Curated News
By: NewsRamp Editorial Staff
October 27, 2025
Bluebox Joins Core-Mark's Elite Partner Program to Revolutionize Ice Vending
TLDR
- Bluebox gains exclusive marketing access through Core-Mark's partnership, providing a competitive edge in reaching convenience retailers across North America starting January 2026.
- Bluebox's Ice-as-a-Service model uses Everest's VersaVend technology to produce two tons of ice daily with 99% uptime through automated 24/7 vending machines.
- This partnership helps convenience stores overcome operational challenges while providing reliable ice access to communities, improving service quality and local business sustainability.
- Bluebox's innovative ice vending machines generate fresh ice around the clock using patented single-moving-part technology that requires virtually no human labor.
Impact - Why it Matters
This partnership matters because it addresses fundamental inefficiencies in the $5 billion packaged ice industry that directly affect consumer access and convenience store profitability. Traditional ice distribution faces chronic issues like stockouts, limited hours, and logistical challenges that leave consumers frustrated during peak demand periods like holidays, weekends, and summer months. By introducing automated, 24/7 ice vending through a service model that requires no upfront investment from retailers, this collaboration could transform how consumers access ice while creating new revenue streams for convenience stores. The timing is particularly relevant as retail automation accelerates and businesses seek capital-light solutions in an inflationary environment. For consumers, this means more reliable access to ice when they need it most, while retailers benefit from additional profitability without operational headaches.
Summary
Bluebox Smart Ice and Water, the pioneering Ice-as-a-Service enterprise, has achieved a significant milestone with its selection as a Core-Mark International Core Partner, a prestigious program that connects Core-Mark's extensive retail network with elite service providers. This strategic partnership, commencing in January 2026, grants Bluebox exclusive access to Core-Mark's robust marketing resources, promotional platforms, and trade show visibility, positioning the innovative ice vending company as a top distributor partner. The collaboration represents a major validation of Bluebox's disruptive business model and provides a powerful channel to accelerate the adoption of automated ice solutions across North America's convenience retail landscape.
According to Ben Gaskill, CEO of Bluebox Smart Ice and Water, this partnership with the respected Core-Mark brand will drive growth and innovation while addressing persistent challenges in the retail packaged ice industry, including delivery delays, stock shortages, labor inefficiencies, product damage, theft, and limited availability during business hours. Bluebox's comprehensive solution tackles these operational and financial burdens through its unique Ice-as-a-Service approach, which Martin Carbajal, Retail Solutions Program Manager at Core-Mark, describes as perfectly aligned with their mission to deliver innovative services to customers. The partnership provides convenience store operators with a smooth pathway to implement proven, low-maintenance ice solutions without the traditional barriers of initial ownership costs or complex management requirements.
Central to Bluebox's offering is its utilization of Everest's VersaVend patented ice vending technology through an exclusive licensing agreement for the convenience store market. This advanced system produces two tons of fresh ice daily with an impressive 99% uptime and operates 24/7, handling all aspects of delivery, setup, preventative maintenance, and repairs. The company's revolutionary revenue-sharing model eliminates capital expenditures, equipment costs, maintenance burdens, and storage requirements, effectively transforming convenience stores into overnight profit centers. As Core-Mark, part of Performance Food Group, continues to lead as a premier distributor to convenience retailers across North America, this partnership with Bluebox represents a significant step forward in modernizing the ice and water fulfillment ecosystem while enhancing profitability for retail partners.
Source Statement
This curated news summary relied on content disributed by citybiz. Read the original source here, Bluebox Joins Core-Mark's Elite Partner Program to Revolutionize Ice Vending
