How do I find a packaged ice business for sale in Canada?

A packaged ice business makes ice, bags it and gets it to stores, event hosts and other customers. It is a small trade, so few listings carry the word ice in the title, and searching for ice cream shops will only send you the wrong way. Treat the search as a mix of careful listing searches and conversations with people who see the business from the outside.

Search the words owners use

Try ice plant, bagged ice, ice manufacturer, ice distributor and ice delivery route, along with cold storage and ice vending. Some sellers describe the business by its equipment or its customers instead, so read listings for beverage supply or food distribution too. Save each search and set an alert. Compare how the same business is described in different places before you decide it is not what you want.

Ask the people who serve the trade

Ice makers depend on equipment suppliers, bagging machine dealers and technicians who service freezers and merchandisers. They often hear when an owner is tired or has no successor. Retailers that stock local ice also know which supplier is reliable. A friendly question to any of them, asked more than once over a few months, can turn up leads that never reach a listing site.

Approaching an owner and weighing a broker

A short, respectful note or visit works best. Say who you are, what you are looking for and that you will keep the conversation private. If a broker is involved, ask whom the broker acts for, because that tells you how to use what you are given. You will want to confirm everything yourself.

• Does the business make its own ice or resell ice it buys in?
• Is it a plant, a delivery route or both?
• Who owns the machines and the freezers in stores?
• Does the owner personally run the busiest weeks?

Once a business looks right

Ask for financial statements under a confidentiality agreement, then use our page on what to check before buying a packaged ice business to plan your questions. The ice cream shop search page is a different trade, but shows how to screen any food business.