Beemsterboer Coldstore Services (BCS), a Dutch-based firm, has opened a cold store in Nairobi with space for 4,000 pallets. Besides these new premises in Nairobi, the Dutch firm has been storing perishable goods at two sites in the Netherlands since 1955.
BCS Kenya’s new cold storage in Nairobi has been running for 18 months, and is designed to reduce fresh fruit and vegetable food waste by up to 30%.
“I’ve lived and worked in Kenya for more than 20 years,” says Jean Pierre Dekker, who used to run a rose nursery in Kenya, among other things.
In early 2017, the firm began planning to build a new cold storage facility in Nairobi, which had promising prospects. “It was [promising], but then, the pandemic struck, making construction very difficult. But now, after a longer-than-expected process, we’re proud of the completed cold store,” said Dekker.
It primarily holds fruit imported from across the globe. It is also a hub for Kenyan avocados exported in containers to the Netherlands and other European countries. Ice cream and meat for the local market are stored there.
“Many large companies are looking for professional storage. We’ll soon see if we can roll out this concept elsewhere in East Africa,” said Dekker.
ALSO READ: Tatu City & Cold Solutions Ink KSh7.5 Billion Investment Deal
