Nationwide shipping of food products

[Simileoluwa]

Hey everyone! Do you ship any of your perishable  food and beverage products nationwide and if you do what affordable carriers do you use and how do you keep your products safe from damage during shipping? 

[BernadetteA]

Welcome to the Community, @Simileoluwa 

Check out this article we posted about UPS shipping options. This is a pretty basic overview, but there's some handy links in the article with additional information. 😊

[grovetealounge]

We are still slowly testing this out with select friends, family, and very understanding/helpful customers.  I've found shipping UPS 3 Day or 2 Day is the best to ensure it gets there on time.

UPS guarantees the delivery date while USPS does not guarantee the delivery date on their Flat Rate shipping

I only ship perishable goods out Monday-Wednesday. So if an order comes in Thurs-Sun, customers must wait until Monday for me to ship.  This ensures that the package doesn't get stuck sitting in a warehouse or truck over the weekend and spoiling the food

Still working on finding the perfect packaging to ensure the food doesn't get damaged in delivery (some of our pastries are a bit delicate so it's been a tough one).  However, I have found that shipping frozen as much as possible is ideal and I purchased a box of small 3oz, single-use freezer packs from ULine.  For us, that size was just right to keep things cold enough in transit without breaking the bank on the cost side

So to sum things up, I've found the best options for shipping perishable goods from our shop to be...

1. I feel confident in UPS 3-day or 2-day shipping

2. Only shipping out Monday - Wednesday

3. Using 1-2, 3oz single-use cold packs https://www.uline.com/BL_2167/Single-Use-Cold-Packs

Things I still need to figure out for our perishable items...

1. Best sort of packaging for each item to ensure they stay safe/contained/intact while still looking presentable and "on brand"

2. What quantities do people need to buy them in to make it worth it for us to ship (I.e. 3-pack, 1/2 dozen, 1 dozen, etc).  I look to places like Milk Bar or other unique/high-end dessert and pastry shops for quantities, pricing, and shipping inspiration

3. Best cost-effective filler to use to help fill the dead space in the box and keep things from rattling around that also doesn't just look like I shoved a bunch of newspaper in there

[MSGBBQSC]

We ship our ribs and sides vacuum packed and frozen with directions for reheating.  We utilize the single use ice packs with the foam boxes from ULine and they work well as long as shipping is done either overnight or maximum 2-day.  When we first started shipping, we used dry ice but the shipping companies (UPS and FEDEX) give you a hard time and its costs extra to ship.   For our BBQ sauce, we use USPS because its very affordable for non-perishable foods.  We just make sure to use extra packaging to keep the jars from breaking.  The online orders are starting to become a big part of our business so we are always on the lookout for less expensive shipping items.  We call every customer who ordered online to make sure the order arrived intact and if there are questions for reheating, etc. and we have had nothing but great feedback.  

[Simileoluwa]

This was so helpful thank you

[MSGBBQSC]

You are welcome 😀

[balmonte]

We just started shipping our empanadas frozen nationwide coming out of Brooklyn, NY. Check us out at http://empanada.city/packs

We use the following to keep our empanadas frozen for a maximum of 56 hours. This will vary based on outdoor temperatures between starting point and final destination, but its a good gauge.

1. 12 cube box - UPS will charge you a minimum of 11lbs for this specific box as a standard rate.
2. 12 cube shipping liner - These are pricey - about $7-8 a piece including shipping. Do not go for the cheaper, thinner liners that look like bubble wrap as they will not keep your items frozen/cold for a very long time (see what happened to us below).
3. 8-10lbs of dry ice - we pay about $0.48/lb
4. UPS 2 day shipping for further states / ground for states that will receive in 2 days or less - no less as the dry ice will not last.
5. Only ship Monday-Wednesday to avoid having your package sitting in a warehouse over the weekend.

Our first test failed miserably and we lost 5 packages as they did not arrive frozen or cold to the touch as expected. We used the thinner cheaper liners and all of the empanadas got spoiled. You want the thick liner of at least 1" so that your product arrives safely.

For packaging, you will want to place your item at the bottom of the box, and the dry ice on top - warm air flow up, cold air flows down. You will also want to fill all empty space with filler - thick paper crumbled up will work. You want as little empty space in the box as possible.

So how do you make money after all of these costs? Volume, volume, volume! We setup 3 regions with different shipping costs based on location. The further away from NY you are located, we add a little shipping cost to the order to offset the higher costs. At the end, it will even out as you will make more from orders shipping via ground because they are neighboring states vs 2 day shipped packages that are further away.

Hopes this helps. We are still learning as we go but have been successful with all packages since implementing what we outlined above.

Best of luck!

[MSGBBQSC]

Since we sell a meat product, we vacuum seal, then deep freeze before shipping.  We sell whole rib slabs which are large and at times cumbersome. Nothing worse than opening a box of spoiled meat.   That is why we chose the Uline insulated boxes.  Thank you for the shipping zone shipping idea.  I just went on your website and that is super cool.  I just sent my 3 daughters your website to order.  They all live in the vicinity (NJ, NY, RI) and love empanadas!  We can't find enough dry ice and last time I shipped a large order (10 slabs), Fedex gave me the hardest time.  It truly is a learning experience.

[balmonte]

Sounds good and thanks for sending them our way. They won’t be disappointed with our empanadas 🙂

What is your website? I’d like to check it out.