To each his shortage. If Spain has mustard, it has no more ice cubes! Explanations.
“Jeffrey, give us ice cubes for Spain!” The information could make people smile, but it is on repeat in all the television news, appears in one of the gazettes and is debated on social networks as seriously as for its absurd side. But whatever one thinks, Spain is indeed experiencing a crisis for lack of… ice cubes.
More than ice cubes in private homes, it is these large pockets of ice cream that are missing in stores all over Spain causing a fairly unprecedented crisis making the ice cube “the diamond of the future” even mocks a columnist.
This shortage of ice is the combination of several factors. First of all, faced with rising costs, factory production was at its minimum in the spring and companies in the sector no longer have inventory. Then, prices also increased sharply (up to +600% in some stores). Finally, in Spain too, heat waves are on the increase and during repeated heat waves, demand explodes. And this demand is all the stronger in that Spain is experiencing extraordinary, “exaggerated” tourist attendance, some even think.
8 million ice cubes consumed every day… for 2 million produced!
Suffice to say that there are not enough ice cubes for everyone. In normal times, the sector estimates that around 2 million ice cubes are produced each day for a demand of 4 million at the height of summer. The stock then made up the difference. But for several weeks, there has been no more stock and Spain consumes 8 million ice cubes every day…
Faced with the shortage, supermarkets are rationing bags of ice which are only sold in limited quantities for each customer while factories are overheating and are now running at full speed. “My factory does not stop, it runs 24 hours a day, Monday to Monday,” says this Sevillian entrepreneur.
While waiting for the water to freeze, in bars and restaurants, you will certainly have to get used to drinking at room temperature… Especially since the coming week promises to be “criminal”, even prophesies Fernando Plazas, the general manager. of Procubitos Europe, the N°1 in the sector.