Food Grade Warehousing & Storage
When you need to store foodstuffs or raw materials to be used in food processing, you have to use a warehouse with climate controls. For instance, you may need a place to store bottled milk or fruits and vegetables. Before these products can be shipped to the market, they must be kept in cold storage to ensure they do not get spoiled. The ideal warehousing facility must be approved and certified to offer food grade warehousing & storage. If not, you should continue with your search for the right facility. After all, there are many warehousing facilities in the state of Texas, so you should never be in a rush to make a decision before you find a facility that can match all your needs. Below are some of the key factors to consider:
i) Location
When it comes to warehousing, location is usually the most important factor of consideration. You want a facility that is conveniently located. Ideally, you should search for warehouses that are located near your target market. If you will be supplying to the Dallas Fort Worth metroplex, consider renting a climate controlled warehouse located in the outskirts of the city of Dallas. This will make it possible for you to reach most of your customers in a timely manner and conveniently.
ii) Certifications
The ideal facility must have approvals or authorization to store food-grade items. This is an important requirement because the agencies responsible for public health and safety may declare all your products unfit for human consumption if you keep them at a facility that has not been approved or certified. Therefore, certification is perhaps the most important factor of consideration when looking for a suitable facility.
iii) Cost
Obviously, different storage facilities will charge different rates for their warehousing services. Therefore, you need to create a shortlist of facilities that meet all your requirements and compare the rental rates quoted by the management of those facilities for the amount of space you need. Obviously, the most affordable facility should be given strong consideration. However, you should keep other factors in mind when doing the cost comparison. After all, saving money is not your main objective.
iv) Guarantees
You want several guarantees. The first is a guarantee on the security of your belongings. Secondly, you want a guarantee, that the management will ensure the cooling system will never malfunction. Be sure to check and compare all the guarantees and assurances offered by different firms before making your final decision. The terms and conditions offered by different firms should also be checked.