Twice the Ice: How to Invest in Ice Vending Machines and Make Money
A clever way to generate passive income.
In this article we are going to talk about the Twice the Ice, the leading brand of ice-vending machines.
The ice generator machine was invented and patented in 1851. The man who invented this machine was John Gorrie, the “father of refrigeration.”
After a while, other people figured out how to profit from that type of machine.
Investing in a vending machine is a clever way to generate passive income. This business does not include employing people to sell the ice. Instead, a machine does everything for you.
All you have to do is to be creative (and strategic) about the ice maker machine location.
What Is Twice The Ice?
Twice The Ice is a popular brand of self-service vending machines around the USA. You might have seen many kiosks in parking lots and roadways selling quality ice for a pretty affordable price.
Twice the Ice is a product by Ice House America, a company manufacturing and operating ice and filtered water machines. It is a complete machine that produces, packs, and sells bags of ice.
The customers simply put cash in the machine and choose whether they want to get a 16lb bag of ice or 20lb, dispensed directly in the customers’ containers or coolers.
One by one, the number of TTI vending machines recently increased to 3,300.
The owners of this company were motivated by the need to sell safe and clean ice that hasn’t been touched with human hands. This is also a reason why this ice is half the price of a bag bought in a regular store.
There is no distribution, employees, or other big expenses. All you have to pay is the franchise fee (9%) and the rent for the location.
People come, insert money in the machine, and get the ice.
The money inside the machine is your profit for the vending machine business.
Are Ice Vending Machines a Good Investment?
If you see the vending machine with the eyes of a future entrepreneur, it is an excellent chance to increase your earnings.
Having a vending machine is a low-maintenance and low-risk business that might be a great business model beginning.
Since the machine does everything independently, you don’t have to pay employees, inventory, stock, or payroll. The income is passive, increasing your budget without requiring too much effort.
The making of 10lbs ice will cost you $0,07. The selling price for 10lbs ranges from $2 to $3, which is affordable for most customers and brings you over 4,000% markup.
The maintenance of the machine is pretty affordable and easy. Specifically, with the TTI machines, all components and changeable parts are easy to change.
The price for a machine may range from $20K to $150K, depending on the size, products, and optional equipment.
If you choose a good location for your vending machine, the approximate monthly profit might be something between $3,500 and $3,900. That would be over $40K in passive income in a year.
In other words, you can pay off the machine in more-less than two years until you take that money as a net profit for yourself and your future investments.
How Much Does an Ice Vending Machine Cost?
The price for a vending machine can be as low as $20,000 and as high as over $150,000.
The difference is in the ice-making process and the quality. Also, each vending machine has different equipment, technology, and certifications that determine the price.
Machine cost
TTI has four vending machine types.
The biggest one is a whole machine-making house, while the smallest is an ice merchant. The price depends on the machine type, production, storage capacity, and machine size.
Depending on the machine type and special equipment you opt for, it may cost you as little as $60.000 or over $135.000 for a whole ice-making house.
The machine’s size and location determine the rent fee. This is an extra fee you have to pay each month for the ice machine.
Machine maintenance is relatively cheap. All parts are replaceable and easy to purchase. But, you are free of maintenance expenses for the first year because all TTI machines come with a one-year warranty period.
Also, you should pay a franchise fee and a 9% royalty on gross sales. The franchise fee on franchise models can be more-less than $5.000 a year.
If you are interested in starting a business with TTI, all you have to do is to contact the company through their official website.
They will help you choose a type of machine based on how much you are willing to invest.
How Much Can I Make Per Year with Twice the Ice?
How much you can make with the TTI machine depends not only on the type of machine you choose, but also on the location you choose.
For example, a good location for a vending machine might be a parking lot, a construction site, a marina, a park, a college, a mall, etc.
Before considering the profit, you must choose a location that will target customers who need bigger amounts of ice and water.
Customer traffic is the key factor required for your monthly profit from the vending machine.
The price for a bag of ice ranges from $1.50 to $3. If you opt for a Merchant machine, you can make up to 250 bags of 10lbs per day.
