1890 - ‘Manufacturers of Pure Ice...’
BICO began as the West Indies and British Guiana Ice Company Ltd in 1890
by Messrs. George Whitfield, at the corner of Victoria and Middle Street and
was then described as “Manufacturers of pure ice” because they produced only
ice.
1900 - The Barbados Ice Company
On May 24, 1900, the company was purchased by J.R. Bancroft and others
who then formed a new company called the Barbados Ice Company.
1901 - Amalgamation
In 1901, the Bridgetown Crystal Ice Company Ltd. and the Barbados Ice
Company amalgamated and a new company called the Barbados Ice Company Ltd
was formed, and registered under the Joint Stock Companies Act. In December
1901, the Barbados Ice Company Ltd. began operations on Bay Street.
1910 - Addition of Cold Storage
In its early years the Barbados Ice Company was engaged exclusively in
ice manufacture, but in 1910 the Directors felt that the addition of cold
storage facilities would be greatly beneficial to the public. The Company’s
cold storage facility at that period consisted of seven rooms having a total
capacity of 20,493 cubic feet, with temperatures ranging from 10 degrees to
40 degrees Fahrenheit. These rooms were cooled by direct expansion ammonia
coolers thermostatically controlled and were utilized by the mercantile
community as well as by private individuals.
1949 - Ice cream! Ice cream!
In 1949 under the management of Mr. Noel Peirce and chairmanship of Mr.
Victor Goddard, the Barbados Ice Company Ltd. decided to expand into ice
cream production, and a modern ice cream plant was installed in 1950,
equipped with the most up-to-date machinery for the pasteurizing,
homogenizing, freezing and packaging of ice cream...
1964 - New facilities for Cold Storage & Ice Cream
In 1964 Mr. Errol Barrow, Premier of Barbados, (later Prime Minister)
invited the Barbados Ice Company line to set up a cold storage facility at
the newly completed (1961) Deep Water Harbour, and while building the new
cold store facilities, they decided to build a modern ice cream plant as
well.
[return to top]
