Many people were skeptical when bottled water hit grocery store shelves two decades ago, but now Americans spend more than $10 billion annually on bottled water.

A Dublin company is hoping to have similar success with its product: pre-packaged ice cubes made from purified water.  "About half of our friends say 'That's cool. That's great. We never thought of the ice.' The other half just say we're nuts," said George Varney, chief operating officer of aquaICE.  "If we could do half of what bottled water has done, we'd be in great shape."

The trays come with a thin layer of plastic across the top, which can be peeled back to expose the cubes for use.  aquaICE™ was launched last year and is available in about a half a dozen Central Ohio convenience and liquor stores and in some Canadian stores, but Varney said the company is negotiating with several retailers about selling the product, though he would not disclose their names.  "We're talking major grocery chains and some other outlets and hopefully we'll be in some soon," Varney said. "Every day we get calls from someone asking about it."  While he said that sales have been growing steadily at existing outlets, he said he expects sales to improve when the company starts using different packaging later this year.

"This is so new and so innovative, people walked by and didn't know what it was. But now were finalizing the new packaging which shows the ice cubes more," Varney said. "You really need to educate people on what it is, how it works, what's inside the package."

Currently the packages include a 10-pack of trays, each containing 10 ice cubes, for $8.99.  The new packaging will include a five-pack of trays with 10 ice cubes each for $4.99, but the ice cubes themselves will be larger in the new packaging. The cubes will be nearly a full ounce, larger than the current trays that are about six-tenths of an ounce.

Not only will the packaging be different, but the company also plans to unveil flavored ice cubes, including lemon and lime. Other flavors are in development and Varney said the company is also studying possible vitamin-enriched ice cubes.  "We're putting it out there. Let's test it. Let's see how the consumer reacts. Then we'll make adjustments from there," Varney said.

One of main attributes of the pre-packaged ice cubes is that they are made without impurities, Varney said.  Several companies sell purified ice in bags, but aquaICE™ is the only one to sell individual cubes that can be stored warm or frozen.

While the company's offices are in Dublin, the ice cubes are actually made by another company for aquaICE in only what Varney would say is "the southeast."  "We use a food processing facility who purifies and packages it. It's all done in the same place," he said. The water used is tap water that is treated in the facility.

Some people have told him that they could make purified ice cubes at home by using purified water, but Varney said aquaICE™ is more pure because it is sealed.  "If it's in the freezer it can pick up odors or can be contaminated," he said. "With the sealing process you get the purity plus the portability."

Another advantage is that aquaICE™ can be transported at room temperature.  aquaICE™ also markets itself to areas such as Mexico that do not have an abundance of clean water.  "We get a lot of calls from outside the country, especially from where the water sources are not that clean," Varney said.

aquaICE™ is the brainchild of company founder Peter Moenickheim of Dublin.  Moenickheim spent more than a dozen years perfecting the invention until he was granted a patent in 2000. A year later he founded aquaICE™ and two years ago formed a limited liability corporation.

A small group of investors owns the company, which has a five-member board of advisors.  "Peter put together the idea and took it so far, then we brought in other people," Varney said.  Before starting aquaICE, Moenickheim served as vice president of product management for CheckFree, a provider of financial electronic commerce services and products.  A graduate of Princeton University with a degree in economics, he has done post-graduate work at Ohio State University's Fisher College of Business and Southern Methodist University.

Varney has a master of business administration from the University of Michigan in finance and marketing and an undergraduate degree from Northwestern University in industrial engineering.  He's been involved in several other business start-ups in his 20-year business career, including those in garment manufacturing, cosmetic surgery and school fundraising.

Besides retail outlets, aquaICE™ can be ordered through its Web site, www.aquaICE.com.