If you sell 50 bags per day for $2, you have $100 for that day.
Also, if you keep this tempo, the yearly income from the vending machine might get over $35,000.
Placing a bigger vending machine in a location with bigger traffic will bring you a higher income. Anyway, other factors still play a role in the passive income amount.
However, this is an approximate calculation based on averagely taken factors, conditions, and sale volume.
How Do I Start an Ice-Vending Machine Business with TTI?
If you are interested in starting a vending machine business with TTI, you can visit their website and fill out their form.
In the form, you should choose the investment range and vending machine type in which you are interested.
Share the location you have in mind and tell something more about your business plans.
You can also call the company and ask for more information and options about starting the vending business with Twice The Ice machines.
The operators will let you choose the machine’s equipment and technology, then calculate the total price for the investment.
You can also call them at (888) 391–8065 or email them at or email sales@icehouseamerica.com.
Are There Twice the Ice Alternatives?
You can find hundreds of TTI vending machines around the USA, however, keep in mind that Twice the Ice is the leading brand in this branch.
The key difference between TTI and any other brand from the competition is in the patented mechanism of making ice.
Also, there are many differences in the maintenance and production amount.
If you are interested in the alternatives, here are three other brands you may find around.
We will try to sum up each alternative’s advantages and possible drawbacks to tell you whether Twice The Ice is better or not.
The Ice Depot
The Ice Depot claims that its vending machines are simple, reliable, and affordable. We could not find a specific price range for an Ice Depot machine because it depends on individual factors.
But, the seller says its machines are $20,000 less expensive than other competitors.
These vending machines come in one size and three upgradeable capacities.
These machines also have a patented design that reduces the number of moving parts, which is a good advantage of this brand.
If you opt for this brand, you will have the opportunity to upgrade your machine, adding remote monitoring, led illumination, custom graphics, etc.
Also, the machine supports multiple payment options, like credit cards, debit cards, coins, bills, and coupons.
Everest
The main characteristic of Everest vending machines is its patented one-moving-part VersaVend system. The storage and dispensing system is an exclusive advantage of Everest and water systems.
Another considerable advantage is the multi-filter system that cleans the water before making ice with it.
- The 10-micron sediment pre-filter removes all solids and traces from the water;
- The 50-micron black carbon filters remove the chlorine, taste, chemicals, and odors;
- Scale reduction filter that protects the ice from hard water;
- The UV sterilization that gives safe and clean drinkable water;
- Everest has four ice vending machine models with different ice-producing capacities;
- There is no information about the price range for the Everest machines.
Ice Rebus
Ice Rebus machines are EU-certified and meet top-quality standards. Also, these machines are eco-friendly and equipped with smart-city technology.
These vending machines are protective against the environment and offer recycling termo bags to support plastic elimination.
These machines are way cheaper than other competitors and range between 13,000 and 16,000 euros. The price depends on the upgrades and technology you choose for the machine you want to purchase.
The capacity of Ice Rebus machines is 180 kg. The machine stops its ice production when the storage is full and continues the production when the cube storage goes down as the product gets sold.
Among the customization options, you can choose the payment options, filtration, and external design of the machine.
KoolerIce
KoolerIce is another popular vending machine company. The selling range of this company is two times smaller than TTI and is around 1,600 machines in different parts of the USA, Canada, France, and Australia.
The company claims that its vending machines are an outstanding product and come at a competitive price.
These machines are designed with innovative technologies and have earned multiple certifications for safety and quality. Among the main advantages of this brand, we will mention:
- It has automatically bagging;
- It provides low utility costs;
- There is easy electronics replacement;
- There are multiple bag choices;
- It has lightning;
- Exclusive IceTalk remote monitoring system;
- Excellent sales support for everyone interested in buying a KooerIce machine.
Conclusion
It’s never too late to build your own ice vending business empire and start making a passive income.
Extend the network and build your own chain of vending machines. Become a new supplier for local restaurants and bars and see how the income increases with just a little effort.
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