COLD STORAGE FOR FRESH PRODUCE
Cold Rooms for Fruit & Vegetables
Fresh produce requires the correct cold-storage conditions to help maintain product quality from harvest through packing, storage and distribution.
Africhill designs and manufactures commercial and industrial cold rooms and refrigeration systems for fruit, vegetables, packhouses and fresh-produce facilities throughout South Africa and Africa.
Each system is designed around the produce, incoming temperature, required storage conditions, daily product load and operating environment.
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Get a Fresh Produce Cold Room Quote
Tell us what you are storing, how much enters the room each day and the required storage conditions.
START WITH THE PRODUCE
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What fruit or vegetables need to be stored?
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At what temperature does the produce enter the room?
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How many bins, pallets, kilograms or tonnes enter each day?
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What temperature and other conditions does the product require?
FRESH-PRODUCE APPLICATIONS
Cold Storage Across the Fresh-Produce Supply Chain
01
Farm Cold Rooms
Cold-storage facilities positioned close to growing and harvesting operations.
02
Packhouse Cold Rooms
Temperature-controlled storage supporting sorting, grading, packing and dispatch.
03
Fruit Storage
Fruit cold rooms designed around the requirements of the specific product being stored.
04
Vegetable Storage
Vegetable cold rooms designed around the required product conditions and storage period.
05
Fresh-Produce Processing
Refrigerated rooms supporting preparation, packing and suitable fresh-cut produce operations.
06
Wholesale & Produce Markets
Commercial cold storage for fresh-produce wholesalers and market operations.
07
Distribution Centres
Larger refrigerated facilities supporting palletised produce and high daily throughput.
08
Export Cold Storage
Temperature-controlled storage supporting fresh produce awaiting transport and export.
REFRIGERATION DESIGN
Different Produce. Different Storage Requirements.
The correct cold-storage conditions depend on the actual fruit or vegetable. Africhill therefore needs to know what will be stored before the cold room and refrigeration system can be specified correctly.
Product Type
Incoming Temperature
Storage Conditions
Daily Product Load
Pull-Down Requirement
Airflow
Storage Capacity
Ambient Conditions
The refrigeration system must be designed around the product, not simply the size of the room.
PRODUCT PULL-DOWN
Removing Field Heat Is Different From Cold Storage
Freshly harvested produce can enter a cold room carrying significant field heat.
A room designed mainly to maintain already-cooled produce has a different refrigeration duty from a system required to cool several tonnes of freshly harvested product each day.
Incoming temperature, daily product quantity and required cooling time therefore need to be considered when sizing the refrigeration system.
COLD STORAGE ≠ PRODUCT PULL-DOWN
PULL-DOWN INPUTS
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How warm is the produce when it enters?
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How much produce enters during each operating period?
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How quickly must the product reach the required condition?
PACKHOUSE COLD STORAGE
Cold Rooms for Packhouses
Cold storage is often an integral part of a commercial packhouse rather than a separate facility. Africhill can work from the packhouse layout to integrate temperature-controlled rooms into the product flow.
RECEIVING → SORTING → PACKING → COOLING → COLD STORAGE → DISPATCH
Design can account for product volumes, bin and pallet movement, door sizes, forklift access, storage capacity, loading patterns, dispatch schedules and future expansion.
PACKHOUSE DESIGN
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Receiving through to packing, storage and dispatch.
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Door sizes and room layout designed around handling requirements.
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Room size matched to required throughput and holding capacity.
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Expansion requirements can be considered during planning.
MULTIPLE PRODUCTS
Can Different Fruit & Vegetables Share One Cold Room?
Sometimes, but only where their required storage conditions are compatible.
Products requiring significantly different conditions may need separate cold rooms or temperature zones rather than being placed into one compromise environment.
AIRFLOW & STORAGE LAYOUT
Airflow Is Part of Cold-Room Performance
A refrigeration system can only perform effectively if cold air can circulate through the room as intended.
Bin, crate, carton and pallet positioning can influence airflow and temperature distribution. Room layout should therefore consider packaging, pallet arrangement, storage height, aisles, evaporator position and product movement.
