Bloks ice cube factory manufactures and markets ice cubes made from Finnish water with Finnish labor. Arto Manninen and his brother Harri Vigilant founded the first Finnish nationwide ice cube factory to Salo, in 2013.
Many have asked where the crazy idea to set up an ice cube factory came from. To this Arto Manninen answers: “I was on a hunting trip in southern Estonia in the middle of winter. We stopped in the middle of nowhere to buy windshield washer fluid. When I saw ice cubes for sale at the gas station, I thought that if they sell here, they will sell in Finland too.”
In 2023, Bloks decided to expand its product range with crushed ice and ice balls. Trading started by importing Norwegian Mr. Iceman products.
We Finns can’t do without each other, so we use Finnish services as much as possible. We have a Finnish bank, insurance company, transport company and customers.
We also try as much as possible to employ young people and service providers in our region. We are located in Halikko, Salo, Finland. So we are a local domestic.
The quality and safety of our products consists of a lenghty process, which is described in more detail on social media.
Environmental issues are part of Bloks Oy’s responsible business strategy. In addition to personnel and partners, this covers energy issues, water consumption, waste management and material procurement.
In energy procurement, we are at least CO2 neutral – or, as is currently the case, 100% renewable (solar power). We use energy-efficient technology in the factory (including ice machines). We are switching to LED lighting.
We strive to minimize water consumption by increasingly using refrigerants in closed circuits for cooling.
In waste processing, we are connected to the infrastructure that takes care of sorting and recycling mixed, plastic and cardboard waste. We take care of the recycling of wood, metal and glass ourselves.
In material procurement, we strive for recycled material and/or its recyclability. For example, staff uniforms are made of recycled material.
We communicate responsibly about environmental issues.
