It’s time to wake up and smell the coffee…as well as how to ship it. Knowing the best service to ship coffee can better help you prepare your coffee for the journey ahead. Packaging an order correctly keeps the contents fresh, so your customers can enjoy your products and come back for more! So pull up a chair, grab a latte, and let’s dive into the world of shipping coffee.
Brew up a fresh batch of discounted shipping rates with a 30-day free trial to ShippingEasy.
Table of Contents
- Carrier service options for shipping coffee
- RhoadsRoast Coffees® Case Study
- Tips for shipping coffee
- How does ShippingEasy help my business ship coffee?
- Conclusion
Carrier service options for shipping coffee ☕
While coffee has a longer shelf life than most perishable foods, you still want products to arrive fresh for your customers. This means it might be better to ship your coffee products using a carrier service with a shorter estimated delivery window and available tracking. USPS, UPS, and FedEx all offer affordable services that include tracking options, so you can give your customers more transparency in the shipping process.
Hungry for more shipping tips? Check out How to Ship Food with USPS!
Priority Mail Cubic
Priority Mail Cubic is great for small, heavy packages:
- Between 2-20 pounds
- Shipped using one of the USPS Priority Mail® services
- With maximum shipment dimensions of 12 inches x 12 inches x 12 inches
Priority Mail Cubic packages are shipped through Priority Mail services, so tracking is included. Also, Priority Mail has a delivery window of 1-3 days, so your business knows how long the package will be in transit. This way, you know how to prepare your coffee to keep it fresh. USPS Priority Mail supplies can be ordered for free from your ShippingEasy account, so you can order them whenever you need to!
Learn more about USPS Priority Mail services in our blog.
UPS® Ground
UPS Ground gives your business:
- Day-definite delivery in 1-5 days
- Free tracking information for your shipment, 24/7
- Savings up to 78% when using UPS through ShippingEasy
UPS Ground packages can weigh up to 150 pounds and be up to 108 inches long, so you have plenty of packaging space for your products. Plus, UPS Ground is available to all 50 states and Puerto Rico, so you can share your products with customers across the country.
FedEx Home Delivery®
FedEx Home Delivery provides:
- Tracking for your shipments
- A service for packages up to 150 lbs
- A 1-5 delivery window*
FedEx Home Delivery shipments are eligible for delivery throughout the week and weekend, not just during business days. One of the only big things to note is, currently, FedEx Home Delivery can’t deliver to PO boxes. But, you can submit a request to FedEx directly to have a package delivered to a FedEx location instead.
*Note: The delivery window for Alaskan and Hawaiian shipments is 3-7 days.
RhoadsRoast Coffees® Case Study ☕
When it comes to shipping coffee, ShippingEasy user RhoadsRoast Coffees has almost 20 years of experience. RhoadsRoast Coffees ships domestically as well as internationally to several different countries. Using services like Priority Mail Cubic helps RhoadRoast Coffees to save on their shipping costs while still being able to ship to customers across the US. Plus, additional features like customer marketing through ShippingEasy enable RhoadsRoast Coffees to promote new blends and create campaigns geared towards new and returning customers.
“We were so focused on customer service, having the best Turkish roasters, producing top notch products, and marketing the business, we had no idea how the right shipping platform could really improve business.” – Andrea Rhoads, owner of RhoadsRoast Coffees®
See how RhoadsRoast uses ShippingEasy in our case study!
Tips for shipping coffee ☕
Shipping coffee is similar to shipping fragile items because any rips or damage to the package could compromise the product. You can keep your shipment safe by:
- Wrapping your coffee: If the bag does happen to get ripped in transit adding extra layers of bubble wrap can help contain everything inside and seal in the flavor until it arrives to your customer. Also, if your business offers pre-ground blends, an extra layer of protection can prevent spillage.
- Filling any spaces: When getting your items ready for shipping, the box used should be larger than the bag itself to avoid it being accidentally ripped during shipping. However, any gaps between your items and the box should be filled with crumbled paper, bubble wrap, and other items.
- Using bags with degassing valves when possible: Your customer’s order will more than likely travel for several days until it reaches its destination. Using bags with degassing valves allows the coffee to continue to release any gasses. This way, the chance of any air bubbles disrupting the flavor of your customers’ coffee is decreased while it’s brewing.
How does ShippingEasy help my business ship coffee?☕
Like we’ve already mentioned, shipping coffee requires finding the best rates, carrier services, and additional packaging to keep your coffee safe in transit. The good news is, ShippingEasy can help you with both! Our rate calculator compares rates across carriers in real time. So, you can choose which carrier services work best for getting your package exactly where it needs to go without destroying your shipping budget. Also, you can save custom package options that incorporate any extra weight you might have in your shipments outside of the product and the box you’re shipping your product in. This includes the extra shipping materials you’ve added to secure the coffee in the package.
Conclusion ☕
You work hard to find the perfect coffee blends for your business, and your customers look forward to a fresh cup of coffee to start their day. Using carrier services that provide delivery windows and tracking helps you prepare your coffee accordingly, so your customers receive the best quality of your product. Carefully packaging products to avoid any spills or rips decreases the chance of damage along the way. Your business can even utilize shipping automation and compare rates like RhoadsRoast Coffees® does to improve your shipping process.
Save a latte of time on shipping with a 30-day free trial to ShippingEasy.
Baillee Perkins
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