Oahu Ice and Cold Storage Company
A major early twentieth-century Hawaiian ice manufacturing, refrigerated warehousing, and cold-storage company headquartered in Honolulu.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Oahu Ice and Cold Storage Company was a Honolulu-based refrigeration business that became the largest company of its kind in Hawaii during the early twentieth century. It supplied manufactured ice and refrigerated storage to households, merchants, food distributors, government customers, military contractors, and agricultural communities across Oahu. The enterprise began in 1900 as the Oahu Ice and Electric Company, organized by August Dreier at a time when artificial refrigeration was still a developing technology in the islands. Its initial facilities were modest, with approximately 6,000 cubic feet of cold-storage capacity and a maximum ice output of about ten tons per day. The company expanded as Honolulu's population, commercial activity, food imports, and military presence increased. Its first storage plant was operating by about 1906. In 1907, Dreier placed the ice company under the holding corporation August Dreier, Limited, whose directors included Dreier, F. A. Schaefer, Cecil Brown, J. W. Waldron, and H. Focke. By 1913, the plant had been rebuilt to provide approximately 100,000 cubic feet of storage and daily ice production of 65 tons. Additions in 1914 and 1917 raised daily production to about 90 tons. In early 1920, the company adopted the name Oahu Ice and Cold Storage Company. That year it began constructing a large replacement facility at Hustace and Cooke Streets in Honolulu's commercial district. Completed in 1921, the three-story reinforced-concrete plant occupied a full city block and operated continuously. It offered around 450,000 cubic feet of cold-storage space and retained ice-making capacity of approximately 90 tons per day. The facility was designed to freeze and store roughly 800 cattle per month, while also handling fish, poultry, butter, and other perishable foods. Its refrigeration system used calcium-chloride brine cooled by compressed ammonia. Steam-powered compressors and an in-house power plant initially allowed the company to operate independently of outside electricity supplies. In 1927, a 300-horsepower Busch-Sulzer diesel engine was installed to supplement the steam equipment. The engine was connected to a York ammonia compressor and an Allis-Chalmers generator, strengthening the plant's integrated refrigeration and power infrastructure. The company operated a commercial storage business with rates commonly calculated by weight or by container, including per-pound, box, case, and bag rates. It also offered seasonal and short-term arrangements for goods in transit. Among its customers were contractors storing New Zealand beef for the United States Army and government users renting rooms for other food supplies. The Honolulu plant also functioned as a bonded warehouse for the United States government. Oahu Ice and Cold Storage maintained branches beyond central Honolulu. Facilities included a plant near Kaneohe Bay, supplied with ice transported over Nuuanu Pali; a Waipahu branch approximately 13 miles from Honolulu serving the sugar-growing district; and a Kaimuki cold-storage plant in one of Honolulu's residential areas. The business promoted its services through persistent newspaper advertising, including advertisements in several languages to reach Honolulu's ethnically diverse population. It also participated in the National Association of Ice Industries and used trade-association promotional material. The company was acquired by Hawaii Brewing Corporation in 1933, ending its independent corporate existence. The acquiring business was later renamed Hawaii Brewing Company in 1962 and purchased by Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company in 1964. The available reference material does not establish the precise post-acquisition fate of the Oahu Ice and Cold Storage name or its individual facilities.
History
Before local artificial refrigeration became established, ice reached Hawaii as an imported luxury. The first documented shipment arrived in Honolulu in 1850 after being cut from Maine rivers, packed in sawdust, and transported around Cape Horn. The voyage took 122 days, and the ice sold at a very high price before much of it melted on the wharf. Annual shipments continued for a time but were ultimately considered uneconomic. A Honolulu ice plant established in 1871 produced approximately 3,000 pounds per day, while the Hawaiian Electric Company built Hawaii's first cold-storage plant in 1896. Against this background, August Dreier organized the Oahu Ice and Electric Company in 1900. The enterprise combined ice production with refrigeration and began with about 6,000 cubic feet of cold storage and a maximum daily ice output of ten tons. Its first storage plant was operating by approximately 1906. In 1907, Dreier organized August Dreier, Limited, with F. A. Schaefer, Cecil Brown, J. W. Waldron, and H. Focke also serving as directors, and transferred the ice business to that holding corporation. Demand grew rapidly as Honolulu developed into a major Pacific port and commercial center. By 1913, the company's facilities had been rebuilt to provide 100,000 cubic feet of storage and 65 tons of daily ice production. Expansions in 1914 and 1917 increased production to 90 tons per day. These improvements allowed the business to serve a broader perishable-food economy rather than merely supplying household ice. The company changed its name to Oahu Ice and Cold Storage Company in early 1920. It simultaneously embarked on its most important construction project: a new three-story reinforced-concrete plant at Hustace and Cooke Streets. Designed by the Chicago cold-storage specialists Gardner and Lindberg and constructed under the supervision of company employees, the building was completed in 1921. It occupied an entire block in Honolulu's commercial district and operated around the clock. The new facility contained approximately 450,000 cubic feet of cold-storage space and could produce about 90 tons of ice daily. Its ground floor included freezing space capable of handling approximately 800 cattle each month. The upper floors provided general storage for fish, poultry, butter, meat, and other perishables. The refrigeration system circulated calcium-chloride brine cooled by compressed ammonia. Steam-driven ammonia compressors served both refrigeration and ice-making functions, and the company maintained its own steam power plant to reduce reliance on external electricity. A 300-horsepower Busch-Sulzer diesel engine was added in 1927. It supplemented the steam machinery and was directly connected to a York ammonia compressor and an Allis-Chalmers generator. This equipment made the plant a substantial integrated industrial installation for its period. The company's customers included food merchants, importers, agricultural interests, military contractors, and public agencies. Storage prices could be assessed by pound, box, case, or bag, with separate seasonal rates and special short-term terms for goods in transit. A contractor stored New Zealand beef destined for United States Army personnel in the facility, while the Army rented rooms for additional supplies. The company also operated as a bonded warehouse for the United States government. Distribution extended beyond Honolulu. The company maintained a cold-storage branch near the coral gardens of Kaneohe Bay, supplied with ice transported over Nuuanu Pali. Ice was trucked from Honolulu to Waipahu, approximately 13 miles away in the sugar-cane district, and another cold-storage plant operated in Kaimuki. Marketing included regular newspaper advertising, often in multiple languages in recognition of Honolulu's diverse population. The company was also affiliated with the National Association of Ice Industries and used its promotional literature. In 1933, Hawaii Brewing Corporation acquired Oahu Ice and Cold Storage Company. The purchaser later adopted the name Hawaii Brewing Company in 1962 and was itself acquired by Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company in 1964. The sources establish the acquisition sequence but do not provide enough information to determine how long the Oahu Ice and Cold Storage facilities continued operating under their original name.
