From Oven to Shelf – Nestable Crates for Bread Prolong Shelf Life

Bakery products are among the most in-demand and sensitive foods. Customers want to see fresh bread loaves or baguettes. They can tell when a product has gone stale even before touching it. This is why bakeries and supermarkets rely on nestable crates for bread in their daily supply chain.

Bread – a Simple Product with Complex Packaging and Shipping Requirements

Before it reaches the store, bread goes through a complex logistics process. Freshly out of the oven, the loaves need to cool down.

Some retailers choose to have frozen bakery products delivered every morning, and they bake them on premises. Others insist to get bread and baguette from the bakery facility as soon as it is out of the oven, so that their first customers may enjoy a warm and delicious breakfast.

Irrespective of the choice, the secondary packaging for fresh bread must withstand both very high and very low temperature.

How Nestable Crates for Bread Help Bakeries and Supermarkets Keep Products Fresh

For the Logistic Packaging team, nothing but the ideal packaging is the right choice when it comes to food products. This is why we design our stack and nest bakery crates with great care and select only premium raw materials.

Our crates help prolong shelf life of bread and bakery products in several ways:

1. Easy Handling Ensures Quick Loading and Unloading

Time is critical when it comes to delivering fresh bread, rolls, and baguettes. This is why we design our nestable crates for bread with open or closed handles on the short sides to facilitate handling.

The ergonomic design of the crates ensures that employees can easily load and unload them, without delays or the risk of dropping a loaded crate and damaging the products.

2. Perforations Ensure Optimal Ventilation

The stackable and nestable plastic crates for bread feature perforated bottom and sides. This design feature ensures proper ventilation. It prevents the formation of condensation from steam coming from hot bread.

Condensation is one of the biggest problems with bakery products. It shortens the shelf life of the product by fostering mold growth. The perforated crates help disperse the steam and let the bakery products cool off slowly, maintaining their fresh and fluffy look.

3. Ideal Choice for Hot and Frozen Products

Before professional reusable plastic packages were available, bakeries had to stock on two types of crates: for hot products freshly out of the oven and for frozen dough.

Now, they can confidently use the nestable crates for bakery products, which withstand temperatures between -20 and +40 degrees Celsius. This temperature range is optimal both for fresh bread and for frozen pre-baked rolls kept in cold storage.

4. Safe for Direct Contact with Fresh Bread

Returnable plastic crates for bread are made from virgin polypropylene (PP). This material is approved for food contact, because it does not leak chemicals into the products

This is a critical benefit, because bread can be placed directly into the crate, without the need of primary packaging (paper or plastic bag), helping it stay fresh longer.

5. Sturdy Build that Offers Adequate Protection to Products

Despite the low own weight, the stack-nest crates for bread have a solid build, with a loading capacity of up to 15 kg. This is more than sufficient, allowing bakeries to make the most of the volume of each crate and, thus, optimize their shipping costs.

Even when the crates are full and arranged in a stack, the products are protected and do not get crushed or marked by the bottom of the crate above.

Do you need the best nestable crates for bread to increase the shelf life of your products? The Logistic Packaging team is ready to help you find the ideal crate model for your needs. Send us an email to start discussing with one of our consultants!

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