Fareway Keeps It Cool for Summer Pickup

Iowa chain expands use of reusable totes with built-in freezable gel for improved safety, sustainability

6/28/2021

a person sitting at a table full of food

Grocers can use eco-friendly freezer totes for both online delivery and curbside pickup.

Just in time for sweltering summer temperatures, Boone, Iowa-based Fareway Stores, Inc. is switching to new freezer totes for curbside pickup service.

Fareway will use PackIt Fresh EcoFreeze Totes, designed to improve food safety and quality while providing greater sustainability. Freezable gel is built into the sides of the reusable totes to keep refrigerated foods safe for up to 24 hours.

The retailer first used the totes in January for online orders.

“With PackIt Fresh EcoFreeze Totes, we can scale to meet demand by simply adding more totes into our stores. And because the totes can be reused over and over for months, PackIt Fresh is helping us reduce our carbon footprint,” said Aaron Irlbeck, SVP of digital commerce at Fareway.

In addition to grocery applications, the totes from PackIt, LLC, are also used in the meal kit, restaurant, delivery service and pharmaceutical industries.

Family-owned Fareway operates 128 stores in six Midwestern states, and employs more than 12,000 associates. The company is No. 81 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2021 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.