Try Before You Buy

Postharvest losses of fresh vegetables in Kenya can reach 30–50%, largely due to the absence of affordable and reliable cold-chain systems. Too often, projects that install cooling infrastructure fail because they overlook the importance of a fully integrated cold-chain as opposed to individual standalone components installed in isolation. Additionally, issues such as community ownership, the skills required to operate equipment, and the business models needed to successfully sustain the system need to be considered when thinking about farm to fork refrigeration projects, but are often ignored. To close this gap, as part of the Clean Cooling Network (CCN), the Africa Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Cooling and Cold-Chain (ACES) have developed the Try Before You Buy (TBYB) approach, which is being implemented in Kenya by the African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS).

The uniqueness and advantage of the TBYB offer is that the associated technology is only introduced after farmers and cooperative leaders have undergone a structured process of engagement, training, and business planning. After which, a free-of-charge temporary but fully functional cold-chain system is installed that allows the community to operate, test, and refine their services under real market conditions. This phase is designed to enable farmers to gain experience from a low-risk trial of modern cooling technologies so as to inform their decision-making when considering a potential commitment of long-term resources to the system. During this period, they also gain a better understanding of their actual cooling needs and which specific technologies would be the best fit for their use case, production and market opportunities.

The loaned cold-chain extends from the field to the marketplace. In the field, the first step towards the market is a quality control stage and at this point, the farmer is provided with a “goods-received form” for the accepted produce.  Based on this paperwork, the farmer will be paid within a maximum of a week and orders by end markets are fulfilled by the cooperative’s sorter staff through the use of a single cabin pickup truck.  The vehicle has a 20mm sandwich panel insulated body to prevent temperature related spoilage of the produce during transit.

Fast spoiling products, such as herbs, are immediately packed into cooler boxes with Phase Change Material (PCM) packs to reduce their stored temperature during transit.  Less sensitive products are simply stacked in ventilated crates for the journey.

The crops are taken to the aggregation facility, where they are graded according to the specific buyer’s specifications. A pre-cooling unit, which is integrated into the 5-tonne solar-powered cold room removes field heat from the fresh produce.

The aggregated and graded produce is then transported from the aggregation centre to wholesale or retail buyers using a 5-tonne refrigerated truck. Both the truck and the cold room contain their own remote monitoring system, which enables traceability of temperature control throughout the journey, thereby ensuring the integrity of the cold-chain from farm to market.

Integrity of the cold-chain is essential to maintain the quality and freshness of the produce all the way to the market, without it the value-add of cooling is lost.  The TBYB approach therefore trains all stakeholders in best practice and best handling of produce.  It enables the highest standards to be achieved and guaranteed for the end markets.

By linking all of these elements together with training, the TBYB approach demonstrates how a complete cold-chain can function when owned and operated by a cooperative. Farmers learn how to price services, organise aggregation, and meet buyer requirements.  In parallel, the cooperative collects data on their cold-chain operations, their costs, revenues, adoption rates, and the reduction of postharvest losses. This evidence not only strengthens their business model but also provides the proof of concept needed to secure investment.

In practice, TBYB allows communities to “learn by doing.” It builds farmer confidence, improves market access, and shows lenders and donors that smallholder-led cold chain systems can succeed. Once validated, the cooperative can transition from the temporary set-up to a permanent Community Cooling Hub (CCH) - a multi-service facility for storage, processing, and value addition that anchors long-term rural resilience and prosperity based on their experiences and learnings during the TBYB phase.