhopper has raised about $650,000 via a friends and family round and will open a seed round in the near future.
The startup also won the Bright New Idea Award at the 2024 Wisconsin Governor’s Business Plan Contest, as well as the business services category of the competition.
“Josh and I have built a career on building new markets and new products and leveraging technology innovation,” said Guenther. “We worked on blockchain and virtual reality. We just think the best opportunity is now in ice.”
