Crates. We use a lot of them here at Eatlocal.
All the produce we source from our suppliers comes to us in crates of varying sizes, depending on what is inside. Pumpkins for example, are in very deep, high-sided ones, whilst much shallower ones are used for avocados and other fruit.
The crates are cleverly designed to stack neatly on top of one another so that they don't move in transit, and the produce inside is always filled to a level where a crate placed on top won't damage what's inside.
It only takes us a couple of days to amass a stack of empties which we then take back to the crate return companies.
Once they are handed over, they are thoroughly steam-cleaned so they can continue the cycle from market to retailer all over again.
Every crate is made to the same width so that it fits perfectly inside a commercial chiller, and each company's crates are the same colour. We now know at a glance which crate belongs to who, purely by the shade of green!
Here's a quick video of part of the steam cleaning process at one of the crate return depots in Christchurch.
We hope you enjoyed that behind-the-scenes look at one of the aspects of our business!
With grateful thanks to Viscount FCC for allowing us to film.
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