Shipping Practices for Fresh Thai Fruits

Most people never give a thought to the fact that you can enjoy a fresh and tangy tropical pineapple or a juicy mango while staring out at the falling snow somewhere in Europe. It’s only because of the concept of cold chain management and the high shipping standards of fresh Thai fruits that these fruits can be enjoyed outside of Asia.

Our blog will open by exploring the logistics behind shipping fresh fruits and vegetables around the globe and having them arrive at their destination fresh and delicious. It revolves around maintaining the cold chain.

Maintaining the Cold Chain

Cold chain management is a concept that started in the early 1900s when trucks and trains began to ship various fresh fruits and vegetables to local markets. As the concept was improved, streamlined, and expanded, it also enabled these products to be shipped internationally aboard ships or planes.

The intent of cold chain management is to ensure that fresh fruits and vegetables are kept between 0 degrees and 4 degrees Celsius from farm to table. All the logistics concerning their packaging, handling and methods of transport revolve around maintaining the cold chain within these temperature parameters.

Choosing the Best Packaging to Protect the Product

In the early days of shipping fresh Thai fruits and produce, distributors packaged the fruits in wooden crates and containers. Bruising was the biggest worry for the relatively short distances the fruits had to travel, and these sturdy crates enabled the produce to arrive at their destination bruise-free.

Once cold chain management was introduced into the process of shipping fresh Thai fruits and vegetables, corrugated cardboard was found to offer a much superior packaging material to wooden crates. The corrugated cardboard was much lighter than wood, which reduced the shipping costs. The corrugations of the cardboard also offered structural strength and a measure of thermal protection. This was crucial when the produce was often exposed to warm temperatures when being transferred from one form of transport to another.

Loading and Handling the Products

As the concept of cold chain management now governs shipping operations involving fresh Thai fruits and produce, facilities are designed with the goal of maintaining the cold chain. Warehouses are built with truck-loading bays featuring plastic curtains that help maintain the cold temperatures in the warehouse. The trucks also feature insulated and actively refrigerated cargo trailers that are run by motors.

Overseas shipping containers are also designed to hold electric refrigeration units. Crews are trained to load these refrigerated containers near shipboard electrical outlets, plug them in, and check them regularly during a voyage to ensure they’re running at all times and maintaining the cold chain.

Avoiding Damage and Spoilage

Cold chain management has solved many of the damage and spoilage problems that once made enjoying a tropical fruit an expensive luxury. As the standards become increasingly streamlined, damage and spoilage issues continue to be minimized. This reduces shipping costs and the corresponding prices of mangos, coconuts, or guavas at your local supermarket.

Latest Developments in Produce Logistics

The twin benefits of computerization and global positioning continue to streamline cold chain management. Technicians can now track precisely how long a shipment has been in transit, its average temperature, and what part of the world it’s in. The more efficient cold chain management becomes, the fresher and less expensive your tropical fruits and vegetables are likely to become.

Fresh Connect is Your Source of Thai Products

Fresh Connect is a Thai fresh produce distributor that uses effective cold chain management to bring you fresh Thai fruits and vegetables shipped anywhere in the world. We offer fresh fruits, including:

• Durian
• Coconut
• Guava
• Pineapple
• Pomelo
• Papaya
• Longan
• Mango

 Our fresh vegetables include:

• Asparagus
• Babycorn
• Ginger
• Parsley
• Pandanus
• Lemon
• Guinea-pepper
• Basil

We also carry a selection of tropical dried fruits that include dried versions of mango, tamarind, durian, pandanus, pineapple and dried herbs that deliver the taste of Thailand. To have Thai fresh produce shipped directly to your local supermarket or grocery store, trust Fresh Connect to deliver.

Contact us to learn more about our range of products and how to become a local distributor of fresh Thai fruits and vegetables in your area.