Cool It!

We’re wrapping up Frozen Food Month with an entry on blast freezing. What is it? Why does Americold use it? How can it benefit you?

At Americold, driving improvements in energy efficiencies is an ongoing commitment. Environmental stewardship is foundational to our operating principles at Americold. We are continually evaluating how to use our resources more responsibly – that means being mindful of our water usage and focusing on reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions among other priorities.

Consistency is a beautiful thing. From a customer perspective, it provides comfort; your favorite chain restaurant offers a similar experience whether you’re dining in Atlanta or San Francisco. From a business owner’s perspective, it provides efficiency; process consistency saves time and resources.

At Americold, we proudly give back to our communities as part of our “cold hands, warm heart” culture, and 2020 has been a year like no other. In response to COVID-19 and other events, we increased our support to charitable organizations around the world. As we take time to reflect on the year, we are proud of the support we’ve provided to the communities in which we live and work.

When someone mentions Thanksgiving dinner, the image that traditionally comes to mind includes turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and cranberry sauce. As one of the very few commercially grown fruits native to the United States, the cranberry symbolically represents an American harvest on our holiday tables. Cranberries are primarily grown in northern regions such as Massachusetts, Wisconsin, New Jersey, and the Pacific Northwest, with Wisconsin producing more than half of the world’s total crop. 

October is National Energy Awareness Month, and we’re marking the occasion by highlighting a unique program within our resource management strategy – rainwater harvesting.

Consistency. It’s a familiar key deliverable for food producers and food retailers that builds a strong foundation for brand loyalty. In the service industry, executing consistency looks different; drivers like safety and supply chain remain crucial, but elements like innovation and process optimization emerge as important factors.

We recently spoke with Pat Ballard, Americold's VP Business Development for Key Accounts in the Protein vertical, to catch up on the temperature-controlled protein supply chain.  Read on to hear his insights...

The port of Savannah, GA and Americold's PortFresh Savannah campus are open for fresh fruit and vegetable imports and exports.  And with the introduction of the USDA’s Southeast In-Transit Cold Treatment Pilot program about four years ago, opportunities for customers and vendors involved in international fruit and vegetable supply chains have increased significantly....

That is certainly the question now as demand for food variety, and consequently food storage, accelerates. In general, demand for food increases roughly in line with inflation - the more people there are, the more food is consumed. But today's consumers expect more choice - more variety - and more convenience. CBRE reports food sales have increased 24% in just the last 5 years! An analogy often conveyed during our meetings is to ask people to consider the size of the frozen pizza section in a local grocery store 15-20 years ago. Maybe it was a cabinet of two with 4 flavors from a handful of frozen pizza manufacturers. And look at that same produce now... multiply that out for the majority products a typical grocery store offers and you can see why there can be 50-60,000 SKUS under that one roof!