Floral Walk in Coolers vs. Commercial Walk in Coolers

I recently came across someone who had asked a question on FlowerShopNetwork.com regarding the differences between floral walk in coolers and commercial walk in coolers. They were starting a floral business and specifically needed information about refrigeration.

A poster on the website, Jamie Jamison Adams, answered in detail. She writes,

Refrigeration of your floral products is a very important aspect of a successful flower shop. Being able to keep you products in prime condition for design and delivery will define your shop’s quality and workmanship.

Although I was sure of the answer to this question, I turned to the experts at SRC Refrigeration to make sure I had all the facts. Here is what I learned after my discussion with Craig Richert.

Since the purchase of this equipment is essential to your success, knowing the difference in refrigeration coolers is vital. First take a look at the difference in the environmental needs of various products. Flowers require an environment with high humidity and gentle air movement. Flowers exposed to low humidity and rapid air movements begin to dehydrate. The shelf life of flowers that have become dehydrated is cut drastically. Packaged items like food and beverages, on the other hand, have a longer shelf life in low humidity and are not affected by rapid air movement. Keep in mind rapid air movement causes a low humidity condition. Craig had a great analogy for this process. Think of a concrete driveway after a rain. On a day where there is little to no breeze, the concrete stays moist for a very long time. On a day where there is a strong breeze, the concrete dries out very quickly. Why is this important in the floral industry? When a flowers dries out the petals tips curl, turn brown and collapse creating an inferior or dead product.

With the understanding of the environmental condition needs of certain products, we can discuss the difference in floral coolers and commercial coolers for food and beverages. Floral coolers are built to have gentle air movement and to encourage high humidity. Commercial coolers have rapid air movement, which creates a low humidity environment. Now I know what you are thinking--but commercial coolers are less expensive. Yes and no! On the front end commercial coolers may cost less but in reality they cost more. Shelf life and flower quality are very important factors that will affect your bottom line. If you send an arrangement to a customer with an inferior product, your customer will no longer trust your work. If the shelf life of your flowers is three days instead of seven, your product costs will increase. So in the long run, it is better to buy a refrigeration unit that is appropriate for the product it will house.

I hope this information will help you with the equipment decisions for your shop. If you have any other refrigeration questions SRC Refrigeration has some fantastic information concerning floral refrigeration coolers.

Thank you, Jamie! We're glad we were able to help!