Cold Storage 3PL and Temperature Controlled Fulfillment
Cold storage 3PL is a third party logistics service that stores, picks, packs, and ships temperature sensitive products from FDA registered, multi zone warehouses. AMZ Prep operates cold storage fulfillment centers across North America with 0.5 degree Fahrenheit precision monitoring, 3 temperature zones, and 2 day shipping reach to 80 percent of US and Canadian customers.
Trusted by perishable and temperature sensitive brands
Brands That Trust AMZ Prep with Their Cold Chain
From functional chocolate bars and paleo snacks to premium craft chocolate, these brands rely on AMZ Prep's temperature controlled fulfillment to protect product integrity and ship perishable orders across North America.
What Is Cold Storage 3PL?
Cold storage 3PL combines temperature controlled warehousing with full service ecommerce fulfillment. Unlike standard 3PLs that operate at ambient temperature, a cold storage 3PL maintains FDA registered facilities with multiple climate zones, each independently monitored to keep products within their required temperature range from the moment inventory arrives until the final package reaches the customer's door.
AMZ Prep's cold storage fulfillment network operates refrigerated zones (2 to 8 degrees Celsius), frozen zones (negative 18 degrees Celsius and below), and ambient climate controlled zones (15 to 25 degrees Celsius) across strategic locations in the US and Canada. Each facility is equipped with redundant cooling systems, backup power generators, and 24/7 automated monitoring that triggers instant alerts if conditions deviate by more than 0.5 degrees Fahrenheit from target.
Brands selling food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, supplements, cosmetics, and other temperature sensitive products rely on cold storage 3PL to protect product integrity, maintain regulatory compliance, and ship perishable goods with the speed customers expect. Learn more in our cold storage fulfillment guide.
How Does Cold Storage Fulfillment Work?
From store connection to cold chain delivery, AMZ Prep manages every step of temperature controlled fulfillment in 4 stages.
Connect and Configure
Integrate your Shopify, Amazon, Walmart, or EDI channel with AMZ Prep's WMS. Define temperature zones for each SKU and set FEFO (First Expired, First Out) rules. Setup takes under 48 hours.
Receive at Temperature
Ship inventory to cold storage facilities. Products are received at temperature controlled loading docks, inspected, and stored in the correct zone. Lot numbers, batch codes, and expiry dates are tracked from arrival.
Pick, Pack, Ship Cold
Orders are picked from temperature controlled zones, packed with insulated packaging and gel packs or dry ice, and shipped same day via cold chain carriers. FEFO logic ships the right stock first.
Monitor and Deliver
Real time temperature dashboards track every shipment. Branded tracking updates reach customers via email and SMS. 2 day delivery covers 80 percent of North America. Every event is logged for compliance.
What Temperature Zones Does AMZ Prep Offer?
Every cold storage facility operates 3 independent temperature zones with redundant cooling, backup power, and continuous monitoring.
Refrigerated (2 to 8°C)
Ideal for probiotics, fresh food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical products that require consistent cool temperatures without freezing. Independent monitoring ensures conditions stay within range.
Frozen (Negative 18°C and Below)
Built for ice cream, frozen meals, biological products, and specialty items requiring sub zero storage. Deep freeze zones reach negative 30 degrees Celsius for ultra sensitive inventory.
Ambient (15 to 25°C)
Climate controlled storage for chocolates, supplements, candles, and temperature sensitive electronics that need protection from heat without refrigeration. Year round consistency regardless of external weather.
Cold Storage 3PL vs Standard Warehousing
Standard warehouses cannot maintain the cold chain integrity required for perishable and temperature sensitive products. Here is how they compare.
| Feature | Cold Storage 3PL (AMZ Prep) | Standard Warehouse |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature Control | ✓ 3 independent zones (negative 30°C to 25°C) | ✗ Ambient only (no climate control) |
| 24/7 Monitoring | ✓ Automated sensors with instant alerts | ✗ No temperature monitoring |
| Backup Power | ✓ Redundant generators, automatic failover | ✗ No generator backup |
| FDA Registration | ✓ FDA registered, FSMA compliant | ✗ Not registered |
| Compliance Documentation | ✓ Automated audit ready records | ✗ Manual or none |
| Expiry Management | ✓ FEFO logic with lot and batch tracking | FIFO only, no expiry tracking |
| Insulated Shipping | ✓ Gel packs, dry ice, insulated packaging | ✗ Standard packaging only |
| Thermal Barriers | ✓ Zone separation with dock seals | ✗ Open floor plan |
Which Industries Use Cold Storage 3PL?
