Put Your Pallet in a Parka

Cold chain shipping is hot right now—its global market size was valued at almost $271 billion in 2023 and is expected to grow 18.6 percent annually until 2030. The reason for this? Now more than ever, consumers are shopping online for temperature-sensitive goods. Beer, wine, fresh produce, kombucha—the sky’s the limit to what can be shipped across the country.

Breweries, in particular, stand to gain a lot from opening up new markets and expanding their logistics operations with cold chain shipping. Advancements in the e-commerce landscape have made it easier for consumers to buy beer online, meaning businesses that aren’t taking advantage risk losing out on a piece of the pie. However, practicality and cost remain steep barriers to entry, but what if they didn’t have to be?

The Pallet Parka has made cold chain shipping more accessible for breweries across North America. With affordability, feasibility, and sustainability top of mind, two guys who love craft beer and own Brew Movers, the country’s only white-glove beverage shipping service, looked to fill a gap in the market.

Today, Pallet Parka is the industry’s leading cold chain packaging alternative—a secret weapon that is single-handedly saving breweries up to 50 percent on cold chain shipping costs. It’s the only completely modular, foldable, and reusable cold chain shipping solution on the market.

Interested? Let’s talk about it!

The Importance of Reliable Cold Chain Packaging

As a brewer, you put too much work, time, and care into your beverages to risk them getting ruined by non-temperature-controlled shipping solutions.

When you put your beer at the mercy of the elements during transit, you’re leaving it vulnerable to spoilage. Chemical reactions caused by extreme temperature fluctuations can lead to undesirable changes in taste and aroma, which—while rarely harmful to the drinker’s health—will sour the experience for them.

There are other risks to consider, too. Many cold chain shipping solutions are not air-tight, which creates the potential for condensation-related damage. Furthermore, packaging and the product itself often suffer from physical damage during transit after being jostled around in the back of a not-so-secure trailer or truck.

The beer industry is incredibly competitive; as a beverage producer, you can’t afford to disappoint paying customers by delivering products that aren’t up to snuff. While your customers might be loyal to your brand right now, they won’t hesitate to try your competitor’s offerings if they feel yours aren’t delivering enough value.

With this in mind, improving your logistics with better cold chain shipping solutions is a no-brainer to ensure your offerings always meet and exceed customer expectations. The problem, however, is that traditional cold chain packaging methods aren’t easily integrated into the supply chain without consequences.

The Shortcomings of Traditional Cold Chain Shipping

The two most common cold chain shipping solutions are refrigerated trucks and refrigerated containers. So, what’s the issue with these? In 2021, the cold chain industry’s carbon footprint accounted for 3.5 percent of the world’s total carbon emissions at 1.11 billion metric tons.

Refrigerated trucks are the biggest culprits here; not only are they more expensive for breweries to use than standard dry-van trailers, but they are also much worse for the environment because their refrigeration unit is usually powered by a second, unregulated diesel engine.

The pollution data on refrigerated trucks paints a bleak picture:

• They can produce up to 29 times more carcinogenic particulate matter.
• They can produce up to six times more nitrogen oxides.

Refrigerated containers, on the other hand, work better at maintaining a specific temperature, but few breweries are large enough to ship their products by train or sea, nor are they in a financial position to afford the costs involved.

Other options include investing in cold chain packaging materials such as gel packs, blankets, or dry ice, but many of them are simply not strong enough to survive the rigors of a long trip. These materials are often single-use, which only further exacerbates the environmental impact of the process.

Better cold chain technologies are needed to sustain a more consistent temperature range throughout transit and limit the risks of product deterioration. The good news? Stable temperatures are within reach.

Revolutionizing Sustainable Cold Chain Packaging

The Pallet Parka is a cold chain packaging solution for small to medium-sized breweries that want to:

• Avoid the high cost of reefer shipping but still need to ship their goods within a specific temperature range;
• Are looking to be more environmentally friendly; or
• Are looking to expand into new markets.

At Brew Movers, we use Pallet Parka to solve all the issues that traditional cold chain shipping presents to our clients. It’s an economical, effective, and sustainable solution that you can leverage to save on shipping.

How Does the Pallet Parka Work?

Pallet Parka is a temperature-regulating insulation system that covers and protects a shipping pallet’s contents from heat, cold, and light exposure. It’s designed to maintain the temperature of goods for one to four days of transit, then, upon arrival, be easily shipped back to you using the handy Parka Tote that comes with it.

