Hoshizaki Delivers Defrost-Equipped Showcases to Thirty One Ice Cream in Japan and Taiwan

Hoshizaki Corporation (Headquarters: Toyoake City, Aichi Prefecture; President and CEO: Yasuhiro Kobayashi), a comprehensive food service equipment manufacturer, has developed a showcase equipped with a defrost function exclusively for B-R Thirty One Ice Cream Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shinagawa Ward, Tokyo; Representative Director, Chairman & CEO: John Kim; hereinafter "Thirty One"). Mass-produced units will be delivered sequentially to some stores in Japan and Taiwan starting April 14, 2026.

Dedicated showcase delivered to a Thirty One store image

Staff work largely eliminated by defrost function Currently, Thirty One stores are equipped with direct cooling showcases that cool the interior using heat transfer from the cold inner walls. Due to frequent opening and closing of the door when serving ice cream, ambient air enters, and the temperature difference with the cold air causes moisture in the air to condense, leading to frost growth on the cold walls. Generally, defrost functions either melt frost with heat or by stopping the cooling operation. However, to maintain ice cream quality, current showcases are not equipped with a defrost function. Therefore, staff manually perform defrosting by stopping the operation approximately once a week.

Mass-produced units incorporating improvements from field tests delivered in Japan and Taiwan Hoshizaki has developed an air-cooled product that cools the interior with cold air, making it less prone to frost. Since January 2025, prototype units have been introduced in several Thirty One stores in Japan, and improvements have been made based on staff feedback, progressing towards providing cost-effective mass-produced units.

The new showcase features multiple evaporators (heat exchangers). While one evaporator is non-operational for defrosting, the others maintain the internal temperature, allowing defrosting to occur while preserving ice cream quality. The defrosting operation is activated by a timer outside business hours when there is no door opening, which can cause internal temperature rise. This virtually eliminates the need for manual defrosting by staff.

Even after delivery, Hoshizaki will provide maintenance support throughout Japan through its nationwide in-house service system. In Taiwan, Hoshizaki's local subsidiary will provide the same level of support as in Japan.

Hoshizaki will continue to explore product development that solves customer challenges and contribute to its customers.