Ice-making can be very profitable if your business is run efficiently and your product is marketed well. Since water is the only raw material, producing ice seems fairly simple. However, because ice must be safe for human consumption, your local health department may have a number of requirements you must meet if you are going to make and sell ice. Once you have met all the necessary requirements, you can produce both standard ice and specialty shapes. With smart, fun and interesting marketing campaigns, you can turn ice-making into a profitable business.

Establish a food-safe production environment. Have the location certified as food-safe by your region's department of health. Food-safe kitchens must meet a long list of requirements concerning preparation and storage of food and ice.

Buy food-safe plastic bags in various sizes. This will allow you to sell ice in a variety of quantities.

Install a water filtration system. The taste of ice can be easily tainted by the chemicals in city water or by the minerals in ground water.

Buy a commercial ice maker. It will be a major investment, but it will be the key to your business.

Buy more than one kind of ice maker if you want to sell various types of ice, such as crushed, cubed and spherical.

Purchase a few novelty ice molds, such as those in the shapes of hearts, stars and fish. Specialty ice is more labor-intensive to make, but you can sell it at a higher price. Corporate parties, weddings and holiday celebrations are great events for specialty ice.

Fill your plastic bags with ice and store it in a large freezer, stocking up for days with high demand. Do not allow the ice to melt and stick together. This will significantly decrease the quality of your ice.