Ogden company puts heat wave on ice

OGDEN, Utah — Utah may be in the grips of a heat wave, but people inside one Ogden business have worn their coats and hoodies summer long.

You could say they are toughing out the cold to keep up with the dog days of summer.

Workers at Mountain Brand Ice have bagged billions of cubes of ice so they can be ready for busy summer weekends.

“We’re talking about half a million bags of ice that we can store up,” said owner David Bornemeier.

His company has been stockpiling ice since February, preparing for the months when we all want it most.

“It takes a lot of effort at the beginning of the year to prep for all of the activities that everybody wants to do across the Wasatch Front,” said Bornemeier.

The workers bag and pack the ice in an area that’s about 40 degrees.

“It’s part of our workforce benefits package this time of year. If you’re hot outside, it’s a good place to be,” Bornemeier said.

It’s frickin’ freezing in here! Thanks a lot, @KSL5TV. This is my story for tonight at 6pm. I’ll also tell you why there’s always a hole in the middle of those ice cubes. pic.twitter.com/GwZAWRJaTe

— Mike Anderson (@mikeandersonKSL) July 20, 2022

Step inside their giant warehouse-sized freezer and you’ll see the stacks upon stacks of ice put away for all those busy times.

Bornemeier described what it’s like.

“Absolutely below zero. It feels like January here in Utah, but it’s July, August and it feels like it outside, but it doesn’t feel like it inside,” he said.

The ice is freeze-dried before it’s bagged, to keep it from sticking together.

And what about the hole in those cubes?

“It’s one of man’s mysteries right,” Bornemeier added. “Ice cubes are formed from the outside in. And so you start on the outside of the cube and then we time the freezing process just short of the hole closing in.”

Mystery solved.

“It’s actually better to have the hole in there so there’s more surface area for your cold drink,” he explained.

There it is, the science of selling ice in the middle of Ogden where you can find a very cold pocket in the middle of a heatwave.

“We love the cold, that’s part of our process,” he laughed.

Mountain Brand Ice has made and delivered ice for nearly a decade all over the Wasatch Front.