Hiring a Cold Storage Warehousing Company For Your Food Business: Everything You Need To Know

Running a food business comes with several challenges, one of which is preserving your product’s quality. Regardless of the nature of your business, food products usually go through several stages in the supply chain before reaching your customer. As such, it’s essential to take proper measures to keep your food as fresh as possible. 

But doing this becomes extra challenging when dealing with temperature-sensitive food products like meat, dairy, fruits, vegetables, and frozen goods. In these cases, you’ll need to keep your products in a cold storage warehouse to prevent them from perishing too quickly. This guide covers everything you need to know about these facilities to help you find the right cold storage warehousing distribution services.   

Cold Storage Warehousing 

Cold storage warehousing is the process of storing goods at optimal temperatures to maintain their integrity and prolong their shelf life. On the outside, a cold storage warehouse may look like any regular warehouse. However, it differs because it’s built with cooling equipment like evaporators, condensers, and compressors to maintain low temperatures.

Cold storage warehouses generally fall under two categories:

• Refrigerated: Refrigerated storage helps preserve perishable food products to delay spoilage from microbial activity. Temperatures in these warehouses generally range from 0° to 10°C, which is suitable for storing fresh produce, dairy, and juices. 
• Frozen: Frozen or freezer storage usually maintain a temperature of -18°C or lower for quality control. You can retain their cellular properties and nutritional value by keeping products frozen. 

Benefits of Cold Storage Warehousing

Cold storage warehouses play a critical role in the food industry. Now that customers are becoming more conscious of their food, you must take charge of your supply chain to ensure your products are always of top quality. So by outsourcing cold storage warehousing distribution services, you’ll enjoy benefits like:

• Lower deterioration rate for perishables

Storing perishables in low temperatures helps prevent chemical changes and the growth of microorganisms. This way, you can lessen the likelihood of your products spoiling or rotting while in transit to their destination.

• Reduced risk of food poisoning

Food poisoning is one of the most significant risks that food businesses face. Given the delicate nature of food products, they’re prone to bacterial contamination when left at room temperature. Fortunately, cold storage warehouses reduce the risk of food poisoning since refrigerating and freezing food makes bacteria turn dormant.

• Cost-efficiency

Contrary to assumptions, hiring cold storage warehousing services is cost-effective. While you need to spend on storage, you save more in the long run since you prevent your products from getting spoiled due to improper storage. Besides temperature, moisture levels are also controlled in cold warehouses, ultimately preserving your food.

• Space savings

Another significant advantage of cold storage warehousing services is it helps you save space. As your business grows, you will likely stock up on more ingredients and finished products. However, freezers and cooling equipment are large and bulky. Thus, hiring a cold storage warehousing logistics company frees up space that can instead be used for your operations.

• Increased efficiency in logistics

A cold storage warehousing company will help you streamline your operations by taking over the entire logistics process. Aside from storing goods in their facilities, they’ll also ship products back to you whenever you need them. This way, you no longer have to worry about storage and deliveries.

Business That Can Benefit From Cold Storage Warehousing

Cold storage warehousing plays a vital role in the food industry due to the perishable nature of goods. In 2021, the cold storage market reached $30.26 billion. It’s expected to grow by 9.2% annually from 2022 to 2030. This growth can be attributed to advancing technologies, increased health consciousness, and higher demand for quality food.

Cold storage warehouses are valuable for businesses at every step of the food supply chain. Specifically, they’re beneficial for:

• Food Manufacturer

Food manufacturers get raw ingredients from processors and turn them into edible food products. As such, they need a reliable cold chain logistics partner to keep their ingredients fresh and safe for use.

• Food Service DistributorsFoodservicee distributors act as an intermediary between manufacturers and food service operators, so they’re constantly delivering products to other businesses. Given their role, cold storage warehousing allows them to maintain the quality of their products during transport.
• Big Restaurant Chains

Similar to the other two businesses, big restaurant chains need a stable supply of fresh ingredients to serve delicious meals to customers. In this case, cold storage warehousing distribution solutions take over your logistics by procuring ingredients, storing them securely, and shipping them to your kitchen. 

Finding a Good Cold Storage Warehouse for Your Business

As beneficial as cold storage warehousing may be, it’s equally important to find the right logistics partner for the job. So to help you with your search, here are some key factors to consider in your decision:

• Security and Monitoring

One of the most important aspects to consider is the company’s security and monitoring capabilities. Their cold storage warehousing facility should have surveillance systems operating 24/7 throughout the warehouse. Additionally, on-site personnel should guard the premises and ensure your products stay safe.

• Shipment Time

The next factor to assess is the shipment time. In the food industry, you must have all the necessary ingredients right when you need them to maintain smooth operations. Any delays can cause hiccups in manufacturing, distribution, or preparation, affecting your end users. Thus, you should find a cold storage warehouse company with a track record for delivering goods on time. 

• Location

Ideally, the cold storage company shouldn’t be too far from your production site to prevent long transport times and high fuel costs. Likewise, shorter distances help reduce your carbon footprint to minimize environmental impact. Aside from this, the facility should be in an accessible location close to transport routes to ensure that vehicles won’t have a hard time going in or out. 

• Temperature Control

Unsurprisingly, you should check a facility’s temperature control to see if it can accommodate your products. As much as possible, the warehouse should have adjustable temperature options and should be able to sustain whatever settings you choose. This way, you can be sure that your products stay cool or frozen as needed. 

Join Sunleaf’ Cold Chain Program for High-Quality and Fresh Ingredients

Hiring a cold storage warehousing company can do wonders for your food business. With a reliable partner, you can rest easy knowing that your ingredients stay safe and fresh for production. 

Here at Sunleaf, we have a cold chain program that simplifies your supply chain by doing all the heavy lifting for you. We’ll source high-quality ingredients from our partners, place them in our cold storage warehouse, and ship them to your location when needed. If you’re interested in joining our program, you can reach us at 949-523-2832.