Follett Ice

Follett Ice, operating through Follett Products LLC, is an American manufacturer of commercial ice-making, dispensing, storage, and refrigeration equipment. The company traces its origins to 1948, when Roy Follett established Follett Corporation in Garden City, New York, after identifying a postwar need for ice-storage bins serving the rapidly expanding foodservice industry. Its early business was therefore centered on the handling and storage of ice rather than only on ice production. The company developed from that original storage-equipment focus into a broader specialist supplier for institutional and commercial environments. Its portfolio now includes nugget ice makers, marketed under the Chewblet name, together with ice and water dispensers, ice-and-beverage dispensing equipment, ice storage and transport systems, and medical-grade refrigerators and freezers. The equipment is designed for settings where dependable ice production, controlled dispensing, sanitation, storage capacity, and workflow efficiency are important. Healthcare applications add requirements associated with patient-care environments, while hospitality, foodservice, supermarkets, sports venues, and casinos use the equipment for beverage service, food preparation, and high-volume ice handling. Follett’s manufacturing footprint expanded beyond its original United States base over several decades. A manufacturing plant opened in Easton, Pennsylvania, in 1967, and the company added a facility in Gdańsk, Poland, in 2005. Another manufacturing facility opened in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in 2015. Easton remains the company’s headquarters, while the United States and Poland serve as its principal manufacturing locations according to the referenced company history. Leadership remained connected to the Follett family for much of the company’s independent history. Don Follett assumed control in 1954, and Steve Follett, Roy Follett’s grandson, became chief executive in 1994. In 2016, Follett Corporation was acquired by The Middleby Corporation and became Follett LLC, an independent operating company within Middleby. The acquisition placed Follett within a larger commercial foodservice-equipment group while preserving its specialist product identity. In 2019, Steve Follett retired as chief executive and was succeeded by Korey Kohl, who was identified as Middleby Group President overseeing the Middleby Beverage Group. Follett products have been used in hospitals, restaurants, Major League Baseball stadiums, casinos, and other institutional or commercial settings. The company also had equipment present at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. Its current positioning is that of a specialized commercial-equipment brand combining ice production and dispensing with healthcare-oriented refrigeration. Because the available reference material provides limited detail about current revenue, product model numbers, distribution arrangements, and geographic sales mix, those areas are not quantified here.

Follett’s history began in 1948 in Garden City, New York, when Roy Follett founded Follett Corporation. The company emerged in the post–World War II period, when expanding restaurants and institutional foodservice operations created demand for more effective ice storage. Rather than beginning primarily as a maker of ice-producing machinery, Follett initially concentrated on ice-storage bins and related handling needs. Don Follett took over the company in 1954. Under the Follett family’s leadership, the business developed from a storage-equipment supplier into a broader commercial equipment manufacturer. A major operational step came in 1967, when Follett opened a manufacturing plant in Easton, Pennsylvania. Easton later became the company’s headquarters and remains central to its manufacturing identity. The company’s product scope expanded to include ice-making and dispensing systems, ice storage and transport equipment, ice-and-beverage dispensers, and refrigeration products intended for healthcare and patient-care applications. Its nugget ice technology became associated with the Chewblet product line. This evolution allowed Follett to serve several related markets, including restaurants, hospitality businesses, supermarkets, hospitals, sports facilities, and casinos. Follett also established an international manufacturing presence. In 2005, it opened a manufacturing facility in Gdańsk, Poland. A further facility opened in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in 2015. The resulting footprint comprised manufacturing operations in Easton and Bethlehem in Pennsylvania and in Gdańsk, while Easton served as the headquarters identified in the company’s reference history. Family involvement continued through the third generation. Steve Follett, the grandson of founder Roy Follett, assumed the chief executive role in 1994. His tenure covered the company’s continued expansion in commercial ice and refrigeration equipment and its movement toward a wider institutional customer base. A decisive ownership change took place in 2016, when The Middleby Corporation acquired Follett Corporation. After the transaction, the business became Follett LLC and operated as an independent operating company of Middleby. The change connected Follett to a larger commercial foodservice-equipment group while retaining its established brand and specialized product categories. In 2019, Steve Follett retired as chief executive. Korey Kohl succeeded him and was identified as a Middleby Group President responsible for the Middleby Beverage Group. The available reference material does not identify a later chief executive or provide enough information to characterize subsequent leadership changes. Follett’s equipment has been installed or used in hospitals, restaurants, Major League Baseball stadiums, casinos, and other commercial or institutional locations. The reference history also identifies Follett products in connection with the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. Today, the business is described as Follett Products LLC and remains associated with Middleby. Its principal activities are the manufacture of nugget ice makers, ice and water dispensers, ice storage and transport systems, ice-and-beverage dispensing equipment, and medical-grade refrigerators and freezers.

