Hyland Ice Supply
A family run business serving central Ontario since 1945
Production and Head Office, WilberforceDistribution Centers, Orillia and Gravenhurst
800-321-6686 Toll Free
705-448-2973 Phone
705-448-2860 Fax
Email Us
Our History
Hyland Ice Supply, a family run business since 1945, is a manufacturer and major supplier of high quality Packaged Ice to the retail market in the Central Ontario region, and one of the largest independent Ice Companies in Ontario. We provide timely delivery of Ice at competitive prices, and quality Ice merchandising equipment as required. We are responsible for all repairs to Merchandisers and replacement of Ice due to equipment malfunction.
In 2008, Hyland Ice commissioned our new plant in Wilberforce, ON. We have the most modern Ice plant in Canada and were the first Ice plant in Canada to have a Keith Walking Floor, which is the cleanest Ice Bin in the industry.
Ontario water problems forced many industries to have their water quality checked on an ongoing basis. We as a Company have been doing this for many years whereby an Independent laboratory tests not only our water, but our Ice as well. Also, our local health unit does an annual Food Processing Plant Inspection.
Hyland Ice Supply sat on the Federal Government funded HACCP creation committee for the Canadian Packaged Ice Industry. HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points) is a program which addresses food safety and quality control in food plant operations. We are working with other members in the Ice industry to achieve these standards industry wide.
More History
Hyland Ice Supply was started by Mel Croft near Wilberforce, Ontario, which is half-way between Haliburton and Bancroft in the Haliburton Highlands. He cut ice out of Lake Wilbermere during the winter of 1945. He then moved the Ice in an open truck to an “Ice Storage Area” and buried the Ice with sawdust acquired from a local saw mill.
The following summer Mel dug the ice out of the sawdust and washed it off with fresh water. He then cut it into smaller pieces with a chainsaw and delivered the Ice to local cottages, homes and businesses as there was little to no hydro to run refrigerators.
As the years went by, Mel added more machinery to make the job more efficient. He took the wheel off of his Model “T” Ford and mounted a circular saw in place of the wheel, which he used to cut the Ice on the lake. Another invention was a conveyor system built out of wood with steel chains powered by a “Putt” engine to lift the Ice out of the lake and into trucks.
Mel always said he was lucky, as adjacent to his “Lake Operations” was a local blacksmith, Albert Saunders. Albert helped Mel build the designs that Mel had in his head. It was also a great place to warm up. On one occasion, Mel’s truck fell through the ice and Albert used his team of horses to pull the truck into the heated blacksmith shop.
In 1954 Mel married Bessie Lee. She started to look after the books as well as helped wash sawdust off of the Ice.
In 1968 Mel bought 2 Ice cubers which made about 1200 pounds of Ice per day. A few years later he added a 3 Ton Turbo Ice Maker. He continued to add more production equipment, Ice storage facilities and customers.
In 1986 Mel and Bessie’s son Mike and wife Barb came back into the business. As a family business, Hyland Ice continued to grow, buying other Ice companies, adding customers, buildings, trucks, production equipment and staff.
In 2003 Hyland Ice started to build a new production facility at its Wilberforce location. New, state of the art Ice making equipment, a totally stainless steel Morris Tube Cube Ice maker, the only one of its kind in Ontario was installed. Hyland also added a Keith Walking Floor Ice Bin; the “Cadillac” of Ice Bins. This was the first of its kind in an Ice plant in Canada.
Mel and Bessie continue to own and operate Hyland Ice Supply with the help of their son Mike and valued staff.
Hyland Ice has 2 plants with total capacity of 100 tons of Ice daily in Wilberforce. Hyland also has 3 large warehouses in Wilberforce and operates up to 14 Delivery Vehicles from there.
Hyland has a large warehouse in Orillia, Ontario. A distributor, Armco Dairy from Elmvale, operates from there with multiple Delivery Vehicles.
Hyland also has a distributor, Ralph Scales and staff who operate out of his Gravenhurst warehouse with up to 5 Delivery Vehicles.
Hyland Ice has an affiliation with Aqua Ice in Scarborough, Ontario.
Hyland Ice supplies high quality Packaged Ice to Central Ontario, from the Ottawa Valley to Georgian Bay and is well suited to handle all of your Packaged Ice needs.
