Twice the Ice vending machine now at Midway Shopping Center

It’s about to be cooler-using season in the Cape Region, and Sean Kane and Kami Banks Kane are offering a new ice-making and filtered water vending machine at Midway Shopping Center to serve the masses. 

It’s a fairly new thing for Sussex County, but there are several in Florida, said Kane. It’s been well received and been a good business, he said.

Located on the shopping center’s parking lot between Candy Kitchen and La Tonalteca, the U-Haul-truck-sized white structure is noticeable from Route 1. The ice maker can make 6,000 pounds of ice in 24 hours, said Kane. There are other machines with the same capabilities, but this model is the largest ice maker on the East Coast, he said.

According to the Twice the Ice website, there are more than 3,300 locations worldwide. The Rehoboth location is the fifth for the husband-and-wife team, who have the franchise rights for Sussex County. They opened their first at Banks Wine & Spirits in Millville, which is owned by Banks Kane.

Banks Kane said the thought in adding ice vending machines is that people going to the beach and going fishing will be using a lot of the ice. However, the filtered water has been surprisingly popular, she said.

The water goes through a four-step filtering process, said Kane. The in-house electronics are linked to his phone, so they can monitor use and filter life. Filters get changed every couple of weeks, he said.

The vending machine is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Ice comes in bags of 10 and 20 pounds, and loose in 20 pounds. The water is available in 1-, 3- and 5-gallon quantities, and also offers a rinsing option. The ice takes cash and credit, while the water takes only credit.

The installation of the vending machine in Rehoboth isn’t the last on the list for the couple. The goal is to be in Milton, Georgetown and Milford in the next year or two, said Kane.