From the Cold Corner

Dave Campbell and Jeremy Klysen from Burns & McDonnell join the podcast to discuss designing cold food facilities for automation and more.

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 Pitch: Emerging Brand Contest Recorded at NFRA Convention 2025

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, reliability, regulatory compliance, cost‐effectiveness and integration into your process. Chuck Taylor, senior vice president of Engineering at Republic Refrigeration...

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 for external and internal clients.

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 the building to new heights – 150-feet plus – and added 42,000 pallet positions served by automated storage and retrieval (AS/RS). From the Cold Corner speaks w...

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 development-ready land and a thriving BBQ scene, the area has attracted considerable F&B investment in just the last year. From the Cold Corner sits down with...

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. Industrial heat pumps use electricity as their fuel source instead of coal or gas, and they have the potential to be powered by completely renewable energy. Marc Giesekin...

James Armstrong, senior vice president of emerging business at SeaCube, discusses how portable, scalable cold storage reefer containers are filing a critical operational need.

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 Technologies. He was named CEO of SOMIC Packaging in 2021. Last year, SOMIC Packaging moved to new headquarters in Minnesota, quadrupling workspace to 48,000 square...

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 production process. Eimear Robertson, chief technical officer for Kerry NA, leads the research, development & applications and regulatory & scientific affairs...

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 annual Food Automation & Manufacturing Symposium and Expo.

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 to prepare for looming legislation and its impact on refrigerated and frozen food packaging. Kellie Alvarado, director of sustainability at Anchor Packaging, jo...

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, ensuring real-time visibility, control, and optimization of manufacturing processes. Meanwhile, ERP integrates business functions across the organization,...

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 foods segment.

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 ambient climates in the U.S. -- coupled with changing regulations meant a whole lot of hands on deck. On this episode of From the Cold Corner, Jeff Warther, senior k...

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 president of ecommerce and digital, at US Foods, joins the podcast to share more about how the distributor is using technology to enhance ecommerce and more.

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 safety, automation, sustainability, mergers & acquisitions, and more. 

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 70,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility in Beacon, New York, near their original, 50,000-square-foot site in New Windsor. The Beacon site, which now accounts f...

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 its inaugural Penguin Pitch competition. Matt Gallira, CEO and founder of Big Mozz, discusses transitioning from a concert staple, to a foodservice superpower, to...

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 a bigger share-of-stomach.

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 play an important role in combating rising energy costs by cutting consumption and helping cold chain operators identify their weak points. On this episode, we’...

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, discusses how cold food facilities can maximize their investments and add automation alongside plant renovations or expansions.

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-conscious beverages such as Kombucha, Prebiotic Sodas, and more, the company currently serves nine of the 12 top private label programs in North America. The Wi...

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. Led by founder and CEO Adnan Durrani, the 15-year-old company is a Certified B Corp, with products found in over 25,000 U.S. retail locations. Last month R&a...

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 and its nearly 4,000 employees manufacture its signature brand Blue Bunny, lower-calorie Halo Top, the iconic Bomb Pop, and Blue Ribbon Classics from Le Mars, Iow...