Alaska Ice Cream
Adelaide Crystal Ice Company was a South Australian ice manufacturing business founded in 1879 which started manufacturing "Alaska" ice cream in 1915 and in 1922 founded the Alaska Ice Cream Company.
The company was formed in 1879 by Logan, Weber, Barnfield, Lawrance and others and installed American ice-making machinery at their premises, the old Ebenezer Chapel in Ebenezer Place off Rundle Street, with offices in Gresham Chambers, King William Street (later Eagle Chambers, Pirie Street), and a depot in Thebarton. They had ten carts delivering ice to all suburbs, also by paddle-steamer to River Murray towns as far as Wentworth. In 1881 the machinery was moved to Thebarton, where their production capacity was 50 tons a week.
In 1880 the company bought out a rival company and sold its refrigeration plant to a Queensland meat processing business. A second machine was purchased in 1881.
Almost from the outset, the company diversified into other products, some of which seem to bear little relation to the core business of ice-making. The motive behind this decision was the desirability of retaining workers during winter months, when their only occupation was maintenance and overhauling of machinery. Starch: A trial batch of this commodity, which previously had to be imported, was well received at the 1884 Exhibition; production began in 1885, closely followed by cornflour.
In 1898 a new building was constructed at Queen Street, West Thebarton with completely new machinery, imported from Halle. This plant, comprising three independent machines of different capacities, could produce 40 tons of ice per day, and more efficiently, so the price could be reduced by a third.
In 1910 the old ice storage room, which was used as sleeping quarters for some of the workers, was destroyed by fire; some equipment was damaged but prompt action by the Hindmarsh voluntary fire brigade averted a catastrophe.
The company was in the happy situation of being the major supplier in a seller's market, and although highly seasonal, the company made a healthy profit for its shareholders in most years. Crystal's main competition was the Adelaide Ice and Cold Storage Works in Light Square, and in an attempt to control the price of ice, it was purchased in 1910 for £36,000 by the Verran (Labor) South Australian Government. The venture immediately proved troublesome, and after two independent enquiries, the Light Square factory was turned by the Peake government from a derided competitor to a contractor for the supply of ice to Crystal.
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