AMZ Prep's cold storage facilities serve brands across every vertical that requires temperature controlled storage and shipping.
Food and Beverage
Frozen meals, fresh ingredients, beverages, snacks, and meal kits. FDA registered facilities with FSMA compliance. See our food and beverage fulfillment page.
Pharmaceuticals and Nutraceuticals
Probiotics, vitamins, biologics, and medical devices requiring precise temperature control and documentation. Visit our pharmaceutical cold storage page.
Health and Beauty
Temperature sensitive cosmetics, serums, skincare, and personal care products. Explore our cosmetics cold storage solutions.
Frozen Food and Ice Cream
Sub zero storage for ice cream, frozen desserts, and frozen meal brands. Specialized packaging maintains temperature throughout last mile. See our frozen food fulfillment services.
Chocolate and Confectionery
Climate controlled storage that prevents melting, blooming, and texture damage during warm months. Read our chocolate cold chain fulfillment guide.
Pet Food and Supplements
Raw pet food, freeze dried treats, and pet supplements requiring cold chain logistics. Explore our pet product cold storage capabilities.
How Does AMZ Prep Monitor Temperature?
AMZ Prep's cold storage technology platform delivers real time visibility into temperature conditions across all facilities, zones, and shipments from a single dashboard.
Real Time Temperature Dashboards
Monitor every temperature zone across all facilities from a single view. Custom alert thresholds notify your team immediately if conditions deviate.
Automated Compliance Documentation
Every temperature event is logged automatically and timestamped, generating audit ready records for FDA, FSMA, and GDP compliance requirements.
FEFO Inventory Management
Track lot numbers, batch codes, and expiry dates in real time. First Expired, First Out logic ensures the right stock ships first, reducing waste and protecting customers.
Cold Chain Compliance, Certifications, and Quality Standards
AMZ Prep's cold storage facilities meet the regulatory and quality standards required by the FDA, CFIA, and major retail buyers for perishable product handling and distribution.
FDA Registered Facilities
Every cold storage location is registered with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Registration numbers are available on request for brands that need to include facility credentials in their own compliance filings.
FSMA Compliance (Preventive Controls)
Facilities operate under FSMA Preventive Controls for Human Food requirements. This includes written food safety plans, hazard analysis, preventive controls for temperature management, and documented corrective action procedures for any excursion events.
HACCP Principles
Cold storage operations follow Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) principles. Critical control points include receiving dock temperature verification, zone transfer protocols, and outbound packaging validation to maintain cold chain custody from inbound to last mile.
GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice)
Facilities adhere to current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) standards for product handling, sanitation, pest management, and employee hygiene. Documented SOPs govern every touchpoint from receiving to dispatch.
Thermal Mapping and Validation
Each cold storage zone undergoes thermal mapping studies to verify temperature uniformity. Mapping identifies hot spots and cold spots within each zone, ensuring product placement avoids areas where temperature gradients could compromise quality.
Lot Traceability and Recall Readiness
Full lot level traceability from receiving through shipment. Every unit is tracked by lot number, batch code, expiry date, and temperature zone history. In a recall scenario, AMZ Prep can identify and isolate affected inventory across all facilities within hours, not days.
Cold Storage Fulfillment Across North America
AMZ Prep's cold storage network spans strategic locations across the US and Canada, including Toronto, Salt Lake City, and Dothan, designed to put your refrigerated inventory within 1 to 2 day shipping reach of over 80 percent of North American customers.
Each location is temperature zoned, FDA registered, and connected through a unified WMS so inventory visibility never breaks between facilities. Brands can split inventory across multiple cold storage locations to reduce transit times and shipping costs for perishable products.
Looking for cold storage in a specific region? Explore our US cold storage locations or contact us for availability in your target market.
Cold Storage Fulfillment for Every Sales Channel
AMZ Prep's cold chain WMS connects to every major marketplace and ecommerce platform. Orders sync in real time, inventory levels update across channels automatically, and temperature zone assignments follow each SKU from storefront to shipment.
