For the Food and Beverage industry, cold chain logistics plays a significant role in maintaining the product’s quality and freshness until it is delivered to the customer’s doorstep. Normally foam boxes are mainly used for this application nowadays but it cannot guarantee the quality and freshness of the product to be maintained for a long time; however, a new innovative solution has appeared and it is the Olivo insulated box. In this article, together with Specco2, let’s dive further into a real case study where Olivo insulated box is used efficiently for delivering fresh food across the city.
Olivo insulated box used for food delivery
The problems with using regular foam boxes..
Our client – Classic fine food, is a company that works in the Food and Beverage industry, they have many branches all over the world. Classic Fine Foods Vietnam was created in 2005 and has become a leader in the industry, offering high-quality products to the best restaurants and hotels across the country as well as the most prestigious department stores and gourmet food outlets. They are proud to deliver, on demand, the highest quality of fresh, frozen, ambient, and pastry products, enabling the creation of menus and recipes that will excite the most demanding of tastes. To ensure this purpose, they always focus on the cold supply chain which is ensuring the product’s temperature is well-maintained to keep the food fresh throughout the whole journey until it reached the customers. In the past, for this particular usage, Classic fine food used to utilize regular foam boxes but this material does more harm than good.
The foam box (or styrofoam box) is a product made with two main ingredients, which are EPS (polystyrene) and CFCs (Chlorofluorocarbon). This type of container is made up of millions of teenie tiny air bubbles that have the ability to preserve the food stored inside at a well-maintained temperature and also have a great moisture resistance feature as well. In addition, the cost of foam boxes is relatively cheaper in comparison to other materials used for preserving food. Not to mention they are usually very light-weight; easy to move, stack and load onto the motorbike or trucks.
As good as it may seem, the foam box also has its downsides. Firstly, the Polystyrene and Chlorofluorocarbon contained within the product, better known as plastic polymer and greenhouse gas, are toxic and hazardous materials that can cause severe damage to the environment. These are the materials that contribute to the destruction of the ozone, climate change, pollution, and most importantly global warming. Secondly, although the foam box has the advantage of being relevantly cheap and lightweight, it takes a lot of time to be disposed of and fully degraded. Furthermore, if not handled properly, the foam box can release harmful chemical substances into the water sources. Thirdly, using foam boxes can also affect our health tremendously too. These foam boxes contain harmful chemicals that can infiltrate the food and drinks throughout the whole shipping process. As a result, it can cause cancer, chronic disease, and respiratory illness.
The best solution for food delivery – Olivo Insulated Box
Upon realizing the fact that using foam boxes is not a sustainable choice for the industry’s application in the long run, Classic fine food has been searching for a new alternative to it. Eventually, the company found the best solution for their food delivery application – the Insulated Boxes from Olivo.
Olivo is the world’s leading brand of containers from France. The brand is highly chosen and trusted by businesses and customers thanks to its brilliant products, mainly for preserving the products at the best quality and the best temperature provided. All of Olivo’s insulated containers are made from easily recyclable EPP (Expanded polypropylene) with a high insulating capacity and an extremely sturdy structure. In addition, the product goes with non-toxic eutectic plates that can be used for an unlimited amount of time. Just freeze the cold gel within 24 hours and you’re good to go. All of these factors combined have made Olivo’s insulated box long-lasting, durable, environmentally friendly, safety. In the long run, Classic Fine Food will save significant electricity and gas costs when Olivo insulated box 64 can maintain a stable temperature from 3 to 4 hours without the need for a refrigerated truck.
An up-close shot of the eutectic plates
An actual study case of Olivo’s Insulated Box used for food delivery
Realizing the benefits of Olivo insulated bins for food transport and storage, Classic Fine Food has switched from using foam boxes to Olivo’s Insulated Box for a more sustainable means of delivery. The company delivers every day and they need a container that can preserve the food at the best temperature for the next 3-4 hours, noting the fact that every 25 mins they will have to open the box to take the food out and hand it to the customers. After a while of experiencing the product Olivo insulated box 64, the result has left them very satisfied.
A close-up look of the Olivo insulated bin
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Some detailed information about the product:
The Olivo Insulated Box 64
- Outer dim. in mm (L x D x H): 595 x 395 x 455 mm
- Inner dim. in mm (L x D x H): 505 x 320 x 370 mm
- Inner volume: 60 Liters
- Unloaded weight: 2.1Kg
- Material: Expanded polypropylene
Eutectic plate top 64 (-17ºC)
- Characteristic: Aqueous solution with a certain proportion of salt
- Physical state: Liquid at ambient temperature
- Length 364 mm; Width 170 mm;
- Height 20 mm
- Unloaded weight: 1,0 Kg
And so, Classic fine food has used a total of 40 Olivo boxes for shipping food
in the last mile logistics with 3 eutectic plates for each box. Thanks to the boxes’ even structure, they can be easily carried around and stacked on the mini truck or a motorbike; making the most out of the storage space. The food stored inside is packaged, sorted, put in boxes, and preserved at -5ºC to 0ºC; with each box containing 6-10 food packages.
The client complimented that the Olivo boxes are very solid and even more sustainable than the regular foam boxes that they previously used. They also noted that the boxes are capable of keeping the temperature stable for food delivery for 3 to 4 hours continuously when moving across the inner city. The company shared that by using these insulated containers, they no longer have to invest money in ice and dry ice to maintain the temperature within the box now that the non-toxic and sustainable eutectic plates have been put to good use.
Conclusion
Although foam box can be relatively cost-effective and easy to carry around, it still has a lot of negative impacts on the customer’s health as well as the environment around us. In order to make food delivery more efficient and sustainable, Olivo’s Insulated Box is a wonderful alternative as the product offers a more stable temperature for better food quality with a design that is eco-friendly built and eutectic plates that can be used for an unlimited amount of time.
You can choose to deliver the best quality of food and also protect the environment with our Olivo’s Insulated Box. Contact Specco2 today for further information!
