In much of the developing world, post-harvest losses are as high as 80% and the cold‐storage chain is virtually non‐existent due to the high cost of equipment and spotty electricity.
Solar Freeze is a company pioneering mobile cold storage units that are powered by renewable energy and used by rural smallholder farmers.
The solution is designed to help rural smallholder farmers reduce the huge challenge of post-harvest loss.
SolarFreeze, a startup in Keny, designed this innovative solution that provides solar-powered cold storage units for smallholder farmers and traders in Sub-Saharan Africa with no need for grid connection.
Solar Freeze provides farmers with portable solar-powered cold-storage units that they can access through mobile phones via simple SMS and USSD messages to book and store perishable produce using the sharing economy and pay with mobile money.
Solar Freeze was recognized as the best energy access startup in the continent upon the successful conclusion of the RES-EXPO conference “Renewable Energy in East-Africa: New Frontiers” organized by RES4Africa in Nairobi and was awarded the Africa Energy Prize.
: Reduced Food Loss and Waste in the fresh produce agricultural sector by 90 percent. Increased incomes for rural smallholder women and youth farmers by 70 percent. A complete supply chain system powered by renewable energy consisting of Solar Powered Mobile Cold Rooms and Milk dispensing ATM’s running on renewable energy. Cheaper fresh food produce by 40 percent and reduced malnutrition for the bottom of the pyramid consumers in towns and cities since customers work within their budget while purchasing milk at the solar-powered ATM vending machine.
Kenya
