Keeping Cool at all Hours

Sometimes it takes a party to spark a business idea.

That was the inspiration behind Insta-Ice, a recently opened business that deals in vending machines—dubbed Kooler Ice machines—that sell ice all day, every day.

According to Woodrow Hankins, one of the proprietors of the business, his partner  and friend Joe Mosby had been sent out to get ice after midnight at a family reunion in Tennessee, when all of the stores were closed.

“He happened on an ice vending machine in a parking lot,” said Hankins.

The two then looked into the viability of bringing these types of machines into southeastern Michigan, where they believe there is a market niche to be had. Their first machine, located at the Bait & Tackle Box in Trenton on Jefferson, has been in operation since April, and Hankins said feedback has been pretty positive so far.

“It’s good to hear reactions and feedback, from getting ice at 3 in the morning to ‘How do I put money in?’” said Hankins. “Because the ice is not trucked in, the cost is kept really low. We’re charging about the same for a 10-pound bag of ice that folks would pay at Kroger for a 7-pound bag.”

Hankins said that the water comes from the municipal water table, and as such all the machine needs to run is access to water and power.

Using a specially designed iPhone application, Hankins said that he can track the number of bags sold, and be kept aware of any problems a customer may have. He added that there is even a function that allows him to dispense a free bag remotely to a customer having trouble.

The machine dispenses 10-pound bags of ice in “about seven seconds,” and can also dispense filtered water in one- or five-gallon amounts. The ice is already broken up, as well, and is ready to be used for drinks, coolers, fishing buckets, and anything else the user would need ice for.

The current location was in fact chosen due to its “flexibility,” said Hankins. It is in close proximity to and the boating community, where Hankins said customers tend to come by early in the morning for ice when other outlets may be closed. The machine is also located by the bridge to Grosse Ile and the major intersection with Van Horn. The Bait & Tackle Box also shares in the revenue brought in by the existing machine, and Hankins said that they are looking into expanding their business.

“We’d like to help people place them in viable areas,” said Hankins, citing examples such as blue-collar areas and near parks. “We’re working with a few convenience stores to get machines there, so they can gain revenues while they’re closed."