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How to ship cheese

Cheese ships well when it arrives cool, not frozen. The basics: ship early in the week on fast service, pack an insulated liner with frozen gel packs, fill the empty space and test a box before you sell.

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Updated November 2026 by the Madeline's team, who set these tools up for makers and farms.

The short answer

Ship Monday to Wednesday on 1 or 2 day service, wrap cheese so it can breathe but not dry out, pack it cold in an insulated liner with frozen gel packs (never dry ice, which freezes it), fill the gaps and test a box with a thermometer. Charge the real shipping cost.

The steps

  1. Ship early in the week

    Monday to Wednesday, so no box sits in a warehouse over a weekend.

  2. Use fast service

    1 or 2 day service for most of the country. Ground works for short distances once you have tested it.

  3. Wrap it right

    Cheese paper or wax for most cheese, vacuum seal for travel if it suits the style. Label each piece.

  4. Pack it cold

    Cheese straight from the cooler into an insulated liner with frozen gel packs. Start with about a pound of gel per pound of cheese and more in summer. No dry ice; it freezes cheese.

  5. Fill the gaps

    Air warms a box. Use paper or other fill so nothing moves.

  6. Test a box

    Ship one to yourself with a thermometer inside and check it on arrival before you sell.

  7. Charge for it

    Use the cold shipping cost calculator to see what a box really costs, then charge the label rate or add a cold pack charge.

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  1. Tell us what you make

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Questions

Can you ship cheese with ice packs?

Yes. Frozen gel packs in an insulated liner are the standard for cheese. Avoid dry ice, which freezes it.

What days should I ship cheese?

Monday to Wednesday, so a box never sits over a weekend.

How much does it cost to ship cheese?

A one-item cheese shipment usually costs $12 to $25 for the label, plus packaging and coolant.

Do hard cheeses need cold packs?

Aged hard cheeses tolerate more, but cold packs still protect texture and appearance in transit, especially in warm months.

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Tell us what you make and what you use today. A spreadsheet and a Square account is a fine answer. We reply by email with what we would keep, what we would change and what it costs.

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