Avocado export is flourishing in Kenya . The country is currently ranked eighth globally in avocado production , having exported 26 481 tonnes of the fruit between January and March 2021 , to 15 101 tonnes in 2022 .
PROJECT
INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN
InspiraFarms Cooling technology drives Kakuzi ’ s sustainability vision
By InspiraFarms Cooling , edited by Eamonn Ryan
Avocado export is flourishing in Kenya . The country is currently ranked eighth globally in avocado production , having exported 26 481 tonnes of the fruit between January and March 2021 , to 15 101 tonnes in 2022 .
Globally , avocado has been the most dynamic fruit in the past years , characterised by insatiable demand and an unbalanced supply . Kenya is taking advantage of this market shift , increasing its export volumes through enhanced cultivation of avocados by Kenyan farmers over the past five years .
The fruit is grown in several parts of Kenya and according to the International Food Policy Research Institute , about 70 % of avocado production is by small-scale growers . For this reason , most top Kenyan avocado exporters combine production coming from their plantations and sourcing from small and medium-scale farmers to meet the growing global demand for avocados .
This is the case of Kakuzi PLC , the largest producer of avocados in East Africa , which exports approximately 45 % of the total volume of avocados exported from Kenya . With a long history in Kenya , Kakuzi abandoned the production of coffee and pineapples and adopted a focus on a mixed agricultural portfolio to mitigate its profit cycle risk . Currently , they also deal in tea , blueberries , commercial forestry and macadamia production as core business activities .
Kenya is currently ranked fifth in the global production and export rankings of quality avocado . To boost national competitiveness on the global stage , Kakuzi continues to work hard to secure this coveted market position locally and internationally through quality-assured production and commitment to sustainability through ESG frameworks .
KAKUZI ’ S AVOCADO COLD ROOMS
With their operations across these products , Kakuzi ’ s main priority was to invest in modern cooling technology that would help better the quality of its produce . Based on the UN sustainability standards , Kakuzi intended to adopt a cold chain facility that would also help reduce its GHG emissions . For the additional cooling capacity , Kakuzi planned to invest in eight cold rooms , each capable of handling more than 40Mt per cycle , with up to six cycles a week during the avocado season , running from March through September . Since June through August is the peak season for avocados , the facility ought to have accommodated these larger supply months . Kakuzi required a dropping temperature from 25 ° C to 5-7 ° C within 24 hours of entering the cold rooms . This temperature requirement called for precooling , and additional cold storage capacity
Images supplied by InspiraFarms Cooling
Cold room 5 and 6 in Kakuza .
Avocado cold rooms and product probe at Kakuzi PLC .
that could accommodate inventory buildup in case of logistic challenges .
In the first phase of the expansion plan , Kakuzi invested in two InspiraFarms Cooling cold rooms in 2020 , each of 100m 2 , with a capacity for 40 pallets – 288 trays with 4kg each . The system also included pre-cooling capabilities through forced-air fans and evaporators , to cool down 40Mt of avocado in 24 hours , and at a total cooling capacity of 160kW . The company also adopted a single chiller-based cooling system capable of feeding both cold rooms . The cooling system included one thermal storage tank with ice that pulls cold water to both cold rooms through two compressors and two reductant pumps . In turn , this releases the stored cooling energy , ensuring that the temperature remains consistently low even without active refrigeration or power . Additionally , Kakuzi ’ s operations team points
Cold rooms in Kenya . out that the InspiraFarms Cooling chillerbased cooling system provided them with an energy storage system that allowed the reduced usage of diesel generators . They also noted that it provided a reliable system , with sufficient energy backup for non-stop cooling operations .
The avocado exporter also adopted a temperature-controlled prefabricated distribution corridor that connects cold rooms to their respective packhouse and dispatch docks . This design allows a smooth movement between delivery and packaging to dispatch . Additionally , their facilities came with monitoring systems with a portal which the operations team can log in at any time to monitor their cold room ’ s temperature , relative humidity , door openings , energy usage , manage stock levels and more .
David Migot , the engineering manager at Kakuzi , states : “ The alarm and maintenance system on the software goes a long way in giving us a lot of control on how our product looks at any given minute . I would recommend InspiraFarms because it is a unique tool in the cold chain and is a tool which is useful for any enterprise trying to manage their product well before going into the market .”
Migot also states that other key drivers of their investment were to meet sustainability requirements , such as the reduction of emissions by implementing the R44 that uses thermal storage . As a high-value asset , he pointed out that energy consumption is a key determining factor of return on investment . With the use of thermal storage in the cold
24 www . coldlinkafrica . co . za COLD LINK AFRICA • September 2024