In the heat of summer, it’s easy to grab some ice cubes from the fridge and pour yourself a cold drink. But in earlier times, ice in the summer was a luxury for only the rich, and it was nonexistent in tropical climates.
One man from Boston changed that — and made a fortune in the process.
Frederic Tudor began in 1806 by harvesting ice from New England’s winter ponds (Walden Pond was one), packing it in sawdust and hay, and sending it south. His first shipment — about 130 tons that took a three-week journey to the Caribbean island of Martinique — melted fast when it got there.
Instead of giving up, Tudor decided to build insulated storage centers at the ports of his destinations. He primed the market by giving bartenders free ice. Once customers took a liking to it, he started to charge and a luxury product for southern climates was born.
Later, he began selling ice to butchers, dairymen and fishmongers. So a side effect of the ice market was the start of the age of refrigeration.
But Tudor’s biggest triumph may have been the 16,000-mile, 130-day voyage in 1833 that first brought ice to steamy India.
Thanks New York Times!