Producers should be aware that storage space usually comes at a premium. Restaurant kitchens are often crowded, and the space in a restaurant’s walk-in cooler may be limited. School kitchens are the same way -- they do not have massive amounts of storage space either. Likewise, grocery and retail stores may only have a specific space or area for your product. However, these realities should not keep a producer from starting the discussion about expanding their offerings to a new or existing restaurant, grocery/retail, or school buyer. Producers with less perishable products may have more flexibility with storage.
Limited storage space at a restaurant or other buyer's facility can leave the producer looking for a place to store their product. On-farm cold storage or refrigerated storage is often a nice solution to this problem. On-farm cold storage can come with a larger investment price if a storage unit is not already in place, but it serves and benefits as a place the producer can store product in-between deliveries.
On-farm cold storage also serves as a way to keep your product cold [if it requires it] and keep the value of your product intact. There are several low-cost ways to achieve cold storage. Below are links to articles about low-cost options for cold storage.
Keeping your perishable products in the correct temperatures is also a part of Quality Assurance, and an very important part of keeping your buyer happy. Check out our Quality Assurance page for more information.
For information related to funding post-harvest storage, check out the website below: