When COVID-19 began spreading across America, the Food Bank of Alaska in Anchorage quickly became overwhelmed. The organization had been making the best of outdated equipment in a remote location for many years, often dealing with breakdowns that led to significant losses of perishable food items. But, as the pandemic brought many longstanding issues to a head, it became clear that a permanent solution needed to be found.

At this time last year, we at Refrigerated & Frozen Foods (the sister publication of Food Engineering) decided to put our annual Foodservice Distributor of the Year Award on hold. The COVID-19 pandemic precipitated unprecedented shutdowns in foodservice—restaurants, hotels, schools, caterers, stadiums, and other volume venues—leaving behind thousands of shuttered businesses. To put it lightly, there was very little to celebrate in foodservice last year.