Ceylon Cold Stores was established in 1866 as the
Colombo Ice Company, which in 1863 imported the country's first ice-making machine. With an initial capital of £1,600, two steam engines of 8 and 9 horsepower, and a total of 22 employees, the company started producing ice on a commercial scale. The company's first premises were located on Glennie Street,
Slave Island and its popular name 'Ice Kompaniya' was used locally to identify the area, Kompaniveediya. German engineer Arthur Kurt Von Possner (1833–1900), who was the first manager of the company, introduced
aerated water with the distinctive "Elephant" trademark on the bottles, which later became "Elephant House" and since that time has remained as the household name for the brand. The company initially produced two types of carbonated drinks: soda and lemonade, both of which compared favourably at the time in international fairs in Melbourne and Calcutta, where they won awards. In 1880 the Colombo Ice Company acquired the business and goodwill of J. Maitland, who owned a medical hall which sold a variety of medicated wine. The company, however, went into liquidation. Tom Walker headed a syndicate that bought Colombo Ice Company, forming a new company under the name New Colombo Ice Company on 8 May 1894. In 1910 the New Colombo Ice Company bought the business and plant of one of its main competitors, the Galle Face Ice Company, from J. P. Motten for Rs. 45,000. ==References==