Freezer Upgrade

March 2025 vol. 1

If you’ve been a long-time reader, you probably know that we’ve been using a repurposed Bluebell freezer truck body to store our pasture raised meats. It’s been a reliable workhorse for the past five years, but last year, the repair bills started piling up—culminating in a $7,000 compressor replacement.

When the second compressor failed last month, I had to ask myself: was it time to retire the Bluebell and look for a better solution? After all, she came with her fair share of quirks that made our work more challenging.

The biggest issue was her design. As a mobile freezer, we were required to step up into the unit, which meant we couldn’t simply wheel products inside. Restocking involved hauling 200-pound coolers up into the box—a task that was as exhausting as it sounds.

Another drawback was the lack of a defrost cycle. The freezer was originally designed to be turned off after daily runs, but since we ran it continuously, frost would build up on the freezer plates. This not only required me to scrape off the exposed ice regularly but also caused a significant drop in efficiency over time.

I set out looking for an old shipping container that had been converted into a standard walk-in refrigeration system. The original freezers on these containers are designed to run on the 3-phase 460V power used by ocean-going vessels, so converting one seemed like a practical option. However, after a few days of comparing different options, I discovered something interesting: reefer containers built since 2023 come with some fantastic design features, like solid floors, built-in lights, and a convenient man door. When you factor in the cost of adding those upgrades to an older container, the price difference between new and old starts to shrink quickly.

Molly, who is far wiser than I am, strongly advocated for buying new instead of dealing with the headaches of maintaining old equipment. And since we’re already neck-deep in this conversion project, I decided to go all-in and opted for a 40-foot “high cube” container.
The 18-foot Bluebell always felt a bit cramped, and I’ve long dreamed of having enough space to create value-added products like sausages, bone broths, and more. With the 40-foot container, I’ll finally have room to make that a reality. By installing an interior wall, I’ll be able to section off half of the unit to build a kitchen someday.

Another bonus of the “high cube” containers is their height—they’re 9 ½ feet tall, giving us an extra 2 feet of vertical space compared to the Bluebell. That extra room will make a big difference!

To power this beast, I had to invest in some additional equipment—a phase converter—that allows me to convert single-phase 220V power into the 3-phase 460V power the freezer requires. Naturally, this adds a layer of complexity (and bumps up the price tag yet again), but it also opens the door for installing used industrial equipment, like meat grinders and saws, down the road.

Every time I ran into one of these challenges, I found myself daydreaming about the “perfect” freezer setup for our operation. Time and again, I kept coming back to ocean transport shipping containers. These containers, designed for shipping perishable goods across the ocean, seemed like the ideal solution. Although they’re not as common as their uninsulated counterparts, there’s still a solid supply of used freezer units on the market. They’re built to handle extreme temperatures (down to -40 degrees), come in both 20- and 40-foot lengths, are rated for outdoor use, and can typically be installed without too much hassle.

With that decision made, I spent the weekend prepping the site and running the necessary power and water lines. Planning for the future is key when tackling a project like this—once the container is on the ground, it’s nearly impossible to add or upgrade utilities later. Thankfully, I’ve got the skills and tools needed to get everything ready.

The new freezer is set to arrive late this week, and I’m taking the following week off from my day job to get it up and running. After that, I’ll transfer all the meat from the Bluebell into its new home. I’ll be sharing updates on the installation and upgrades in future newsletters, so be sure to follow along. And don’t worry—I’ll also showcase the finished setup during our farm tour the first week of May!

See you at the market!