The Pallet Parka is meant to fit a standard 48-inch x 40-inch pallet but is adjustable to accommodate different sizes.

With standard side skirts, Pallet Parka can fit:

• A minimum product height of 24 inches
• A maximum product height of 45 inches

With the XL side skirts, Pallet Parka can fit:

• A minimum height of 48 inches
• A maximum height of 70 inches

No matter which size you choose, Pallet Parka will protect your beer and other beverages from heat, freezing, physical damage, and light.

Heat
Imagine creating a refrigerator-like atmosphere without a refrigerated truck—this is what the Pallet Parka provides. By using the mass of your product’s core temperature, it limits both convective and radiant heat transfer to keep things cool.

Freezing
If your beer is delayed in transit, the extra layer of insulation the Pallet Parka provides will prevent it from freezing in extremely low temperatures. Freeze protection is an important safeguard to have during the winter—and Pallet Parka provides it for free! It's a huge factor to keep in mind because LTL carriers will charge you extra for freeze protection.

Physical Damage
Load forces, stacking, and shifting are all common problems that standard cold chain shipping does little to address. The Pallet Parka’s 700 square inches of Velcro protection are a barrier that will keep your beverages safe—especially if you have custom packaging.

Light
The Pallet Parka also protects your beverages from harsh light, an often-overlooked trigger when it comes to spoilage. Think of it as an opaque insulated blanket that defends your drinks from rays that would otherwise change their temperature.

Pallet Parka vs. Other Cold Chain Shipping Solutions

Brew Movers uses the Pallet Parka because it’s the best way to cut shipping costs while maintaining quality. Let’s explore in more detail how it makes things easier while saving you money when it’s time to ship your beverages.

Convenience

Pallet Parka gives beverage companies the freedom and flexibility to ship however works best for them without compromising quality. No other reusable cold chain packaging solution is compatible with as many different modes of transportation:

• Dry less-than-truckload (LTL) shipping
• Unrefrigerated truckload shipping
• Refrigerated truckload shipping
• Air-cargo shipping
• Van shipping

Many breweries use Pallet Parka on canning days or whenever their coolers are full, negating the need to unnecessarily rearrange stock during peak business hours. It’s also a great solution to protect case trays from condensation damage on warm canning days.

Cost

If your brewery is looking to cut shipping costs, choosing Pallet Parka over other cold chain shipping solutions is a no-brainer. This is true whether you ship your products through a contract with a shipper or as needed (spot).

In the short term, your first 1,000-mile LTL trip using a dry van with Pallet Parka might cost you about $700 when you factor in all expenses. Conversely, a single reefer LTL shipment can cost about $1,800—$1,100 more!

Pallet Parka can be used over and over again, meaning you stand to increase the ROI on your initial investment. The cost of your second, third, and 100th dry shipments will all be lower, while your reefer shipment costs stay the same.

The return-to-sender process is also quick and easy. Pallet Parka has a clear window pocket for BOLs, and its tote has a pocket designed for a UPS or FedEx return label. All you have to do is print the return label ahead of time and put it inside; the receiving party can then simply fold the Pallet Parka up into the bag and send it back to you via courier!

The long and the short of it? Pallet Parka is a logistics investment that will pay dividends as you ship more cold chain products.

Modernize Your Cold Chain Shipping Logistics with Brew Movers & Pallet Parka

Cold chain shipping is the present and future of the industry, but, unfortunately, most cold chain shipping solutions are stuck in the past. They’re expensive, harmful to the environment, and simply aren’t a feasible option for most breweries looking to stay competitive.

At Brew Movers, Pallet Parka is at the heart of our cold chain shipping strategy. We use it to keep your beverages within a consistent and controlled temperature range while simultaneously helping you cut shipping costs—getting better rates for breweries and their vendors is what we’re all about. We do this by supplying inbound logistics for cans, kegs, hops, malt, fruits, fresh ingredients, and equipment, as well as outbound logistics for final products to retailers and distributors. We offer direct-to-consumer services, too.

We know how much time and effort goes into crafting your best beer; let us handle the logistics while you grow your business. Reach out to our team to explore the possibilities of Pallet Parka cold chain packaging and modernize your shipping operations. Cheers!