From the Cold Corner
Business & Finance
About
Welcome to Refrigerated & Frozen Foods' From the Cold Corner podcast, where you can listen to and stay up to date on cutting-edge interviews with some of the industry's top experts. What's the latest trends? What's new in packaging? How do these trends impact tomorrow's supply chains?Subscribe today to stay informed on:*New Trends & Technologies in Packaging**Food Safety**Energy Management**Supply Chain & Logistics* |
Episodes
- Inside the Innovation with My/Mochi
My/Mochi is proving that global inspiration, social media trends and cross-functional execution can come together quickly—and successfully—in the frozen novelty aisle. The brand’s Dubai Chocolate Style Mochi ice cream was voted the first-p…
- From Fire to Full Capacity: Gifford’s Ice Cream Rebuilds for the Future
After a devastating 2023 fire, the family business returns to full production with a redesigned facility focused on flow, flexibility and long-term growth. Lindsay Skilling, Gifford’s Ice Cream CEO, and JC Gifford, COO of Gifford’s Ice Cre…
- Episode 5: Cold Chain Culture: Retired & Extremely Dangerous
Carmen Dodaro, retired CEO and board member, and Lisa Pinion, chief human resources officer, both with FCL Builders, talk culture in cold chain operations. Sponsored by: FCL Builders
- How Peltier & OPEX Aim to ‘Flat Screen’ the Fridge
Warehouse automation provider OPEX Corporation recently announced a technology partnership with Peltier to offer a first-of-its-kind, multi-temperature zone, multi-deep cold storage solution for automated fulfillment systems. Designed to m…
- Circular Action Alliance Talks EPR Implementation
Geoff Inch, senior vice president of producer services at the Circular Action Alliance, discusses implementing EPR and what food brands should be doing now.
- Formulating for Food Safety
Food ingredients and additives are often tasked with more than just influencing taste or mouthfeel – they are increasingly a part of food safety. Garrett McCoy, senior manager, research, development & applications at Corbion, and Tushar Ve…
- Meet RFA's Next President
William Bigelow is the chief operating officer at Blount and recently took over as the next president of the Refrigerated Foods Association. R&FF sat down with him at the 45th annual RFA Conference to discuss his plans for leading the orga…
- Episode 4: From Limestone Mine to Kansas City ‘Cold Solution’
Opened in 2024, the Cold Solutions at Rush Creek team spent much of last year ramping up operation of a new multi-temperature storage facility built in a former mine outside of Kansas City. Joe Bardowski, President & Chief Operations Offic…
- Episode 3: Cold Storage Design: Digging Into Details
When it comes to designing, engineering and building a cold storage facility, the devil is often in the details. Kort Williams and Adam Bortz joins the Cold Storage Deep Dive special series to discuss more. Sponsored by:FCL Builders
- A Cross-Functional Look at Food Industry Trends
Bob Garrison, chief editor of Prepared Foods, Kelley Rodriguez, editor-in-chief of Refrigerated & Frozen Foods, and Alyse Thompson-Richards, editor-in-chief of FOOD ENGINEERING, combine their unique perspectives and discuss the biggest tre…
- Episode 2: Case Study in Cold
When it comes to designing, engineering and building a cold foods facility, sometimes the best lessons are those learned on the job! Sponsored by: FCL Builders
- Rethinking the Automated Warehouse of the Future
Dave Campbell and Jeremy Klysen from Burns & McDonnell join the podcast to discuss designing cold food facilities for automation and more.
- Meet Joe Nicchi, Founder of CVT Soft Serve
Founded as a food truck in 2014, Joe Nicchi initially brought soft serve to the streets of LA. In the decade since, he has scaled the business, entering over 5,000 retail doors and winning the grand prize of NFRA’s second annual Penguin Pi…
- Episode 1: O-E-M Spells Success: Partnering with Equipment Manufacturers on Cold Storage Projects
When selecting equipment from an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) – such as refrigeration – there are many important questions to ask. The goal is to ensure the equipment will meet current and future needs in safety, efficiency, relia…
- Unpacking PACK EXPO with Rebecca Marquez, Director of Custom Research at PMMI
Rebecca Marquez, director of custom research at PMMI. In addition to her responsibilities in PMMI Business Intelligence and Custom Research, Marquez oversees the design, execution, analysis and production of PMMI’s market research products…
- Americold Russellville: 2025 Cold Storage Facility of the Year
Americold’s Russellville location demonstrates the next generation of cold storage. The 300,000-square-foot facility is steps away from a Conagra plant. An expansion completed about 18 months ago added 136,000 square feet of space and took…
- Land, Labor and EDOs: F&B Manufacturing Booms in the ‘Texas Triangle’
In the heart of the “Texas Triangle,” Hays and Caldwell counties are putting food manufacturing on the map. Located midway between Austin and San Antonio, the region offers access to Interstate 35, allowing connection to Gulf ports. With d…
- Heat Pumps in the Cold Chain
According to a recent study by McKinsey, the heat pump market is expected to grow by more than 15% annually, especially in the food and beverage industry, where they are increasingly being incorporated into refrigeration systems. Industria…
- Exploring Portable Cold Storage
James Armstrong, senior vice president of emerging business at SeaCube, discusses how portable, scalable cold storage reefer containers are filing a critical operational need.
