Industry / Food and drink
Pallets for food and beverage
Food and beverage docks want clean, tidy pallets, and beverage freight often ships on 42x42s. Their piles rebuild every week, which suits a regular schedule.
The context
The Chamber's 2025 list of major employers includes Great Plains Coca-Cola among beverage-distribution employers and Crest Foods, headquartered in Edmond, among manufacturers.
What the pile looks like
Food-grade work wants a pallet that is clean, dry and free of stains. A pallet that has carried leaking product or sat outside is a poorer candidate for reuse, and may read as Grade C or a core. The 42 x 42 is the beverage footprint, and grade A versus grade B covers the usual split.
Because bottling and distribution run on a calendar, the same pallets come back each week. A recurring dock pickup fits it better than an occasional clear-out.
Where it sits
Edmond on the I-35 North leg, the Oklahoma City districts and the counties around. See Edmond.
Cleanliness is the test
Two things end a pallet's life in a food setting: spills and odour. Wood absorbs liquid, and a pallet that has carried something sweet or fatty can hold a smell for years. Many food users reject any pallet that smells, regardless of its structure. If yours have been kept dry and covered, say so; if some have been outdoors, say that too.
Beverage freight adds weight. A full pallet of bottled drinks is heavy, which wears boards and lets nails work loose. Look for pallets with cracked top boards near the edges before you call a lot sound.
Rhythm over rescue
A bottler or distributor generates empties on the same day each week. That regularity is the most valuable fact in a request, because it shows that the pile can be planned for. A short note describing the day, the count and the footprint is enough to start.
Records and audits
Food plants answer to audits, so any change in how pallets leave the building should respect the plant's rules. Ask your quality team before you send a request.
Plastic or wood
Some food users prefer plastic pallets because they wash clean. Wood remains common because it is cheap and repairable. If your pile includes plastic, say how many, since they are valued separately and have separate buyers.
Documenting cleanliness
A short written line on how pallets were stored, indoors on concrete or outdoors under cover, tells a buyer more than a photograph of a clean top deck.