What's the best way to package and ship caviar?

Caviar is a perishable, temperature sensitive product that commonly ships in breakable glass or dentable metal containers. So how can you be sure the caviar you order won't arrive damaged, contaminated and/or too warm to safely eat? Well, with carriers like UPS and FedEx occasionally misplacing packages and dropping boxes, it is up to the shipper (that's us!) to package the product properly and reduce the chance that the cargo gets destroyed during its journey to the customer.

To ensure perishable caviar survives its transit, Caviar Star packs it in sturdy containers and vacuum seals it. Pretty common, pretty effective, vacuum sealing and banding a quality-constructed container, then surrounding it in bubble wrap is the best way to ship caviar and safeguard product from potential damage during transit.

Low-salt caviar is perishable and must stay in a temperature controlled environment up until the time of consumption. When it comes to shipping caviar there must be something in place to keep the product under 36 degrees F for the duration of the transit or until it can be returned to refrigeration. While some companies will use dry ice, which can sometimes accidentally freeze fresh product, gel ice packs are the preferred material for chilling a box of caviar.

The master case or shipping box used to transport the caviar is another important part of keeping caviar safe during transit. Usually Styrofoam or a more environmentally friendly insulated shipping box can be used to trap the cold and maintain ideal temperature. Filling the space inside the insulated box and surrounding the caviar with gel ice and/or additional bubble wrap can make sure everything is tightly packed and adequately cold inside the inner package. Since most couriers will not pickup/deiver packages that do not have corrugated outer packaging, a strong outer box that is properly taped shut is always a necessity.

All of our perishable products are recommended to ship for next-day delivery, but in rare circumstances of a missed delivery you might ask, how long does the packaging keep the caviar cool?

All of the caviar we ship to our customers is professionally packaged to keep the product under temperature for up to 48 hours. After much on-site testing and lab analysis, we guarantee that our packaging keeps the caviar cool and safe within a two-day transit window, and use temp testers so our customers can be sure too!

For more frequently asked questions, view our caviar faqs page.