- Retail-Ready, Other Trends in Cold Foods Packaging
A little over 10 years ago, Peter Fox opened the North American subsidiary of Germany-based SOMIC Group. A 35-year veteran of the packaging industry, Fox has worked for Kraft Foods, the Pillsbury Company, Delkor Systems and Interpress Tech…
- Ingredient Innovation in Cold & Frozen Foods
From supply constraints on eggs, rising cocoa prices and damaged citrus crops, to ingredient disclosure regulations, recalls and changing consumer demands, cold foods processors and manufacturers face challenges at every stage of the produ…
- FA&M 2025 in Rewind
Kelley Rodriguez, editor in chief of Refrigerated & Frozen Foods and content manager for FA&M, Alyse Thompson-Richards, editor in chief of FOOD ENGINEERING and Michael Levitt, editor of FOOD ENGINEERING, unpack highlights from the 26th ann…
- EPR, Plastic Packaging for Cold Foods and More
As consumer and regulatory pressure put plastic in the spotlight, the next few years looks to be pivotal in the area of food packaging. What are the key drivers in developing packaging and what should cold processors and manufacturers know…
- Driving Efficiency with ERP
ERP and MES - Enterprise Resource Planning AND Manufacturing Execution Systems – two pieces of tech that can have a powerful impact on F&B processing and manufacturing. MES helps bridge the gap between the shop floor and enterprise systems…
- Refrigerated Foods Association Marks 45 Years
Founded in 1980, the Refrigerated Foods Association is celebrating 45 years as the coolest association on earth. R&FF met with leaders at the 2025 conference in Orlando to learn more about RFA and how it serves the refrigerated prepared fo…
- Arizona Cold Storage Project Deploys A2L
Designing and installing a refrigeration system on a cold storage or frozen food production facility is challenging in and of itself but one that needs to operate efficiently and consistently in Nogales, Arizona, -- one of the hottest ambi…
- US Foods, Distributor of the Year, on Using Tech to Help Foodservice Operators 'Make It'
As one of the largest foodservice distribution companies in the country, US Foods, Refrigerated & Frozen Foods’ 2024 Distributor of the Year, helps 250,000 foodservice clients across the country succeed every day. Gene Carbonara, vice pres…
- 2024 Rewind: The Latest Trends in Food Manufacturing
FOOD ENGINEERING Editors Derrick Teal and Alyse Thompson-Richards and Refrigerated & Frozen Foods Editor Kelley Rodriguez discuss the major trends affecting food manufacturing in 2024 and what they expect to see in 2025. They cover food sa…
- Cafe Spice, 2024 Processor of the Year
A private label powerhouse, Cafe Spice produces its own branded RTE meals as well as co-manufactured and foodservice products for customers including Whole Foods, Kroger and Amazon. The company late last year began manufacturing from a 70,…
- Big Mozz, Winner of NFRA’s Penguin Pitch
Their clean-label massive mozzarella sticks are a branded menu item at major concert venues like Madison Square Garden and in just over a year have made it into 3,500+ retail doors. The NFRA recently celebrated Big Mozz as the winner of it…
- Forecasting 2025 Trends
Justin Cook, lead Consumer Products researcher at Deloitte, joins From the Cold Corner to share more about Deloitte’s research into the refrigerated and frozen consumer and how F&B manufacturers and processors can work with grocers to win…
- Technology in Cold Foods Distribution
Cold storage providers and distributors are always looking for ways to cut carbon footprints and boost the bottom line. For cold storage companies and 3PLs, energy is typically the second-highest operating cost behind labor. Technology can…
- Adding Automation to Existing Cold Food Facilities
Automation – the word is everywhere in the food and beverage business – but many companies are looking for a starting point. On this episode, John Koury, consulting architect for A M King, a North Carolina based design-build firm, discusse…
- FedUp Foods & Its Next Chapter of Functional Beverages
FedUp Foods, the largest private-label fermented beverage manufacturer in North America, is beginning its next chapter of growth with construction of its third production facility in Wilmington, North Carolina. Renowned for creating health…
- Saffron Road CEO Adnan Durrani Sits Down with R&FF at Frozen IQ
