All thawed out
Vertical Cold Storage has made a play for expansion at the Port of Savannah with the purchase of a distribution center 9 miles from the port. The facility in Georgia is 350,000 square feet and has 40 dock doors and over 35,000 pallet positions. The 12-year-old facility can blast-freeze up to 40 loads a day and has an extended dock designed to support high volumes of imports and exports.
Flavio Batista, chief commercial officer of Georgia Ports, said in a news release: “Georgia Ports is delighted to welcome Vertical Cold Storage to the greater Savannah area and know they will be very successful. We will work to ensure that Vertical Cold Storage and its customers see all the benefits of doing business in Southeast Georgia, including a highly skilled workforce and an efficient intermodal network.”
The Port of Savannah imports 46% of the country’s poultry and 5% of grocery items. Not only that, it has seen significant growth over the past year. Should 2025 follow 2024’s style, more development might be needed at the Port of Savannah.
Temperature checks
A new type of cold storage facility is opening at Port Saint John in New Brunswick, Canada. Americold Realty Trust is developing its first import-export cold storage facility in that country. It’s a new type because in addition to the import-export cold storage, the company is also working closely with the maritime expertise of DP World and the rail solutions of Canadian Pacific Kansas City. The facility will have about 22,000 pallet positions in Port Saint John.
George Chappelle, CEO of Americold, said in a news release, “Developing a state-of-the-art facility in Port Saint John marks an exciting step forward for Americold as the Company expands into a strategically compelling geography serving high-volume international routes, providing unparalleled opportunities for integration with our premier partners in DP World and CPKC.”
Recent developments and upgrades at the port made this a reality and helped cement its position as Atlantic Canada’s largest port by volume and one of the fastest-growing east coast ports in North America.
Food and drug
The ice cream section at the grocery store is about to get a little bigger. Ice cream champion Ben & Jerry’s has debuted the ice cream sundae. The new sundaes are mostly ice cream and topped with whipped topping and more chunks of treats.
The sundaes have been released in four flavors to start: Cookie Vermont-ster Sundae, Dulce-Delish Sundae, Choco-lotta Cheesecake Sundae and Turtle Sundae. The sundaes will start rolling out across the country over the next few weeks. The decision to bring this to the masses came after huge success in Europe.
Flavor Guru Natalia Butler said in a news release, “I like to think of each Sundae as a textural treasure hunt, starting with that thick and creamy ice cream that you already know and love, nestled below a layer of rich whipped topping and covered in the perfect balance of the most decadent swirls and chunks you have ever met. Our Flavor Gurus built the perfect Sundae so our fans can enjoy at home, and … it delivers.”
Cold chain lanes
This week’s market under a microscope is Dallas. Dallas is seeing a spike in reefer outbound tender volumes. Capacity is beginning to loosen as reefer outbound tender rejections fall and reefer outbound tender volumes rise faster than rejections. Compared to historic volumes, reefer outbound tender volumes are following the same trend: that is, a spike in volumes before the end of January. The volume itself is lower than that of last year but significantly elevated compared to 2023.
Historical pricing data for Dallas might not be the most accurate, but looking at 2024 would be a good place to start and work downward to achieve an ideal spot rate. Shippers should take advantage of the loose capacity now and work quickly to secure pricing and wrap up bids as fast as possible before a market disruption throws everything out of balance.
Is SONAR for you? Check it out with a demo!
Shelf life
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Wanna chat in the cooler? Shoot me an email with comments, questions or story ideas at moconnell@freightwaves.com.
See you on the internet.
Mary
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