Artisanal Solutions / Shipping, Cold Chain & Fulfillment

Shipping and cold chain

Shipping software and cold chain for perishable food

Perishables need insulated boxes, cold packs, two-day service and a Monday to Wednesday ship window. We set up the shipping software, the packaging spec for each product and the rules that apply them.

Built for farmers and makers. Set up for you, on the tools you already use.

Updated

Today's shipments
To pack2
#1045Standard M, UPS Ground
#1046Insulated M, 2 gel packs
Label printed2
#1042Insulated M, UPS 2nd DayCold pack in
#1043Standard S, USPS Ground
Held1
#1044Insulated L, dry iceShips Monday
Shipped1
#1041Tracking sentIn transit
Yours is built around your products and the carriers you use.

Packaging spec

A box, liner and coolant for every product

Each product gets a tested spec: which box, how much coolant, which days it can ship and how long it can be in transit.

Packaging spec
Soft cheeseSpec 04
BoxInsulated M
LinerRecycled denim
Coolant2 gel packs
Ship daysMon to Wed
Max transit2 days
Held under 40 F for 52 hours in a summer test.
Tested

Rules

Rules that run themselves

The cold pack fee, the Thursday hold and the pickup option are applied at checkout and in the label queue, not from memory.

Shipping rules
  1. Order placedAny channel
  2. Perishable in the cart?Add the cold pack lineOn
  3. Ordered Thursday to Sunday?Hold and ship MondayOn
  4. Label printedCommercial rate, service matched to the spec

Works with what you already run

Already on one of these? We work with what you have before suggesting a switch.

  • ShipStation
  • Pirate Ship
  • Shippo
  • EasyPost
  • Shopify Shipping
  • Stamps.com
  • UPS
  • FedEx
  • USPS
  • Veeqo
  • ShipBob

What is included

  • Shipping software connected to every channel, with commercial rates and printed labels in one place

  • Packaging spec per product: box, liner, coolant, ship days and transit limits, tested with a thermometer

  • Rules that add a cold pack fee, block Thursday perishable shipments, and offer local pickup where it fits

  • Dry ice shipping set up correctly when you ship frozen, including carrier declarations

See what this looks like for your business

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.

A good fit if

  • You pay retail at the post office
  • You have had cheese arrive warm
  • You want to start shipping perishables and do not know where to begin

Questions

How do I ship perishable food?

Use an insulated box with enough coolant for the transit time, ship early in the week so nothing sits over a weekend, and choose a service that arrives within the limit for that product. We test each spec with a thermometer before it goes live.

Which shipping software is best for a small food business?

Pirate Ship is free and fine for simple USPS and UPS labels. ShipStation or Shippo fit once orders come from several channels. If everything sells through Shopify, Shopify Shipping may be enough.

Can you set up frozen shipping with dry ice?

Yes, including the box spec, the amount of dry ice for the transit time and the carrier declarations each service requires.

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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