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Using Temperature-Controlled Vehicles to Meet Quality Standards
Consider the distribution of your produce with care if you want your food and beverage business to succeed and have plans to scale your operations.
Disheartening statistics highlight the challenges of food and drink startups to get off the ground. Nine out of ten new ventures in the industry fail, and one of the major mistakes that entrepreneurs make is not putting together a strong supply chain, as well as underestimating the complexities of distribution. Pippa Murray, founder of natural nut butter and almond milk companyPip and Nut, spoke recently at the Bread and Jam food conference, explaining “As a new entrepreneur it can be difficult to build a strong supply chain from the start, yet without this, it is going to be almost impossible to scale the business.”For your business to belong to the 10% of food startups that succeed, it’s essential to focus on economical food transportation. Here are some points to consider.
Sustainability
Millennials believe sustainability to be a shopping priority when determining the brands they’re willing to be loyal to. With an increased focus on social responsibility, it would be wise for your company to consider the footprint that it leaves when distributing food. If you’re transporting internationally, into Europe for instance, it makes sense to use road transport rather than flying your produce, in order to reduce carbon emissions per kilo of freight.
Safety And Hygiene
Controlled temperatures will be a huge part of the decision-making process when it comes to the transportation of your fresh or frozen food. Keeping food chilled prevents harmful bacteria from growing amongst your produce. Cold food for example must be kept below 8C, which is a legal requirement in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there isn’t a specific temperature set, but food must be kept in a fridge or chilled environment.
Temperature-controlled transport allows you to use food couriers that can transport your fresh, frozen, ambient or warmed goods within the UK or Europe. This includes dairy, meat, fruit, vegetables and confectionery which can be carried at a wide variety of temperatures from –25 to +20C depending on your individual business requirements. This will ensure that contamination does not occur and you can be assured that your food will arrive in the same condition as it left your premises, allowing you to meet ISO 9001 quality standards.
Maintaining Affordability
Of course, distribution will likely be one of your largest outgoing costs, so it’s important to keep costs reasonable and ensure efficiency. If your shipments tend to be small, then companies such as Kuehl Speed offer groupage options, allowing your cargo to be added to larger consignments. This saves money as you only pay for the portion of space that your produce takes up, rather than having to hire an entire vehicle for your shipment.
Identifying Errors
The success of your food distribution operations is also dependent on your ability to oversee the transportation process and be able to manage any errors that happen along the journey. By using a fleet of vehicles that are armed with GPS and temperature tracking, you’ll be able to prove that you’ve maintained quality produce throughout the journey and pinpoint with accuracy any problems have occurred along the way.
Setting up your distribution network is an essential part of your success as a new food and drink startup. Make sure you get it right from the beginning to allow your business to scale and bring in the profits.
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