Mobile pre-cooling on-the-go

Current challenges in the first mile

In an efficient cold chain, the fresh produce needs to be pre-cooled immediately after harvest (bringing the temperature down rapidly – often a 15°C to 20°C drop), before it can be placed in centralized cold storage. Lowering the temperature has to be undertaken following specific protocols to maximize quality and shelf-life, while preventing shrinkage and injuries.

However, field-based cold storage infrastructure is usually nonexistent for the first mile. Most produce is left exposed to the sun for hours until all crates are filled before a truck can depart.

Farms with cold storage infrastructure usually place cold storages in centralized locations, but not close enough to the points of production. In addition, many supply chains working with out-growers require cooling in different locations even within the same season.

Many other producers are placing reefers near centralized collection points, where the fresh produce needs to arrive at the right temperature. As most crops arrive with high temperatures, reefers present challenges in lowering the temperature with the right balance of time and temperature. Reefers are built to maintain temperature, not to pre-cool.

In all cases, there is a cumulative dwell time across produce mobility, which means that the fresh produce has experienced significant “temperature spikes” that will adversely affect all further post-harvest treatment processes.

InspiraFarms broadens the product range with a mobile version of its pre-cooling technology

Michele Bruni, InspiraFarms Technical Director explains, “many fresh produce exporters have been telling us the importance of having solutions for immediate pre-cooling after harvest, critical for crops such as soft fruit, like berries. And the great need for a mobile version that can be easily moved from site to site. This is still not fully available in the market”.

InspiraFarms mobile pre-cooler is the quick, portable and field-level response to reduce external temperature shocks on fresh produce immediately after harvest. It deploys best-in-class forced air pre-cooling, designed for rapid cooling of the product straight from the field, ensuring better product quality and a longer shelf-life.

Prototype 2020 using an external containerized structure. New structure to be shipped in Sept 2021

The reduced losses at the first mile, as a result of prompt pre-cooling, is anticipated to cover the cost of accessing the cold room, leaving the farmers with a net income higher than without the cold room.  

 The mobile capability allows a faster and increased return on investment as it can serve a larger number of crops and sites with different seasons, avoiding the no utilization during the off-seasons. A higher utilization facilitates quicker repayment of the purchase investment. 

At the same time, increased availability of mobile pre-coolers closer to production sites facilitates commercial exporters to expand their out-grower networks and integrating an increased number of small growers, that before were not feasible to source due to long distances and inexistent cooling infrastructure.  

Mobile pre-cooler features

  • The unit is containerized with a capacity to treat up to 200 crates or 2MT on a single phase.  
  • Integrates a forced air-cooling (up to 200Pa) and humidity control system that allows highly efficient chilling for removing field heat at the source. Can drop the temperature to 8°C in the field before transport 
  • Fitted with a condenser and blower unit, with ultrasonic humidifier with an osmosis system and UV light that reduces dehydration during cooling and purifies water for reducing the risk of diseases.  
  • It can be easily moved from site to site, using a crane or a forklift, intermodal and CSC certified. 

Pay-as-you-go  

InspiraFarms can offer the mobile pre-cooler with a pay-as-you-go service option (cooling as a service). Fees for the service are calculated according to the type of produce and the projected volumes to be stored. Considering each specific case, numbers can be agreed either based on weight or number of crates to be stored, or even flat rates for long-term agreements.  

The pay-as-you-go model enables farmers to benefit from InspiraFarms technology without requiring an upfront investment, but just paying for the actual services used. Moving from a CAPEX model to an OPEX model. 

 This model can also facilitate out-growers access supply chain arrangements as they can get secured access to high-value markets with a deduction of payment for the cooling, based on throughput. In this case, the cooling would become a direct cost to the supply chain and only be a cost to small-scale growers during the harvest windows. 

The pilot in Kenya

InspiraFarms first-mile mobile pre-cooler was piloted in Embu County in Kenya, November 2020, providing on-farm pre-cooling to a variety of crops such as Baby Corn, Asparagus, Capsicum, French bean, peas and Egg plant. Positive results were soon evident, especially on reducing post-harvest losses and cooling performance. Additionally, the agribusiness is currently saving 30kWh per day of operations as a result of grading and de-husking at the farm level, increasing the quality of the produce delivered at the processing facility, while reducing waste transported to and from the farm.

The mobile pre-cooler will be commercially available from September 2021.