Chocolate delivery under proper shipping conditions: here’s how to do it!
We humans love chocolate. On a typical day, the world eats some one billion people chocolate! But with these summer temperatures in the Netherlands, shipping chocolate without losing quality and flavor can be quite a challenge. And did you know that storing chocolate too cold isn’t good either? How do our big patisserie and chocolate customers That the chocolate doesn’t get too hot, but also not too cold? You’ll read about it in this article!
What is chocolate?
Chocolate is a delicacy made from sugar with cocoa butter and cocoa mass, which is extracted from cocoa beans. You can make endless delicious things from chocolate: from bars to cakes to chocolates of all shapes and sizes. We enjoy it all over the world, but the Swiss are champions: in the country where Nestlé has its origins, with 8.8 kg of chocolate per person per year, they consume the most chocolate on average! Our southern neighbors in Belgium are also good at it: they consume 5.6 kg of chocolate per person per year.
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Shipping and storing chocolate: here’s what to look out for
There are three main concerns when transporting or storing chocolate without losing quality – temperature, moisture and light.
- Temperature: too hot. If the temperature is too hot, the chocolate will melt, causing the chocolate to deform and may cause “fat bloom”: one of the types of white deposits. The latter occurs because the cocoa particles in the chocolate melt, and when cooled, solidify and form characteristic white fat crystals. To be on the safe side, therefore, always keep the chocolate below 25°C.
- Temperature: too cold. Even at too low temperatures, a white layer can form on the chocolate, in this case called “sugar bloom. When the chocolate reheats from too low a temperature, the cold air condenses, creating moisture on the surface. In this the sugar dissolves, which then crystallizes again, resulting in the same white deposit as in fat bloom.
- Moisture. The refrigerator is often damp due to condensation on various products and surfaces. This is disastrous for the structure and taste of chocolate: the moisture soaks into the chocolate, condenses and again the infamous white layer can form on the chocolate.
- Light. Preferably keep away from sunlight: this too can cause temperature fluctuations with repercussions on the structure and taste of the chocolate products.
- Smell. Chocolate is a real “odor eater. Keeping it in the refrigerator with strongly scented food products can affect the smell of your chocolate or chocolates. Also, don’t put chocolate next to cleaning products.
But what are good storage and transportation conditions?
It is best to keep chocolate dry (humidity of 50-70%), dark and far from fragrant products, and to transport it within a range of 13 to 18 °C. Many chocolate makers and pastry chefs already choose to add a cooling element to the shipping package from an outside temperature of 21°C and above. Packaging that is well protected from light and moisture is always important.
Gel packs and PCM tray packs to secure temperature of chocolate
At Coolpack, we have been supplying several large chocolate web shops with gel packs for shipping delicious chocolates and patisserie products for many years. For this purpose we mainly supply the Original gel packs 200 grams, which enable chilled shipping at a temperature of 0 °C to 8 °C. Because of our production facility on location in Assendelft, we can make these in almost all shapes and sizes: with a width of up to 27.5 cm, different segments and as long as you want! You prepare the gel pack for use by freezing it at -18 °C for at least 24 hours. Do you have a freezer that can’t handle that cold? Then it will take a little longer for the gelpack to harden completely.
Since the ideal storage temperature of chocolate is between 13 and 18 °C, you can also choose PCM traypacks with a solidification and melting point within this range. A runner in our range, for example, is PCM with a eutectic melting point at +18 °C. Please do contact us for this or request a quick quotation without obligation.
You prepare these chilled to a temperature of +5 °C to +10 °C – assuming that the ambient temperature is higher than +18 °C during transport. The PCM tray pack takes a solid form and remains stable for the longest time at the temperature of +18 °C. Want to know more about exactly how this works? Check out our knowledge platform phasechangematerial.nl!
Shipping chocolate with return flow? Choose reusable!
Do you have an opportunity to utilize return flows and bring packaging back to your warehouse? Then use reusable, moldable PCM or cooling elements to keep chocolate at the right temperature during transport. You can refreeze and reuse these as many times as you like! Going extra sustainable? We can also supply the cooling elements in HDPE bottles extracted from renewable resources.
Questions? We are happy to help!
For specific questions, placing an order or a quote, please feel free to contact us. Our team is here for you!
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We weigh the interests of the customer, the environment and society, as well as ourselves as an organization, in all business decisions. In this way, we achieve balanced business operations and together ensure an ever better world.
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