Beech Tree News Network

A few years ago while vacationing in Florida Denny Drake saw something that stuck in his mind. It was a vending machine that dispensed bagged or loose ice.

Jump ahead a few years and Denny was looking for a new business venture to open with his wife, Kim, and recalled the Kooler Ice machine in Florida.

“When I first saw them they were just getting started, and they were really expensive,” said Drake. He located the company online at KoolerIce.com, and checked into the possibility of bringing one of the machines to Morgantown.

Drake continued saying, “the prices have gone down, and they have a lot more options now, so I decided to give it a try.” 

As of this week Drake has brought 21st-century ice sales to Butler County with the opening of his KoolerIce machine on his lot next to Save-A-Lot in Morgantown, where the old Dalton’s #2 was located. The machine is open 24/7 and allows users to pay with cash, coins, debit/credit cards, or with gift certificates for the machine.

Unlike bagged ice sold in stores, KoolerIce isn’t pre-bagged, which means it also isn’t frozen into a lump that needs to be broken apart before going into your cooler.
“It’s a great machine,” said Denny Drake, “you can get your ice in a bag, and it’s loose because it hasn’t sat in the bag and frozen together.” The machine also gives users the option of dispensing loose ice directly into a cooler.

Like most things nowadays the machine is connected to the internet, which allows Denny and Kim to monitor activity from their smart phones. They can check sales, make sure the machine is operating properly, and get alerts when bags and other accessories need to be restocked.

Once the machine is installed and operating there is basically no overhead other than water and electricity. That means that the ice sold from the Drakes’ KoolerIce machine is cheaper than pre-bagged ice sold in stores.

“We sell ten-pound bags for $1.50, and 20-pound bags for $3.00,” said Drake. And don’t worry that there won’t be ice available. The machine holds 1,850 pounds of ice, and makes more anytime the supply starts to diminish. “It always has enough ice to fill 185 bags,” said Denny.

According to the Drakes, their location gives the machine one more advantage over ice sold in stores. “You can pull your vehicle right up to the machine, which will be really handy for anyone pulling a boat or trailer. Just pull up, grab your ice, and go.”

Story by Joe K. Morris, Beech Tree News