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Shipping supplies for food makers: what to buy and where

Buy packaging by the case once you know your box size, and test one shipment to yourself before you buy a pallet. Here is what to look for in each item and who sells it.

Get a plan and a priceSee the picks

The short answer

Start with two or three box sizes, a liner that fits them and frozen gel packs. Dry ice is for frozen goods only. Buy jars and lids from the same supplier each time so your labels keep fitting.

What to buy

  1. Insulated box liners

    Recycled-fiber or foam liners sized to a standard box. Fiber liners are curbside recyclable and customers like them; EPS foam coolers hold cold longer for the same wall thickness. Suppliers: TemperPack (ClimaCell), Vericool, Insulated Products Corp, Nordic Cold Chain, Polar Tech, Uline.

  2. Gel packs

    Pre-frozen gel packs in 8 to 32 oz sizes with food-safe, leak-resistant film. Freeze them solid for 48 hours before shipping. Suppliers: Cryopak, Nordic Ice, Cold Chain Technologies, Polar Tech, Uline.

  3. Dry ice

    For frozen goods only. Buy it by the pound locally the day you ship, and never seal it airtight. Suppliers: Airgas, Continental Carbonic, Penguin Brand (grocery stores), local welding supply.

  4. Shipping boxes

    Double-wall corrugated for anything heavy or cold. Keep two or three sizes, not ten. Suppliers: Uline, Packlane, Arka, EcoEnclose, a local box plant.

  5. Void fill

    Kraft paper, corrugated bubble or mushroom packaging. Avoid loose polystyrene peanuts. Suppliers: EcoEnclose, Pregis, Uline.

  6. Jars, bottles and tins

    Buy from the same supplier each time so labels fit, and order lids separately in bulk. Suppliers: Fillmore Container, SKS Bottle, Berlin Packaging, Specialty Bottle.

  7. Labels and printing

    Waterproof BOPP or weatherproof matte for cold or wet products, and a thermal printer for shipping labels. Suppliers: Avery (WePrint), Sticker Mule, Online Labels, Rollo, Dymo, Zebra.

  8. Mailers and tape

    Poly or paper mailers for shelf-stable goods. Water-activated tape seals cold boxes better than plastic tape. Suppliers: EcoEnclose, Uline, Sticker Mule.

Where to go next

  • Free tool

    Gel pack and dry ice calculator

    How much coolant to put in your first test box, by weight, transit time and season.

    Use the calculator

  • Free tool

    Cold shipping cost calculator

    What one cold box really costs once supplies and packing time are in, and what to charge.

    Use the calculator

  • How to start cold shipping

    Ship days, coolant amounts, dry ice rules and how to test a box before you sell one.

    Read the guide

  • Have the shipping set up for you

    Carrier accounts, a packaging spec per product and cold pack rules that run on their own.

    See the solution

Want one of these set up for you?

Tell us what you make. We send back a short plan and a price.

Get a plan and a price

How it works

  1. Tell us what you make

    What you make and what you use now. A spreadsheet and a Square account is a fine answer.

  2. Get a short plan

    Keep this, replace that, connect these, and the cost.

  3. We set it up

    Setup and migration done for you. You approve before anything goes live.

  4. Run it or hand it off

    Take it from there yourself or keep us on for the upkeep.

Questions

What packaging do I need to ship perishable food?

An insulated liner sized to a double-wall box, frozen gel packs for refrigerated goods or dry ice for frozen goods, and void fill so there is no empty air in the box.

Are fiber liners or foam coolers better?

Fiber liners are curbside recyclable and customers like them. EPS foam holds cold longer for the same wall thickness. Test your product before you buy by the case.

How long should gel packs be frozen before shipping?

Freeze them solid for 48 hours before they go in a box.

What tape should I use on cold boxes?

Water-activated tape seals cold boxes better than plastic tape.

Get a plan and a price

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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