Our goal is to be the best storage provider, even if we don’t strive to be the largest.”

This guiding principle drives Victoria Cold Storage as it sets out to dominate the cold logistics landscape in Melbourne’s export meat industry.

Central to its operations is a specialized chilled storage chamber that steadfastly maintains a year-round temperature of -1°C. This chamber serves as the linchpin of its processing operations, safeguarding product integrity and facilitating top-tier product quality and safety for its valued clients.

For Blast Freezing, Government Export Standards used to require-6°C within 48 hours and -10°C in 80 hours, but Victoria Cold Storage consistently exceeds expectations.

“We freeze products to temperatures lower than -20°C in our blast freezing chamber, ensuring their quality and integrity while aligning with international standards,” states David G. Wedlake, the owner and managing director at Victoria Cold Storage.

As a registered facility under the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS), the company undergoes regular audits by authorities to ensure unwavering compliance with standards governing product freezing and storage temperatures. While many facilities follow relaxed their standards, allowing meat to remain unfrozen for more than 100 hours, Victoria Cold Storage steadfastly upholds the industry’s highest benchmarks.

The company’s dedicated administrative staff diligently monitors chamber temperatures daily, ensuring unwavering temperature consistency. During nighttime hours, contracted refrigeration and security service providers visit the facilities 2-3 times to maintain constant vigilance.

Victoria Cold Storage implements continuous temperature monitoring for its various chambers, including those set at +17°C for controlled food storage, +4°C and -1°C for chilled foods storage, -18°C for frozen foods storage, and -30°C for blast freezing chambers. By meticulously tracking these temperatures and maintaining a robust reporting system, the company unswervingly upholds the most stringent quality, safety, and compliance standards in all aspects of its storage operations.

Strategic investments in the company’s fleet have led to a capacity expansion, increasing its refrigerated truck count from 1 to 4. The punctuality of its fleet operations has earned Victoria Cold Storage an esteemed reputation that extends across regions, marking a remarkable journey from its humble beginnings to industry leadership.

Daily reports summarizing temperature data from the previous 24 hours ensure accountability and provide a comprehensive overview of chamber temperatures from the preceding day.

These practices underscore Victoria Cold Storage’s commitment to handling products with the utmost care. The company employs techniques such as slip sheeting, stretch wrapping, and labeling before arranging products on storage racks, eschewing bulk stacking to ensure safe storage while preserving product quality. Operations staff play a pivotal role by conducting meticulous inspections prior to dispatch or container loading. They also photograph containers during loading to mitigate issues related to damaged products during international shipments, ensuring transparency. Pallets are securely taped for dispatch, enhancing stability during transit and serving as a tamper-evident seal, leading to zero incidents of product damage, loss, or tampering.

At the heart of the company’s core business philosophy lies a steadfast commitment to managing imported foods throughout the entire process, from container collection at the terminal to customs paperwork and inspections, unpacking, sorting, labeling, and storage. Products are efficiently loaded into its VCS transport for seamless delivery. The company scans and promptly emails signed proof of delivery dockets, fostering transparency and accountability.

An exemplary instance of its exceptional customer service manifested when a client urgently required delivery to a suburban store an hour away from the company’s facility. Victoria Cold Storage swiftly orchestrated the extraction, logistics, and delivery, meeting the deadline with precision. This incident encapsulates the company’s unwavering dedication to fulfilling its commitments, regardless of the challenges.

By establishing a seamless and synergistic workflow, Victoria Cold Storage consistently provides the finest service to its clients. Its enduring legacy of delivering on promises and going the extra mile sets it apart as a trusted leader in the cold logistics segment.