Geoff Edwards, founder of ICE Catering Equipment, has been in the industry for 30 years. “I was previously a chef, café owner and worked for Southern Hospitality from 2005 until January this year, with a couple of stints working in Australia and the UK for catering equipment manufacturers and distributors,” he said. While at Southern Hospitality he worked his way up from a sales rep to key account manager to branch manager. After a number of years of thinking about going out on his own, he decided to take the plunge.
By Edwards’ estimation, ICE is the only purely online catering equipment and supplies company in New Zealand. Noting the rise of online showrooms across the Tasman and the subsequent lack of equivalents in New Zealand, he made the choice to go online. ICE advertises its prices often with specials discounting further from the already low prices.
A personal touch is important. Edwards aims to respond to any enquires straight away, and personally answers his freephone number any time of the day or night. “I understand the hours hospitality owners and their teams work, and I don’t stop working at 5 pm or the weekends.”
Edwards doesn’t limit himself – ICE sells “everything from teaspoons to large commercial ovens!” As an independent company ICE is not tied to certain brands like larger suppliers, and can offer any brand available in New Zealand. ICE doesn’t import anything from overseas, and uses local suppliers and manufacturers. “I like to help them to grow, creating local jobs and keep New Zealand’s economy growing,” he said.
ICE Catering Equipment seeks to provide quality equipment at the best possible price, keeping overheads low and passing the savings on to the customers. “Having been a café owner before, I understand firsthand how tough it is out there,” explained Edwards. “Every cent matters, and if I can help reduce their costs I’ve succeeded.”
