133-year-old Maine ice producer sold to Philadelphia company
Courtesy / Getchell Bros.
Getchell Bros. Inc., a Brewer ice producer started in 1888 by two teenage brothers, has been acquired by Arctic Glacier LLC of Philadelphia for an undisclosed price.
Getchell Bros. Inc., a Brewer ice producer started in 1888 by two teenage brothers, has been acquired by Arctic Glacier LLC of Philadelphia for an undisclosed price.
The purchase of Getchell Bros., a fourth-generation family-owned business which serves customers throughout Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts, will allow Arctic to serve retail customers and commercial businesses throughout New England, the company said in a news release Thursday.
At the start, J. Calvin Getchell and older brother Fred Getchell, just 14 and 15 years old, originated Getchell Brothers Ice Co. to provide service to the residents of Brewer. Ice was first harvested along the Penobscot River near South Brewer. Later, the harvesting operation moved to the Kenduskeag Stream just below the Bullseye Bridge, and an office was established on Oak Street in Bangor.
Today, Getchell Bros. provides packaged and dry ice for a variety of retail and wholesale purposes. The company operates a high-capacity production facility in Sanford and another production facility in Bangor with additional cold storage capacity.
Well before refrigeration, Maine's ice industry blossomed during the Civil War, when the federal government needed ice for use in military hospitals. Ice was cut along many places on the Penobscot River, and by 1890 Maine was shipping a million tons of ice a year and employed 25,000 ice workers.
“For over 130 years Getchell Bros. has adapted to the times to provide the best service and quality ice products for our customers and opportunities for our employees. Combining our resources and expertise with Arctic Glacier, a long-time strategic partner and leading ice manufacturer and distributor in North America is a natural next step,” said Doug Farnham, president of Getchell Bros.
The acquisition of Getchell Bros. follows the Arctic Glacier’s September acquisition of Diamond Ice in Stockton, Calif., a leading provider of packaged ice and snow event services to customers in the Pacific Northwest.
Arctic Glacier said the two transactions builds its ability to produce and deliver 2.5 billion pounds of certified, food-safe packaged ice annually to customers across the United States and Canada.
From its headquarters in Philadelphia and 51 production facilities and 60 warehouses, Arctic Glacier serves 75,000 customers.
Editor's Note: This article has been revised to include the correct headquarters of Getchell Bros. Inc., in Brewer.
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