July 2018

How to Ship a Cake for a Special Event

Cake Delivery

You can ship cakes to people across huge distances. This can expand your business and make you more money.

But first, take a look at this guide to learn how to ship a cake safely.

Pick Your Cake

When you’re shipping a cake, dense, moist cakes are always a better choice. Things like pound cakes, carrot cakes, and fruitcakes tend to ship well. Though you can ship any type of cake, light cakes are much more likely to crumble and break during the trip.

Cakes steeped in things like syrups and liqueur are also ideal shipping cakes. Because they are infused with the syrup, these cakes are less likely to fall apart.

If your cake has some kind of cream filling, you’ll need to make sure you ship it correctly, especially if the cream is dairy based. Anything made from eggs or other dairies must be refrigerated at all times.

This doesn’t mean you can’t ship these cakes, but it does mean you’ll need to make sure you keep the cake at the right temperature during shipment. If you don’t, the filling can spoil and give your clients food poisoning.

Pick Your Frosting

Again, if this frosting is dairy based, you’ll need to ensure your cake stays properly cooled during the shipping process.

But you should avoid shipping cakes with delicate, fluffy frosting or a lot of intricate designs. These might not hold up well during the trip.

For example, the frosting on your cake can start melting if the temperature gets too warm. This will leave whoever opens the cake with a sticky, slimy, mess.

Fondant holds up a lot better. It will hold its shape and won’t stick to the packaging if things get a little warm.

If you have delicate or intricate cakes, save those ones for hand deliveries only. Shipping cakes like that will only lead to disappointed customers and a damaged reputation.

Prepare Your Cake for Shipment

You should always freeze a cake before you ship it.

This will actually set the icing in place and help the cake stay together and keep its shape. It also keeps the cake cool, which will, in turn, keep the cake fresh.

You should put the cake in the freezer at least 12 to 24 hours before you’re ready to package it. This will ensure its completely frozen through.

Once frozen, wrap the cake in plastic wrap so it’s completely covered and wrap that layer in aluminum foil. This will both give the cake some support and keep the cold temperatures inside the wrapping.

The cake will start to thaw during shipment, but that’s what you want. Thawing will keep the cake moist and fresh.

How to Ship a Cake

Becuase you want the cake to arrive at its final destination in good condition, you must package cakes very carefully and treat them like a fragile item (because they actually are).

These shipping instructions will help your cake stay in one piece during the delivery.

Put the Cake in a Styrofoam Cooler

A styrofoam cooler will keep the cake from getting too warm.

First, put the cake in the cooler. Then line the cake with some kind of frozen gel packs to keep the cooler nice and cold.

For the best results, put the cooler in the refrigerator before packaging the cake. This way the cooler will already be the temperature you want, and the gel packs will work better.

If you can’t find a styrofoam cooler, you can also…

Put the Cake in a Specially Designed Cake Box

These are essentially the same things as styrofoam coolers.

They are made from foam insulation so the inside will stay cool, but they are also cut to the exact shape of a cake. Most of them also come with compartments in the bottom for frozen gel packs.

Put the Cake and Cooler in Another Box

Whatever cooler you decide to use, putting the whole thing in a cardboard box is your next step.

Spread a layer of foam peanuts on the bottom of the cardboard box. Having these peanuts underneath the cake will keep it from sliding around during shipment.

Place the cooler on top of the foam peanuts and fill in any remaining gaps with more foam peanuts. When the box is completely full and secure, place another layer of foam peanuts on top of the cooler as well.

This should prevent the cooler from moving and damaging the cake.

Tape the Box Shut

Use packing tape, and make sure you put several layers over every seam. The last thing you want is your only layer of tape popping off and spilling your foam cooler and cake into the back of a truck somewhere.

Mark the Package

The cake should not be turned upside down, so you must mark which side of the package is the top.

You can either do this with stickers or a permanent marker.

Write the phrase “THIS SIDE UP” on every side of the box and include arrows that point to the top. You should also mark the box as perishable and fragile.

Choosing the Right Shipping Method

Obviously, you want your cake to get to your client as fast as possible. A longer shipping time only means a bigger risk of your cake getting damaged.

Though the cake could probably last a one or two day shipping time, you should get same day shipping as often as possible. If you can’t do this, your next best bet is overnight shipping.

This will minimize the shipping time and make sure your cake stays in good condition for your client.

Let Your Client Know Your Plan

As you’re considering how to ship a cake, make sure your client knows what to expect. Tell them what kinds of cake you can ship, how long the shipping will take, and how they can expect the cake to arrive.

Because the cakes are frozen, your client should wait until the cakes thaw out and reach room temperature before eating.

Need some help shipping your cake quickly? Take a look at some of our services.

