Bellingham Cold Storage collaborates in midst of global crisis
Bob Bray of Dairy Distributing, Inc. — transporter of products for such brands as Edaleen Dairy, Smith Brothers Farms, Twin Brook Creamery and Sirena Gelato — reached out to his friend Doug Thomas, president and CEO of Bellingham Cold Storage, in March 2020. He asked about borrowing a couple of insulated totes for a special project.
Bob needed the large insulated totes, which are usually used for holding flake ice and fresh salmon, to keep dairy products cold. His son Tyler, who is a very hard working and innovative young man, came up with the idea to ramp up a new home delivery service in response to the COVID-19 crisis, knowing that Washington state’s “Stay Home, Stay Safe” order meant that some consumers would have reduced access to perishable food products such as milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream and butter.
Dairy Distributing’s team quickly transitioned from mostly commercial sales to a door-to-door delivery model — a format the company had started with in 1963.
Of course, Bellingham Cold Storage stepped in to help, providing Dairy Distributing with food-grade storage totes for their now much smaller truck deliveries.
“BCS has a long history of giving back to our community, and we fully support our friends and peers who help feed people locally and globally,” Thomas said. “Sharing our resources in this way was an easy thing to do.”