Lux Ice, a company that redefines the art of crystal-clear craft ice, moves HQ to Dallas
Dallas, Texas – In a noteworthy business development in North Texas, a company named Lux Ice, celebrated for its premium craft ice production, has officially transitioned its corporate headquarters and core manufacturing center to Dallas’ Flower Mound.
Lux Ice new HQ is a 45,000-square-foot facility in Dallas’ Flower Mound
This spacious 45,000-square-foot facility not only underscores Flower Mound’s burgeoning business landscape but also paves the way for potentially creating job opportunities for around 100 professionals, and facilitating an annual production capacity of an impressive 16 million pounds of Lux’s uniquely crafted spherical ice.
Michael Crouse, recently inaugurated as the CEO of Lux Ice, expressed his grand vision for the brand’s future.
“We envision a day where you go to a restaurant and they ask ‘Would you like regular ice or Lux?’” Lux Ice CEO Michael Crouse said as reported by Dallas Morning News.
The rising prominence of this specialty ice is evident, especially when giant consumer electronics brand LG Electronics has integrated capabilities to produce this type of ice in their refrigerators. Catering to an upscale clientele, Lux’s craft ice has gained significant traction in high-end bars and restaurants. Testament to its surging demand, it’s available in an estimated 4,000 retail venues, predominantly scattered across the eastern part of the U.S.
Adding another feather to his illustrious cap, Crouse, who has previously helmed significant roles such as the president of U.S. Foodservice at Kraft Heinz and vice president of U.S. Supermarkets at PepsiCo, took the reins at Lux Ice this Tuesday. He elucidated his intention of steering the company with an ambitious and robust growth trajectory.
“We don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves, and the United States is our first market. We want to be nationwide,” Crouse said. “But in the future phases of our growth plan, we’re looking to go international as well.”
Lux Ice managed to raise $4 million in its Series A financing round earlier this year
Earlier this year, Lux Ice achieved a significant milestone by raising a substantial $4 million in its Series A financing round. This financial boost was pivotal in the company’s strategic relocation from its erstwhile base in Langhorne, Pa., to the state of Texas, as articulated by company insiders.
Check also: Amazon’s mega hiring spree, 13,000 new jobs headed to Dallas-Fort Worth with average pay of $20.50
Historically, Lux Ice has concentrated its efforts on household consumers. However, in order to attain the next phase of growth and industry dominance, Michael Crouse, the CEO, emphasizes the imperative of extending its reach. Targeting an eclectic mix of establishments ranging from restaurants, vibrant nightclubs, sophisticated bars, to luxury hotels, Lux Ice endeavors to ensure its bespoke ice product graces these venues.
“There’s so much more to go both on retail and expanding nationwide into the much larger food service segments of the marketplace,” Crouse said. “The challenge with that is no one has had the manufacturing capability to scale it nationwide. The Lux positioning is to scale craft ice nationwide; that’s why we built our production facility in Flower Mound.”
Also read: Frontier Communications chooses Dallas as new home base, creating thousands of jobs
Although Lux’s distinctive craft ice marks its presence across 20 states, the vast Texan market remains untapped. However, Crouse anticipates this scenario will soon change. He projects that by Thanksgiving, the state will witness the debut of Lux’s spherical ice, given that negotiations with myriad retailers nationwide are in full swing.
While Lux Ice’s pricing spectrum, ranging between $5.99 and $6.99 for a package of six, might appear steep to some, Crouse, undeterred, envisions a massive latent demand that the brand is primed to satisfy.
Check also: Anthem Development’s bold project to bring Lofts iThirty at DART’s Lake Ray Hubbard station
“Most fine-dining restaurants have some type of craft ice in their operations, many of them are trying to make it on their own,” Crouse said. “But they can’t make the clear sphere that consumers want, it’s still a cloudy block. So that’s why we’re so excited about the opportunity to take an emerging category and explode it with our ability to scale and deliver quality every day.”