Cold-room layout and refrigeration design should be considered together.
COMMERCIAL & INDUSTRIAL STORAGE
From Farm Cold Rooms to Export Facilities
Fresh-produce cold-storage requirements can range from smaller farm cold rooms to large industrial packhouses, distribution centres and export facilities.
Larger projects are designed around pallet capacity, daily product throughput, incoming temperatures, operating hours and required pull-down performance.
INDUSTRIAL DESIGN INPUTS
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Daily fresh-produce throughput.
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Required storage capacity and material movement.
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Operational movement considered during design.
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Operating hours and ambient temperature affect refrigeration requirements.
AFRICHILL MANUFACTURING
Fresh Produce Project Example
AFRICAN AGRICULTURE
Made in South Africa. Built for African Agriculture.
Africhill manufactures cold rooms and insulated panels in South Africa and supplies refrigeration systems for fresh-produce and agricultural projects throughout Africa.
High ambient temperatures, remote locations, transport distances, electrical supply and access to refrigeration technicians can all influence the appropriate cold-room configuration.
REMOTE PROJECT OPTIONS
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Complete installation where required.
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Available for suitable smaller or remote applications.
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Pre-assembled refrigeration options for suitable projects.
WHY AFRICHILL
Why Choose Africhill for Fresh-Produce Cold Storage?
Experience Since 1998
More than 25 years of cold-storage and refrigeration experience.
South African Manufacturer
Cold rooms and insulated panels manufactured in South Africa.
Product-Specific Design
Systems designed around the actual produce and required storage conditions.
Product-Load Calculation
Incoming temperature and daily product quantity considered during design.
Custom Manufacturing
Room dimensions designed around the packhouse or facility.
Commercial & Industrial
From farm cold rooms to large packhouses and distribution facilities.
Complete Solution
Design, manufacture, refrigeration, installation and commissioning where required.
Africa Experience
Cold-storage solutions supplied throughout Africa.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Fruit & Vegetable Cold Room FAQs
Practical answers about fresh-produce temperatures, product loads, packhouse cold rooms and storage requirements.
What temperature should fruit and vegetables be stored at?
There is no single temperature suitable for all fresh produce. Storage requirements depend on the specific fruit or vegetable, storage period and
required product conditions. Africhill designs the cold-storage system around the specified product requirements.
Can fruit and vegetables share the same cold room?
Only where their storage requirements are compatible. Products requiring significantly different conditions may need separate rooms or temperature zones.
Can a cold room cool produce directly after harvesting?
Yes, if the refrigeration system has been designed for the required pull-down load. A room intended mainly to maintain already-cooled produce may not have enough capacity to rapidly cool large quantities of freshly harvested product.
Why does Africhill need the incoming product temperature?
The refrigeration system must remove heat from incoming produce. The difference between incoming temperature and required storage temperature can significantly affect the refrigeration load.
Why does daily product volume matter?
Cooling 500 kg and cooling 20 tonnes of incoming produce are very different refrigeration duties, even where the room dimensions are similar.
Does product stacking affect cold-room performance?
Yes. Bin, carton and pallet arrangement can influence airflow and temperature distribution, so room layout should allow effective air circulation.
Can Africhill build large packhouse cold rooms?
Yes. Africhill can design and manufacture commercial and industrial cold rooms around packhouse layouts, product throughput and storage requirements.
Does Africhill supply fresh-produce cold rooms outside South Africa?
Yes. Africhill manufactures in South Africa and supplies cold-storage solutions throughout Africa.
REQUEST A QUOTATION
What Are You Growing or Storing?
Tell Africhill what produce you need to store and how much enters the cold room each day. This helps our team determine the appropriate cold-storage and refrigeration solution.
USEFUL PROJECT INFORMATION
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List the fruit, vegetables or fresh produce to be stored.
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Incoming temperature and required storage conditions.
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Approximate kilograms, tonnes, pallets or bins entering per day.
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Send dimensions, drawings, layouts or photographs where available.
Request My Quotation
Tell us what you are storing and your project requirements.