Leadership: Co-founders Daniel Guenther and Josh Cartellone
Headquarters: Pewaukee
Website: rockhopperice.com
What it does: Creating an ice machine that can make custom-shaped cubes
Founded: 2023
Employees: 2
Next goals: Lining up investors to support production
Funding: Raised $650,000 through a friends and family round
If you’ve ever stopped to consider what kind of ice cubes are in your drink, you’re in the majority of Americans who have a preference for their ice.
Pewaukee-based startup Rockhopper Ice Collective wants to tap into consumers’ ice preferences and give restaurants an all-in-one solution. Co-founders Daniel Guenther and Josh Cartellone are in the final stages of building an ice machine that can make almost any ice cube shape imaginable.
The duo previously worked together at Accenture before Guenther left the company. He was unsure what he wanted to do but knew he wanted to enter the world of entrepreneurship.
The men, who are both trained engineers, continued to keep in touch and in January 2023, a light bulb went off.
Cartellone was out to dinner with his wife, Emily, when she questioned why customers can’t choose what kind of ice cubes to have in their drink.
“Josh texted me and said, ‘Hey Dan. Ice should be on the menu,’” Guenther recalled.
Both men dove into research and quickly found that Emily was not the only consumer with a preferred ice.
“When I grew up, we had Folgers coffee on the counter. That was what your parents and grandparents had to drink,” said Guenther. “There was no such thing as different kinds of coffee, you had two choices. Now, everyone has a preference. We thought ice could be going through a similar trend.”
The men initially considered the possibility of opening a store that would sell different kinds of ice. Through their discussions with restaurant equipment distributors, they realized there isn’t a single machine that can make varying ice cube shapes.
“I called and said I wanted to make the chewy ice that they make at Sonic, and I also want to make cubes,” said Cartellone. “They said that doesn’t exist, but if you had it, I could sell it to 20 customers today.”
Next, the men interviewed 300 people about their ice preferences and found that 60% of people have a favorite type of ice. Serving more than one kind of ice can be difficult for restaurants since they typically only have enough space and money for one ice machine. That’s where Rockhopper’s forthcoming ice machine will help.
The startup’s machine will be able to form ice cubes into any shape imaginable as long as the design can fit within a cubic inch.
Once a final version of the machine is complete, restaurants will get the product for free and be charged per drink. Rockhopper will also provide restaurants with continuous maintenance for the machines.
“With every brand that we want to work with, we want to help them develop their own proprietary ice,” said Cartellone. “What would be iconic for Culvers? Maybe an ice cream cone (-shaped ice cube).”
The pair is focused on making sure they have investors lined up to support the actual production of the ice machines.
Rockhopper has raised about $650,000 through a friends and family round and will soon open a seed round.
“Josh and I have built a career on building new markets and new products and leveraging technology innovation,” said Guenther. “We worked on blockchain and virtual reality. We just think the best opportunity is now in ice.”