Amazon (FBA, FBM, SFP)
Full Amazon integration including Seller Central API, FBA prep for meltable ASINs, Seller Fulfilled Prime cold storage qualification, and automated compliance with Amazon's seasonal temperature hold restrictions. AMZ Prep handles FNSKU labeling, polybagging, and carton packing inside temperature controlled prep areas so inventory never leaves its required zone during handling.
Meltable program readyShopify and Shopify Plus
Native Shopify integration with real time order sync, inventory level updates across cold storage locations, and branded tracking pages. Supports Shopify checkout shipping rate calculations that factor in insulated packaging and cold chain carrier surcharges. Works with Shopify Markets for cross border cold chain fulfillment to Canada.
Real time syncWalmart Marketplace
Direct Walmart Seller Center integration for temperature sensitive listings. AMZ Prep supports Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS) prep and Walmart.com direct fulfillment with cold chain SLA compliance. Includes GS1 barcode management, retailer specific case pack configurations, and Walmart's 2 day delivery badge eligibility.
WFS compatibleTikTok Shop
Integrated fulfillment for TikTok Shop sellers moving temperature sensitive products through social commerce. Orders route automatically from TikTok's fulfillment API to the nearest cold storage facility. Supports TikTok's Fulfilled by Merchant program with carrier tracking upload and delivery confirmation.
Social commerceBigCommerce and WooCommerce
API integrations with BigCommerce and WooCommerce storefronts for DTC cold storage fulfillment. Supports multi location inventory routing, real time stock level sync, and automated order splitting when products span different temperature zones within a single order.
DTC readyEDI, B2B, and Retail Distribution
EDI 850/856/810 compliance for retail partners including Whole Foods, Costco, Target, and specialty grocery chains. AMZ Prep handles purchase order processing, advance ship notices, GS1 128 label generation, and pallet configuration for cold chain retail distribution with full lot traceability from warehouse to store shelf.
EDI 850 / 856 / 810Cold Chain WMS and Technology Platform
AMZ Prep's warehouse management system is purpose built for temperature controlled fulfillment. Powered by ShipHero and Logiwa integrations, the platform manages multi zone inventory, FEFO rotation, lot and batch traceability, and real time temperature monitoring from a single dashboard.
The WMS supports automated order routing based on temperature zone, carrier cold chain capability, and proximity to the end customer. When an order contains SKUs from multiple temperature zones, the system intelligently splits and consolidates shipments to minimize packaging waste while maintaining cold chain integrity through the last mile.
Key platform capabilities include webhook driven real time order sync with sub 60 second latency, API connections to 30 plus carrier networks with cold chain rate shopping, barcode driven pick and pack workflows that enforce lot level FEFO compliance, and automated excursion alerts that trigger corrective action protocols before product integrity is compromised.
Whether you sell through ecommerce fulfillment channels or B2B retail distribution, one platform handles everything from inventory inbound to proof of delivery.
Cold Storage Programs for Amazon Sellers
Keep selling temperature sensitive products on Amazon year round with AMZ Prep's specialized cold storage programs.
Meltable Program
Ship temperature sensitive products with confidence during warm months. AMZ Prep's meltable program provides specialized storage, continuous monitoring, and 2 day shipping across North America for products that Amazon restricts during summer seasons. Keep your listings active when competitors go dark.
Cold Seller Fulfilled Prime
Maintain your Amazon Prime badge for temperature sensitive products with AMZ Prep's SFP qualified cold storage centers. Located strategically to meet Prime delivery requirements, these facilities sustain the revenue boost that Prime eligibility consistently delivers. Learn more about Seller Fulfilled Prime.
Watch: 58,000 Amazon ASINs Flagged Meltable
The Meltable Season Survival Guide
How top brands ship chocolate, gummies, and protein bars all summer without melt damage, rank drops, or negative reviews. Covers temperature controlled fulfillment, cold chain freight routing, packaging specs, and the ad strategies that protect revenue during peak heat months.
Built from the operational playbooks of 5,000 plus brands managing $2B plus in Amazon revenue, including Midday Squares and other temperature sensitive brands that ship through AMZ Prep.
Co created with Smartscout, Cartograph, and Cartology
Download the PlaybookHow Much Does Cold Storage 3PL Cost?
Cold storage 3PL pricing depends on temperature zone, storage volume, order complexity, and shipping requirements. Generally, frozen storage costs more than refrigerated, which costs more than ambient climate control, due to the energy and infrastructure required to maintain lower temperatures.
