Massachusetts LLC · Provisional Patent Filed · Trademark Pending
SaltTap
Self-service premium ice melt — available 24/7, right where people already buy propane.
25-30K
Snow Belt Locations
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The Problem
Every winter storm creates the same crisis.
When a storm hits, homeowners rush to buy ice melt. Shelves empty in hours. The next restock? Days — sometimes weeks. People are left with icy driveways and no options.
🏪
Shelves Go Empty
Big-box stores sell out within hours of a storm forecast. Morton told MA contractors "no more salt" in January 2026.
🐕
Pets Get Hurt
When premium pet-safe products sell out first, pet owners are forced to use cheap rock salt that burns paws and poisons animals.
📦
Restocking Is Broken
Ice melt restocking depends on the same supply chain that's already overwhelmed. The store that ran out Monday won't have stock until Thursday.
The Insight
25,000+ snow belt propane cages sit underutilized every winter.
Blue Rhino / Ferrellgas operates 68,000+ propane exchange locations nationwide, with ~25,000–30,000 in snow belt markets. Propane demand peaks in summer (grilling season). In winter, those snow belt cages — and the trucks that service them — face significantly reduced demand.
SaltTap fills those idle slots with ice melt. Same locations. Same logistics. Same payment system. New revenue stream — exactly when propane slows down.
Product Line
Three tiers. Every customer.
SaltTap Basic
$10.99
40 lbs · Rock Salt
100% NaCl rock salt. The workhorse. Competes with big-box commodity salt — but available 24/7, even during stockouts.
~61% margin
SaltTap Pro
$14.99
40 lbs · Enhanced Formula
Rock salt enhanced with liquid CaCl₂ at point of dispensing. Melts faster, works to lower temps. The sweet spot.
~77% margin
SaltTap Pet
$32.00
30 lbs · Pet-Friendlier Blend
Premium MgCl₂/CaCl₂ blend. Gentler on paws and concrete. The product pet owners can't find when it matters most.
~69% margin
Vision
What it looks like.
Phase 1 — SaltTap buckets in existing Blue Rhino Smart Lock kiosks
Phase 2 — SaltTap Compact automated dispensing machine
24/7 availability — even during a storm
Patented liquid injection — on-demand formulation at point of sale
Go-to-Market
Two phases. One partnership.
Phase 1 — Winter 2026-2027
Buckets in Cages — Grocery & Convenience
Prefilled SaltTap buckets in existing Blue Rhino Smart Lock kiosks at 5–10 Greater Boston grocery & convenience store locations — where ice melt isn't a core indoor category.
- $0 capex for Blue Rhino — uses existing infrastructure and route drivers
- Zero channel conflict — grocery stores carry 2–5 ice melt SKUs; gas stations carry none
- Drives winter foot traffic to locations that see ~30% seasonal drops
- Blue Rhino earns $3-5/bucket commission
- All 3 tiers from day one — real price elasticity data
- Success metric: ≥10 buckets/location/week
Phase 2 — National Rollout
Patented Dispensing Machines
Automated SaltTap kiosks deployed alongside Blue Rhino cages. Single hopper, liquid injection, touchscreen payment.
- On-demand formulation — one bulk input, multiple products
- 72-claim patent protects the automated system
- Serviced by existing Blue Rhino fleet (winter idle capacity)
- Phase 1 data makes this a spreadsheet decision
Per-Location Economics
The numbers work at every scale.
Based on a 30/50/20 product mix (Basic/Pro/Pet) at a typical pilot location over a 20-week season.
$2,307
GP / Location (after commission)
Intellectual Property
The moat is the machine.
Phase 1 (buckets in cages) is retail distribution — simple, proven, low-risk. Phase 2 is where the IP lives: automated on-demand formulation from a commodity base material plus liquid additive at point of sale. No one else is doing this.
72 Claims
14 independent claims covering dispensing, liquid injection, single-hopper multi-product formulation, locker arrays, fleet integration, dynamic pricing, and mobile app control.
Interested?
SaltTap is pre-revenue, pre-pilot, and looking for the right partners and team members to make this real.