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Everything You Need to Know About Mailing Perishable Food Items

Do you sell perishable food items online?

Or, do you want to send your kids in college those tasty homemade pies you promised them?

Mailing perishable food items is easier and convenient today than in the past. With speedy delivery and proper packaging, you can mail food items to your customers or loved ones with less worry.

In this post, we’ll share everything you need to know about mailing fresh and frozen food. This includes special packaging, mailing speeds, and cooling methods.

Let’s get cracking!

1. Understand Government Regulations

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) requirements are essential to consider when shipping perishable food items.

Mailing food items may cause concerns about shelf life, food safety, and distribution. If you find a reputable mailing service, they can help you navigate and meet these requirements.

First, you need to ensure that your courier service ships perishable items. It’s encouraged for the food to be delivered quickly, probably overnight. The outer packaged should have a “Keep Refrigerated” label to alert the handlers and recipient.

The package must be kept below 40 degrees F. The recipient should use a thermometer to check the temperature at the time of delivery. Or, the food should be frozen or partially frozen with traces of visible ice crystals.

If the food arrives warm with temperatures above 40 degrees F, it’s advisable not to eat it.

2. Proper Packaging

As expected, this is the most critical aspect of mailing food items.

First, you need to pack the food in airtight containers to avoid the risk of spillage during movement and handling. Proper insulation is also an important consideration when packing your food items.

You need to keep the heat out, and there are several materials you can use to do this. This includes:

  • Styrofoam cut sheets – You can use these as inserts for your shipping boxes
  • Styrofoam boxes – Boxes with thicker wallers are the best, but they cost more
  • Insulated liners – Liners are great for tightly wrapping your items
  • Air-filled insulated liners – This option uses thermal properties of air for safe shipping
  • Insulated pads – Pads feature Styrofoam and insulated liners to keep your products fresh

You can also keep the perishable items cold. As a rule of thumb, use ice packs for refrigerated items and dry ice for frozen products. The amount of ice packs and dry ice you need depends on your product’s weight. The anticipated shipping time is also important.

When using dry ice, keep in mind that it’s a hazardous material. Wear gloves while handling it to avoid burning your skin. Be careful enough not to let it come in direct contact with food. Be sure to label the package that it contains dry ice.

Avoid using brown paper and strings when packaging the food. The paper can tear, and the strings are likely to get caught on sorting belts. Also, don’t use duct tape as it becomes loose when exposed to cold conditions.

3. Find the Right Mailing Service

Even with proper shipping, choosing the wrong courier service will result in a disaster for you. Ideally, the longer it takes for your package to be delivered, the more likely the food quality will decrease.

As such, pick a service that offers a guarantee for same-day delivery. They should offer pre-scheduled routed delivery and rush courier & on-demand services. These services allow you to get your package delivered in the minimum time possible.

Be sure to compare quotes offered by different services before making your selection.

Also, consider the shipping speed. Reliable courier services should provide a shipping time of 12 to 48 hours. Of course, the type of the product and the destination of the package will determine the exact shipping speed.

4. Choose the Right Shipping Day

Some courier services don’t ship products during national holidays and the weekends. So, be sure to determine the ideal day for mailing perishable food items.

Delivery will take longer if you mail the packages at the end of the week. They are likely to sit in a warm warehouse over the weekend, and this means the quality will decrease. Some companies can offer storage services, but this will come at a fee.

So, plan in advance, probably early in the week, to ship your package without risking spoilage.

5. Use Local Produce

If you’re in the grocery business, the best way to ensure your products are safe is by using local producers. This way, you can close the production gap. Ideally, you don’t need to ship products from other states or towns when there are local producers who can meet your needs.

Being close to where you’re shipping your products from means the products will spend less time in the sun or warehouse. If there’s no local producer near you, consider finding one located near your courier service.

Be sure to work with a producer that can offer packaging and tagging services.

6. Always Check the Package Destination

It’s not uncommon for courier services to deliver a package to the wrong address. This can be their mistake or yours.

Whatever the case, always confirm the mailing address to ensure it’s correct. If the recipient gave you the address, be sure to call them to validate it. When the package is ready for shipping, review the shipping details to ensure everything is accurate.

This is particularly important for same-day delivery packages. Delivering to the wrong address will add more hours to the shipping time. This is likely to affect the quality of the package.

Also, don’t send the package to business addresses or other places with no adequate refrigerator storage.

Mailing Perishable Food Items – Final Thoughts

We trust that these tips for mailing fresh food will help you to ensure your recipients and customers get their packages as fresh as possible. The essential aspects of mailing perishable food items include proper package and reliable courier services.

At Need It Now Delivers, we offer national courier and logistics services to deliver your package on time.

Do you have any question about our services? Be sure to reach out to us at any time.

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