1. 2022Equipment associated with the Beijing Winter Olympics

   Follett products were identified among equipment used at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

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2. 2019Leadership succession

   Steve Follett retired as chief executive and was succeeded by Korey Kohl.

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3. 2016Acquisition by The Middleby Corporation

   The Middleby Corporation acquired Follett Corporation; the business subsequently became Follett LLC and continued as an independent Middleby operating company.

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4. 2015Bethlehem manufacturing facility opens

   Follett opened another manufacturing facility in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

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5. 2005Gdańsk manufacturing facility opens

   The company expanded its manufacturing footprint with a facility in Gdańsk, Poland.

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6. 1994Steve Follett becomes chief executive

   Steve Follett, the founder’s grandson, assumed the chief executive role.

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7. 1967Easton manufacturing plant opens

   Follett opened a manufacturing plant in Easton, Pennsylvania, which later became the company’s headquarters.

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8. 1954Don Follett takes over the company

   Don Follett assumed leadership of the family business.

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9. 1948Follett Corporation founded

   Roy Follett founded the company in Garden City, New York, initially addressing demand for ice-storage bins in the expanding foodservice sector.

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A specialist commercial equipment brand focused on nugget ice, ice handling, beverage dispensing, and healthcare refrigeration for demanding institutional and foodservice environments.

• Chewblet nugget ice makersNugget ice-making equipment

  Follett’s Chewblet line produces nugget-style ice for commercial and institutional users. The product family is associated with applications in healthcare, foodservice, hospitality, supermarkets, sports venues, and other settings requiring a steady supply of dispensed ice.

• Ice and water dispensersDispensing equipment

  These systems combine ice and water dispensing for institutional and commercial environments. They are part of Follett’s broader focus on controlled, convenient ice service in locations such as hospitals, restaurants, and hospitality facilities.

• Ice and beverage dispensersBeverage-service equipment

  Follett manufactures dispensing equipment designed to support beverage operations and high-volume service. The line extends the company’s ice expertise into integrated commercial beverage and dispensing applications.

• Ice storage and transport systemsIce handling equipment1948

  Ice storage bins and transport systems represent the company’s original area of specialization. These products support the holding, movement, and operational management of ice in foodservice and institutional facilities.

• Medical-grade refrigerators and freezersHealthcare refrigeration

  Follett produces refrigerators and freezers intended for patient-care and healthcare environments. This category complements the company’s ice and dispensing products and gives it a role in specialized medical-facility equipment.

• 2019Change in chief executive leadershipStrategy

  Steve Follett retired after leading the company as chief executive since 1994.

  What changed. Korey Kohl succeeded Steve Follett as chief executive and was identified as Middleby Group President overseeing the Middleby Beverage Group.

  Aftermath. The leadership transition placed the operating company under a successor connected to Middleby’s beverage-equipment organization.

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• 2016Join The Middleby CorporationM&A

  Follett had developed from an ice-storage supplier into a manufacturer serving foodservice, hospitality, healthcare, and related institutional markets.

  What changed. The Middleby Corporation acquired Follett Corporation, after which the business operated as Follett LLC and an independent Middleby operating company.

  Aftermath. Follett retained its specialist product identity while becoming part of Middleby’s broader commercial foodservice-equipment group.

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• 2022Follett equipment was used at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing

  Follett equipment was identified among the company’s installations or applications at the Beijing Winter Olympics.

  Other
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• 2019Steve Follett retired as chief executive

  Steve Follett retired from the chief executive role, with Korey Kohl succeeding him. Kohl was also described as Middleby Group President overseeing the Middleby Beverage Group.

  Leadership change
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• 2016The Middleby Corporation acquired Follett Corporation

  Follett Corporation was acquired by The Middleby Corporation and subsequently operated as Follett LLC within the Middleby group.

  M&A
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1. Follett Ice