This year, Refrigerated & Frozen Foods produced over a dozen podcasts, sitting down with industry experts to discuss the latest in all things cold chain. Below are our top 5 favorites from this past year. 

Fresh Has No Boundaries: Connecting the Charitable Food System with Refrigeration Infrastructure (June)
Food companies and retailers regularly donate foods to charitable organizations but often lack the capability to store and distribute those donations. Cooler Management, an Ohio-based company that designs and delivers cold storage solutions, recently launched a program to help solve the infrastructure dilemma and distribute more fresh foods to food banks, schools, retailers and more. On this episode of From the Cold Corner, Mark Inrott, CEO of Cooler Management, joins us to discuss his passion for sports, nutrition and agriculture and how we can look for new ways to feed hungry Americans. And, if the name Mark Inkrott sounds familiar, you might have seen him on Sundays. He played football in both college and the NFL, a tight end for teams including the Carolina Panthers and New York Giants. LISTEN NOW.

Hearth & Fire Pizza, Winners of the 2023 Best New Retail Products Contest (July)
Schwan’s Hearth & Fire, a frozen pizza line created with proprietary dough and a fermentation process that makes the perfect crust. With premium toppings like roast shiitake, Portobello and cremini mushrooms, whole basil leaves and goat cheese, the brand is winning over fans. So many in fact that it was voted by readers as Refrigerated & Frozen Foods’ Best New Retail Product for 2023!  On this episode of From the Cold Corner, we're joined by Roger Bentz, principal food scientist with Schwans, Shelly Heid, senior director of Product Development for Schwan’s; Brian Thompson, Senior Marketing Manager for Hearth & Fire and Suman Nag, senior director of e-commerce for Schwans, to discuss their winning pizza, its production, packaging and more. LISTEN NOW. 

Meet the Duo Behind Painterland Sisters Skyr Yogurt (June)
In honor of June Dairy Month, meet sisters Stephanie and Hayley Painter, the duo behind Painterland Sisters Organic Skyr Yogurt, which launched in 2022, to preserve, showcase and utilize their family’s fourth-generation organic dairy farm. The Icelandic-style organic yogurt is thicker and creamier. It is lactose-free, rich in probiotics, high in protein and contains 13 essential nutrients.  Painterland Sisters skyr is made from organic whole milk and their five flavors are sweetened naturally using fruits and cane sugar. This spring, they expanded distribution to include Whole Foods Market, Natural Grocers, Sprouts Farmers Market, Giant Food stores and more. Currently found in over 1,500 locations in 45 states, Painterland Sisters has already sold over $1 million in skyr, and their sights are set on nationwide distribution.  Stephanie and Hayley Painter join us to talk more about regenerative dairy farming and how their yogurt is made. LISTEN NOW. 

40 Years of March Frozen Food Month (March)
This year marks the National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association (NFRA)’s 40th annual celebration of March Frozen Food Month! On this episode of From the Cold Corner, NFRA Executive Vice President and COO, Tricia Greyshock, and Angela Rosenquist, chief growth officer at InnovAsian Cuisine and chair of the NFRA Promotions Committee, discuss March Frozen Food Month and more. LISTEN NOW.

Manufacturing & Processing Technology in Cold & Frozen Foods (August)
On this episode of From the Cold Corner, we’re joined by three guests to discuss the latest in food processing trends and cold foods manufacturing: Craig Susser of Craig’s Vegan, a California plant-based ice cream company. Created in 2016, it was a hit in Susser’s West Hollywood restaurant and by 2018, the brand had launched a pint-sized line of its cashew-based ice creams in six flavors at over 2,000 retailers nationwide. Bob Grote, CEO of Grote Company, an Ohio-based manufacturer of slicing and food processing equipment. Started with the Peppamatic over 50 years ago, Grote Company has diversified through the acquisitions of Vanmark, Advanced Food Technology, GME International and Pizzamatic. And David Sawicki, business unit leader at A M King, a Charlotte, NC-based integrated Design-Build firm, specializing in the design and construction of large-scale, complex food facilities. With over 25 years in the construction industry managing projects across the country, Sawicki’s expertise includes adaptive reuse, cold storage and food processing. LISTEN NOW.

For more episodes of From the Cold Corner, click here to listen and download.