Global Traders Award - Innovation 2009

Innovation 2009

Bronze - Ice Lounges in Hot Locations Fuel Export Success

The ice industry has come a long way since the art began in the 18th century.

Just ask Julian Bayley, who says his family business, Iceculture, has helped bring the business side of ice sculpture into the 21st century with computer-controlled technology which rivals that in the auto and aircraft industries.

Iceculture, based about one hour north of London in Hensall, Ontario, won this year's bronze Ontario Global Trader Award (OGTA) in the Innovation - Exports category. The company won for its innovations in developing ice carving equipment, as well as for the concept of marketing ice lounges, which are now located around the world.

"Being recognized with this OGTA honour has a lot of value, especially for our staff - designers, production people and those who build our installations," says Julian, vice president of research and development and resident visionary.

The company started as a hobby nearly 25 years ago when Julian and his wife, Ann, both had other careers. First, they produced ice bowls for events like weddings. Today, Iceculture is one of the leading ice companies in the world, employing up to 60 people at peak times. A large part of the business is producing and exporting 300-pound crystal clear ice blocks for carving throughout North America and to Britain and Europe, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. Iceculture has also supplied ice for the Quebec ice hotel and equipment for the renowned ice hotel in Sweden.

Heidi Bayley brought in event planning experience when she joined the company about 15 years ago. Julian credits his daughter for opening up new export markets and taking Iceculture in a new direction. She is currently general manager and heads up the design department. Sister Christine is in charge of sales and brother Sam oversees the plant and production.

Eight years ago, Iceculture was first in the ice industry to use CNC (Computer Numeric Control) router technology, with an electronic tool that is much faster and more accurate for carving ice than human hands.

Five years ago, Iceculture partnered with a California-based company to develop the first and only 3-D ice carving machine. "This machine can produce highly detailed sculptures every 60 seconds," said Julian. "It introduces a speed and accuracy to sculpting ice that has never been possible before."

The company has also used its expertise and technology to develop a niche market: ice lounges.

Iceculture has now built a total of 14 ice lounges in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Portugal, India, the U.S. and Canada, including one in Toronto. Crystal clear ice appears to have a lot of appeal in warm climates. New Delhi will soon get its first ice lounge and, in Dubai, the company will shortly refurbish the ice restaurant it built two years ago. A client in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia also wants an ice restaurant. Bahrain is yet another potential market.

"The ice lounge is all about the ice experience," says Julian. "People dress up insulated, hooded cloaks, get a cocktail served in an ice glass over an ice bar, sit on ice chairs, have their photograph taken, have a quick look round and, typically, they're out in about 35 minutes."

As with other industries, the recession has slowed business for Iceculture. But, says Heidi, "We're not going to let the recession get us down."

For this holiday season she has developed a unique ice crystal Christmas tree and hopes it will be a popular seller. Iceculture is also working on its final prototype of a machine to mass produce round crystal clear ice balls for the beverage industry, a product already popular in Japan.

"We think it will be the first major new development in the packaged ice business," adds Heidi.

"Innovation is key to survival with the current economy," says Julian. "We have to stay in front if we're going to remain a pioneer in this industry."

It is this pioneering spirit combined with Iceculture's talent for innovation and developing new products that caught the attention of the 2009 OGTA judges and continues to attract export markets.

The Ontario Global Traders Awards recognize small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) based in Ontario in the private and not-for-profit sectors. The two categories are Innovation and Market Expansion. The Innovation Award recognizes excellence in the application of existing or new technology in the development of new products or services, and improvements to existing products or services that lead to consistent growth in exports and job creation. The Market Expansion Award recognizes the pioneering spirit of Ontario SMEs that have successfully established themselves in one or more new export markets, in addition to existing markets. For nomination and eligibility criteria, visit the Ontario Chamber of Commerce website at http://occ.on.ca.