The better-for-you food movement is on fire and Saffron Road is among the F&B brands leading the charge. Inspired by world cuisines, and made with high quality, ethically sourced ingredients, all Saffron Road products are Halal-certified.…
- Ice Cream Manufacturing Capital of the World
Wells Enterprises, Inc. is the largest privately held ice cream manufacturer in the United States. Founded in 1913, the company produces more than 200 million gallons of ice cream per year and distributes products in all 50 states. Wells a…
- Farm to Frozen: Top Articles and Final Thoughts
Farm to Frozen: Navigating the U.S. Cold Storage Climate” is a series focused on the U.S. cold storage market, the need for infrastructure development and how food and beverage manufacturers/ processors can leverage the best option for the…
- Dairy Marketing
As we wrap up National Dairy Month, From the Cold Corner is talking building a brand with Elena Umanskaya, vice president of Marketing at Lactalis Heritage Dairy. The family-owned business is among the largest dairy companies in the world…
- Maple Hill Creamery’s Sustainable Dairy
June is National Dairy Month, and to celebrate, From the Cold Corner is talking regenerative agriculture and how Maple Hill Creamery, a grass-fed organic dairy, is using it as a force for sustainability and social responsibility. Based in…
- Suntado – Idaho’s First Vertically Integrated Dairy Processor
Idaho’s first vertically integrated dairy processing plant opened just in time for June Dairy Month, with a focus on contract manufacturing. Suntado processes and packages on site with capacity for up to 1 million pounds of locally-produce…
- Tillamook’s New Illinois Ice Cream Plant is Full of Firsts
The Tillamook County Creamery Association (TCCA) is an Oregon-based dairy co-op and manufacturer known for their award-winning cheese, yogurt, butter and most importantly to this story – their deliciously creamy ice cream. Tillamook’s new…
- Gifford’s Making Their Famous 'HomeMaine' Ice Cream Again After Fire
For the first time in a year, Gifford’s Ice Cream is making Maine’s most famous ice cream after a fire ripped through production facilities, forcing the company to rely on co-packers. To get back up and running, the family-owned ice cream…
- AFFI-CON and More in 2024
From the Cold Corner sits down with Mary Emma Young, vice president of communication at the American Frozen Food Institute, during 2024 AFFI-CON to discuss the lobbying Congress on behalf of the food industry, food safety and more.
- State of the Cultivated Protein Industry
Last summer, UPSIDE Foods, a cultivated meat, poultry and seafood company, received approvals needed by the USDA, following a greenlight from the FDA in Fall 2022. That allowed the company to start commercial production and sale of its cul…
- What You Should Know About Building Cold & Frozen Facilities
On this episode of From the Cold Corner, Don Olsen, vice president of design and operations at ESI Group, discusses what food manufacturers and processors should know about the design-build process for cold and frozen facilities.
- Afia Foods’ New Texas Manufacturing Facility
Afia started in 2017 at an Austin area Farmer’s Market and moved into retail in 2018 with the H-E-B Quest for Texas’ Best program. In the years since, the company has grown to a national brand with 13,000 distribution points and three line…
- What’s Ahead for Cold Storage in 2024
Welcome to From the Cold Corner, a podcast dedicated to the refrigerated and frozen foods’ cold chain. Marty Khait, co-founder and managing principal at Yukon Real EstatePartners, and author of R&FF’s special series, Farm to Frozen, joins…
- 2024 Trends to Watch
With inflation anticipated to ease in 2024 and changing consumer preferences, new research indicates that specific grocery departments will lead the pack in volume growth. On this episode of From the Cold Corner, Sally Lyons Wyatt, executi…
- Armored Fresh
Armored Fresh, a South Korean food tech startup, wants to be the cheese alternative everyone asks for. The company was the first in the world to create vegan cheese from plant-based milk using fermentation technology and patented processes…
- SunOpta – R&FF’s 2023 Processor of the Year
On this episode of From the Cold Corner, we’re celebrating Refrigerated & Frozen Foods’ 2023 Processor of the Year: SunOpta. A global pioneer in the sustainable food and beverage industry, SunOpta has achieved consistent growth and deep-ro…