Cooling pads

Cooling pads: keeping fresh products cool in transit

Fresh products dislike heat. Truffles, plants and other chilled items can spend hours in a delivery van or a sorting hub, and on a warm day the temperature in there climbs quickly. A cooling pad in the box absorbs part of that heat, so the contents warm up more slowly. Here you decide for yourself how many pads travel along with your order.

The principle is straightforward. Each pad holds a gel that is chilled beforehand and then slowly takes up heat from its surroundings. The more mass you send along, the longer that effect lasts, so a bigger order or a spell of high outdoor temperatures makes more than one pad the sensible choice. No coolant can guarantee that a parcel stays cold for the entire journey, but in practice the difference is noticeable.

When to add them

Spring and summer are the obvious moments, and really any warm spell qualifies. Order in winter and you usually will not need them. If you are unsure, look at the forecast for your delivery days and at what is in your basket: the fresher and more delicate the product, the sooner a pad earns its place.

Using them again

These pads are not single use. Put them in the freezer once your parcel arrives and reuse them, in a cool bag or a lunch box for instance. Store them flat and check that the pouch is intact; a damaged pad can leak and belongs in the bin. The pads are packed discreetly into the same box as the rest of your Avalon Magic Plants order.