Arrive Fresh targets unique needs for shipping perishables

Arrive Logistics, Austin, Texas, has opened a new division, Arrive Fresh, to expand a pilot program focused on perishable shipments, including fresh fruits and vegetables, meats and flowers.

The service has offices in Chicago and Austin, with plans to open a Chattanooga, Tenn., office.

The company is designed to fill “the void in capacity and service for the perishable shipments in the U.S.,” according to an Arrive Logistics news release.

In 2019, the Arrive Fresh pilot program moved 20,000 loads, and the company has plans to triple the number of current employees, 55, in 2020.

“Farmers, retailers and fresh food suppliers face a number of challenges including limited qualified capacity, zero margin for error and a lack of accessible expertise in the perishable transportation space,” according to the news release.

Arrive Fresh addresses those challenges, identifying carriers with the “optimal experience and expectations” for moving the perishables, according to the release.

“We care about what is in the trailer, whether it’s cherries or flowers, and are committed to providing a meaningful solution,” Tony Hammonds, executive vice president of Arrive Fresh, said in the release. “We offer drop trailer capabilities, which is unheard of in the perishable food space. It is because we are committed to identifying the right capabilities of our vast carrier network and supporting/training those carriers on produce solutions to meet the needs of our customers.”

Darlene Wolf, senior vice president of strategic accounts, is the former senior director of transportation and logistics at Dairy Farmers of America. 

“Throughout my 30-year tenure, I’ve been on the frontlines of the food industry supply chain and have seen how a one-size-fits-all method to freight is detrimental to good business,” Wolf said in the release.