Ice Makers

Adding the right amount and quality of ice to a drink will not only keep it chilled but enhance the flavour and customer experience. Commercial ice makers, or ice machines, provide a reliably consistent source of ice in a variety of shapes and sizes. If you're looking for more detailed guidance on how to buy the ice machine that suits your business, check out our ice machine buying guide.

Types of ice makers or ice machines

With a range of ice machines and makers that produce various forms of ice, it's important to find the right one to suit your business.

Ice machines generally refer to stand-alone appliances that produce large volumes of ice for industrial purposes. Our range includes the Polar G-Series Under Counter Ice Machine that can specifically produce up to 50kg of soft, bullet-shaped ice and the appliance can be tucked underneath counters making it very convenient for pubs, bars and food courts that have limited spacing. We also have the Ice-O-Matic Bistro Cube Ice Machinethat produces individually made, solid, crystal clear, slow-melting ice cubes with an output of 57kg per 24 hours and comes with a 22kg integral ice storage bin.

Ice crushers are designed to make the process of crushing large volumes of ice - such as our Caterlite Ice Crusher that has a volume capacity of 12 kgs - faster, safer, and easier so that ice can be added to cocktails or even to present certain beverage or dessert items in display fridges.

Ice can also be used and served in flakes and there are ice flakers that do just this. While the prices of these ice machines are on the steeper end, these can produce dry and granular ice in flat, irregular shapes perfect for preserving and presenting fresh fish and meat on counter displays. A good ice flaker would come with an antibacterial compound that reduces the risk of bacterial build up within the ice container. It would also have a large holding capacity, such as the Ice-O-Matic Modular Flake Machine, which can hold and flake up to 343 kgs of ice at a time.

Ice Accoutrements

There are, of course, other accoutrements or accessories that can be used in conjunction with ice, such as ice buckets and ice buckets with lids, to keep wine and alcohol or bottled beverages chilled in style. There's also the matter of considering how to present the ice-cold items that look the most appealing and appetising.

We have a wide range of cocktail shakers, cocktail glasses, glass tumblers and paper straws for you to choose from to bring out the best in your mixology and dessert-making efforts. For example, we have the Olympia 3-Piece Cobbler Shaker which is great for making classic cocktails and comes with an in-built strainer making it incredibly quick and easy to use. We also have the Libbey Speakeasy Nick & Nora Glasses set that's known to be a stylish alternative to the traditional martini glass with a greater holding capacity and better storability.