How to keep it cool?

[hope4honor]

When dealing with charity boxes in the summer if sytopping for more then sayvten minutes and not wanting to run car a/c on a 85 degree today how do you keep candy cool? Are blankets enough? Do u need to set it on ice packs - the charity boxes? If so - what do u layer in between to keep boxes from getting damp? Please advise. 

[flintflash]

11 hours ago, hope4honor said:

When dealing with charity boxes in the summer if sytopping for more then sayvten minutes and not wanting to run car a/c on a 85 degree today how do you keep candy cool? Are blankets enough? Do u need to set it on ice packs - the charity boxes? If so - what do u layer in between to keep boxes from getting damp? Please advise. 

Here in Michigan, we can have some hot and humid summer days.  Typically in summer, we cut back on the chocolate to minimize heat damage.  We also load all of our boxes into a cardboard sleeve (just a box that holds the snack tray, protects it from getting crushed, makes it easy to stack them in the van, AND will slow the heat effect).  My route drivers run the AC in the van throughout the day, but short of that, the only other way to keep chocolates cool would be to load them into a portable cooler and then pack them into the snack box prior to placing it with the customer.  That can be a lot of work, so we choose to cut back the chocolate for the summer months.  Usually about September, we adjust the menu and increase the chocolate items.  This has worked for us for almost 25 years.  Just my 2 cents.

[bhumphrey829]

I am in Texas and I keep my vehicle running throughout my whole route.  I have not cut back on my chocolate, but I have had some come back melted because I put them in places that had no a/c, but most of my locations have a/c or they keep my boxes in their refrigerator.

[bbeckl]

i know its a little late for this reply, but im pretty damn familiar with the subject.  i use soft sided cooler bags. the big ones from costco. you can stack 4 boxes in there (pink ribbon). pre laod the boxes about 80% full. use ice packs, then put them in extra large zip lock bags, then put a thin towel around is so the moisture doesnt get the boxes wet. slide the cooler packs on each side of the bag, and when you stop, put one of them on the top box. 

its not a perfect (or easy) fix, but its a huge help. if you must stop for that long (i never do in summer, always eat in my car with windows down, or ac on) make sure and crack all your windows a hair, it really helps. best of luck!

[hope4honor]

Bbeckl thank u soo much. I appreciate the detail. A bit of a hassle? Sure. Better then loosing couple hundred bucks in melted candy. Is it ok if i pm u a msg in a bit?

[shvending]

On 9/8/2017 at 7:11 PM, hope4honor said:

Bbeckl thank u soo much. I appreciate the detail. A bit of a hassle? Sure. Better then loosing couple hundred bucks in melted candy. Is it ok if i pm u a msg in a bit?

I use a 96qt cooler and line the bottom of the cooler with ice packs.  I found a storage container that would sit inside of the cooler that holds roughly 8 bags of chocolate.  I then have enough space that I can stack 6 bags between the end of the cooler and the storage container.  Now this cooler may be a little to large but a smaller chest will work as well.  I keep one so big to run my overnight routes.  Let me know if this helps. 

[bbeckl]

sorry ive been super preoccupied lately! the ice packs in the soft sided cooler bags can definitely be a hassle, especially when im fighting my wife for freezer space in the summer lol! but, all the hassle is really worth the effort when i can run 25-40 stops in a day, and have a reasonably relaxed lunch inside somewhere vs eating in my car with the ac running. plus, doing it that way really lets me maximize my at home prep time instead of loading boxes on the road (instead of just puting mints in a big cooler with ice packs). its all about efficiency!