Freeze It

Computerized refrigeration system provides flexibility. This system controls temperature variances throughout the warehouse while sealed truck bays, battery-powered lifts, 40-degree fahrenheit refrigerated docks and a back up sp diesel generator help maintain constant temperatures for both truck and rail shipments. The system also allows our blast freezers to quick freeze up to a half million pounds of product in 72 hours or less with temperatures below -20 degrees Fahrenheit. In addition, we have the flexibility to almost instantly convert freezer space to cooler space in order to accommodate a variety of shipments, temperature requirements and seasonality. This flexibility has helped our customers with special projects ranging from hams, ice cream and blood plasma storage to the tempering (slacking) of fresh frozen product.

Cool It

Separate coolers and state-of-the-art inventory management prevent the co-mingling of meat, poultry and dairy products so your products can be maintained and shipped in the same condition in which they arrived.

Dock It

Modern docking facility streamlines loading and unloading. Shipping is efficient and downtime is minimized with over 80 trailer staging positions, 42 dock doors and a 3-car rail siding. By utilizing our shipping expertise and knowledge of the industry, we can cross-dock, pool the resources of sister companies and different customers and consolidate freight shipments to save time and money. We've even built a separate lounge for drivers so they can relax and catch up on paperwork. Central alarm systems are monitored by a third party security company and all systems are controlled electronically. As an environmentally conscious operation, there's even a dedicated recycling dock for cardboard, white paper and shrink wrap.

Tour It

AIB - High Superior Rating. Recently we had our annual AIB performed and we achivied a high superior (the Al B's higest rating). Please come tour our facility and see if you agree. Call (859) 485-3473 for more information or to arrange a tour. With nearly 250,000 square feet of space in a conveniently located, state-of-the-art facility that's operated by seasoned professionals with decades of experience. Merchants Cold Storage has created a modern logistics warehouse that will meet your needs now and in the future. For more information or to tour our facility, give us a call today.

Using Technology for Reliable, Accurate Handling and Storage of Your Inventory

AIB - High Superior Rating. Recently we had our annual AIB performed and we achivied a high superior. Please come tour our facility and see if you agree. Call 859.485.3473 for more information or to arrange a tour.

Merchants Cold Storage has been associated with public refrigerated storage and distribution in the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky area for nearly a century.

In 1908, a group of out of town entrepreneurs, calling themselves "The Merchants of Cincinnati", built the eight-story refrigerated warehouse to compensate for a lack of space in the city where they could house their transient goods. This 150,000 square foot modern wonder, came equipped with state of the art ammonia refrigeration, blast freezing, and ice making facilities. Its 6,000 pound capacity Westinghouse elevators enable the 100 plus warehousemen to cart freight from freezers and coolers to the outbound carts, wagons, and trucks. The ice manufacturing part of the operation provided the blocks of ice that were used to refrigerate the rail cars stocked with products to distribute throughout the rapidly growing Midwest. In these early days, goods were often brought to and from river boats and barges, to be stored in the Merchants' cold rooms.

Later on, in the 1950's, the warehouse was purchased by a group of three local dairies who used the warehouse primarily for the storage and distribution of the own products. For the National, Matthew Freckling, and Highland Dairy, Merchants' powerful refrigeration system provided ideal freezer temperatures from the proper storage of ice cream.

The National Dairy was the largest of the group and would go on to form the Kraft Company. In 1986, Kraft would eventually move on to more modern facilities and the ownership was once again passed on to a group of out of town investors, this time from Chicago.

It was in 1990 that our involvement with Merchants Cold Storage began. Still running as a public refrigerated warehouse, Merchants continues to provide quality storage and distribution services for local and out of state vendors. Modern equipment allows us to operate the facility with far fewer warehouseman than earlier in our history.

As we look back fondly at the history of this grand old place, we carry on the traditions of high quality customer service and the hard work ethic that Merchants was built on, while at the same time providing our employees and customers all the conveniences of the modern warehouse of the next century.

The facility in Richwood has a total capacity of 250,000 square feet, with 7,980,000 cubic feet of storage space, and a capacity of 250,000 pounds of blast freezing per day.