Oct 24, 2011 10:35 AM

Cono Italiano Inc (OTCBB:CNOZ) has formed a strategic alliance with ThermaFreeze Products Corporation in order to use its reusable ice alternative to ship the company’s frozen products.

A manufacturer of frozen foods, Cono Italiano is the exclusive license holder for North American distribution and manufacturing rights for “pizza cono,” a drip-free, cone-shaped pizza made from proprietary dough.

This newly formed alliance with ThermaFreeze will allow the company to reduce the cost of shipping for all pizza cono shipments.

The ThermaFreeze product is a dry pad made of three thin pieces of material and can be stored efficiently, freeing up cabinet or freezer space. Properties of ThermaFreeze pads provide greater thermal protection for shipping perishables, reducing product spoilage. When used in a cooler, ThermaFreeze provides more hours of cooling power than ice, gel packs, or ice bricks. It also may be refrozen and reused many times.

For commercial usage, ThermaFreeze pads are configured to keep payloads within a designated critical temperature range over a specified transit time provided by the shipper. For consumer applications, ThermaFreeze pads can go into lunch bags and coolers. They are flexible and can easily be wrapped around bottles and cans.

ThermaFreeze pads are manufactured dry, in rolls measuring six cells x 1,500 cells (individual cells measure 2.5" x 2.5"), laminated together in a waffle pattern. Pads are constructed with a plastic film on one side and a non-woven fabric on the reverse. A six-cell x four-cell pad, measures 15" x 10" and weighs about one ounce when dry. Each cell contains a biodegradable, non-toxic, crystallized polymer compound that absorbs water on contact and holds the water in a gel-like state. When fully hydrated, the pad weighs around 24 ounces. Hydration takes only seconds per pad and is done by soaking or spraying the cloth side of the pad with water.

Once hydrated, the pad is ready to be placed in a freezer and will be fully frozen in about two hours.