- 1964
Hawaii Brewing Company purchased by Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company
[1]The successor brewing business was acquired by Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company.
- 1962
Acquiring company renamed Hawaii Brewing Company
[1]The former Hawaii Brewing Corporation later adopted the Hawaii Brewing Company name.
- 1933
Acquired by Hawaii Brewing Corporation
[1]Hawaii Brewing Corporation acquired the company, ending its independent corporate history as documented under the Oahu Ice and Cold Storage name.
- 1927
Diesel power equipment installed
[1]A 300-horsepower Busch-Sulzer diesel engine was added alongside York refrigeration and Allis-Chalmers generating equipment.
- 1921
Hustace and Cooke Streets plant completed
[1]The three-story facility opened with approximately 450,000 cubic feet of storage and 90 tons of daily ice-making capacity.
- 1920
Company adopts Oahu Ice and Cold Storage name
[1]The predecessor name Oahu Ice and Electric Company was replaced, and construction began on a large new Honolulu plant.
- 1917
Ice output reaches approximately 90 tons per day
[1]Additions made during the 1914–1917 expansion period raised daily production to about 90 tons.
- 1913
Major capacity rebuild
[1]Reconstruction increased cold storage to approximately 100,000 cubic feet and daily ice production to 65 tons.
- 1907
Business transferred to August Dreier, Limited
[1]Dreier established a holding corporation with five named directors and placed the ice business under its custody.
- 1906
First company storage plant operating
[1]The company's first storage plant was in operation by about this year.
Products and positioning
A large-scale Hawaiian refrigeration and food-warehousing provider serving commercial, government, military, agricultural, and household markets.
Ice production · 1900
Manufactured ice
The company produced artificial ice for household, commercial, agricultural, and institutional use. Its capacity grew from roughly ten tons per day at formation to approximately 90 tons per day after successive expansions, supporting distribution from Honolulu to branches elsewhere on Oahu.
Refrigerated warehousing · 1906
Commercial cold storage
Refrigerated storage was offered for meat, fish, poultry, butter, imported foods, and other perishables. By 1921, the principal Honolulu plant provided approximately 450,000 cubic feet of space and operated continuously.
Food preservation · 1921
Freezing and meat-storage services
The 1921 plant included a ground-floor freezing room designed to handle approximately 800 cattle per month, making the company a significant part of Oahu's imported-meat and food-distribution infrastructure.
Government and transit storage
Bonded warehousing
The company operated as a United States government bonded warehouse and offered special short-term arrangements for goods held during transshipment. United States Army contractors and military users stored meat and other food supplies at the Honolulu facility.
Marketing campaigns
- Multilingual newspaper advertising
Honolulu · Oahu
The company conducted an ongoing newspaper advertising program. Because Honolulu's consumers represented many nationalities, some advertisements appeared in languages other than English.
Outcome. The available source describes the campaign as a continuing promotional activity but does not quantify its commercial results.
Brand decisions
1933
Acquisition by Hawaii Brewing CorporationM&ABackground
After more than three decades of expansion as an independent refrigeration business, the company became part of Hawaii Brewing Corporation.
Action taken
Hawaii Brewing Corporation acquired Oahu Ice and Cold Storage Company.
Aftermath
The acquisition marked the end of the company's separately documented corporate identity. The successor business later became Hawaii Brewing Company and was acquired by Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company in 1964.
1927
Add diesel generation and refrigeration equipmentStrategyBackground
The main facility relied on steam power and ammonia refrigeration, while its scale required dependable internal energy and cooling infrastructure.
Action taken
The company installed a 300-horsepower Busch-Sulzer diesel engine connected to a York ammonia compressor and an Allis-Chalmers generator.
Aftermath
The installation supplemented the plant's steam units and supported its self-contained power and refrigeration operation.
1920
Rename the business and build a larger central plantStrategyBackground
Expansion in Honolulu's food trade and the growing need to preserve imported and locally distributed perishables required substantially greater capacity than the earlier facilities could provide.
Action taken
The company changed its name from Oahu Ice and Electric Company to Oahu Ice and Cold Storage Company and began constructing a three-story facility at Hustace and Cooke Streets.
Aftermath
The plant, completed in 1921, offered approximately 450,000 cubic feet of storage and 90 tons of daily ice production.
Sources1 sources
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