Key cost components include storage fees (per cubic foot per month, varying by temperature zone), pick and pack fees (per order with per item surcharges), insulated packaging materials (gel packs, dry ice, insulated liners), and cold chain shipping rates from carrier partners.
AMZ Prep offers transparent pricing with no hidden fees. Use our cold storage cost calculator for an instant estimate, or request a custom quote based on your specific product requirements and order volume.
Cost Factors at a Glance
What Brands Say About AMZ Prep Cold Storage
"We're scaling fast, and AMZ Prep is keeping up every step of the way. With their nationwide warehouses and seamless fulfillment, we can reduce shipping costs while delivering faster. As we grow, AMZ Prep makes it easy to expand without missing a beat."
Founder, ANS Performance
"Expanding from 2 to 4 warehouses with AMZ Prep slashed our shipping times from 5 to 6 days to just 2, while saving us over $1.5M in freight costs. Faster fulfillment, lower costs."
Director of Operations, Joe Boxer
"Temperature control was our biggest concern when choosing a 3PL. AMZ Prep gave us full visibility into every zone, real time monitoring, and the peace of mind that our products are stored exactly the way they need to be."
Perishable Brand, AMZ Prep Network
Cold Storage and Cold Chain Terminology
Key terms used in temperature controlled logistics and cold storage fulfillment operations.
- Cold Chain Custody
- The unbroken sequence of temperature controlled handling from manufacturer to end consumer. A break in cold chain custody at any point (receiving, storage, picking, packing, or transit) can compromise product quality and regulatory compliance.
- FEFO (First Expired, First Out)
- Inventory rotation method that prioritizes shipping products with the earliest expiry date first, regardless of when they were received. Critical for perishable goods to minimize waste and prevent expired product from reaching customers.
- Excursion Event
- Any instance where product temperature deviates outside of the specified storage range. Excursion events trigger automated alerts and require documented corrective action. Repeated excursions indicate equipment failure or process breakdown.
- Thermal Mapping
- A validation study that places temperature data loggers throughout a cold storage zone to identify temperature distribution patterns, hot spots, and cold spots. Results determine optimal product placement within the facility.
- Gel Packs vs Dry Ice
- Gel packs maintain refrigerated temperatures (2 to 8 degrees Celsius) for 24 to 48 hours and are reusable. Dry ice maintains frozen temperatures (negative 78.5 degrees Celsius) but sublimates over time and requires hazmat shipping documentation for air freight.
- Reefer (Refrigerated Truck/Container)
- A refrigerated transport unit with its own cooling system, used for moving temperature sensitive freight between facilities or from warehouse to carrier hub. Reefer temperatures are monitored continuously during transit.
- Ambient Dunnage
- Insulating materials placed around temperature sensitive shipments inside non refrigerated delivery vehicles. Includes insulated liners, reflective bubble wrap, and phase change materials that buffer against external temperature swings during last mile delivery.
- Blanket Wrap
- Insulated blankets placed over palletized cold storage goods during dock transfers and cross docking operations to maintain temperature when products temporarily leave the controlled environment. Standard practice at all AMZ Prep cold facilities.
- COA (Certificate of Analysis)
- A document provided by the manufacturer certifying that a product batch meets its quality specifications. Required by many cold storage 3PLs at receiving to verify product condition before accepting temperature sensitive inventory into the facility.
- Cross Docking (Cold)
- A logistics process where inbound refrigerated or frozen shipments are received at a temperature controlled dock and immediately sorted and loaded onto outbound vehicles without entering long term storage. Reduces handling time and minimizes cold chain exposure.
- Temperature Data Logger
- A small electronic device placed inside shipments or storage zones that continuously records temperature at set intervals. Data loggers provide documented proof of cold chain compliance and are often required by retailers and regulatory bodies.
- Amazon Meltable Restrictions
- Amazon's seasonal policy that restricts FBA acceptance of heat sensitive products (chocolate, gummies, wax, certain supplements) during warm months. Brands use cold storage 3PLs like AMZ Prep for Seller Fulfilled or SFP fulfillment to maintain listings year round.
Frequently Asked Questions About Cold Storage 3PL
Get Started with Cold Storage Fulfillment
Protect your temperature sensitive products with FDA registered, multi zone cold storage facilities across North America. 2 day shipping. 0.5 degree precision. Zero compromises on product integrity.
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