02/12/2024
To our valued customers,
We are sure many of you have heard the news already, but we thought we would share this post on our last official day at Sisler’s Ice in Ohio, IL.
Since 1908, Sisler’s of Ohio has been proud to serve our local communities by producing ice, ice cream, and butter. As a small-town family business, we have cherished the relationships built with each of you. Your loyalty and support have been a driving force behind our business and we are grateful for the trust you placed in us throughout the years.
As you know, we ceased the production of ice cream for retail distribution in January 2022. Ice cream lovers were happy to know that they could still find their favorite Sisler’s ice cream though as the fourth-generation of the family, siblings Tieg and Lucas Sisler, took up the production and sale of Sisler’s half gallons, pints and dipping cones at their new ice cream shop in Princeton. This will continue and they look forward to serving you!
With the ice cream business fully transitioned and Dan and Karen both looking to retire, careful consideration was given to numerous alternatives for the ice side of the business. Supply chain challenges, government regulations, increased utility costs and labor shortages all weighed heavily into the decision process. We spent much of last year meeting with potential buyers with our focus being the best care of our loyal customers going forward.
With that process complete in late 2023, it is now with mixed emotion that we communicate the sale of the Sisler ice business to Home City Ice. In business since 1893 and owned by the same family for 100 years, they hold many of the same values that we have held close for our 100+ years. We trust they will take care of the service needs of our local businesses just as we have.
𝐄𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰, 𝐅𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟏𝟑, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒, 𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐈𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬.
We want to express our deepest gratitude for your patronage over the years. It has been a privilege to serve you and we thank you for being a part of the Sisler family. We will miss the community of friendships that this business has given us and we hope we have made George, Bill and Billy proud. We would especially like to thank all of our full-time and part-time employees that have been a part of the Sisler’s Dairy Products family for 116 years – we could not have done it without all of you! For those that know the Sisler family personally, we acknowledge that the timing of this planned announcement is less than ideal and weighs heavily on our hearts.
We are committed to a smooth transition during the coming weeks. For now, the phone number will remain the same, 815-376-2913, and Home City Ice will continue to produce and distribute ice out of the Ohio, IL location. Additionally, you can expect to see many of the same faces since many of our Sisler employees will be continuing their career as Home City Ice employees.
Lastly, while Sisler’s Ice has come to the end of its journey in Ohio, Sisler’s Ice in DeKalb, owned and operated by Bill’s brother Ed and his sons, will continue on.
Thank you again.
Sincerely,
Dan Thompson – President, Sisler’s Ice, Ohio IL
Karen Anderson – Secretary/Treasurer, Sisler’s Ice, Ohio IL
