South Africa’s hottest new cold storage and handling facility

EKM Exports and GOGO Fruit South Africa have been exporting South African fruit to major markets across the world for over a decade. In recent years the group has become more and more concerned about the sometimes impossibly long delays that exporters have had to deal with at the entrances to cold storage facilities.

Congestion and a lack of space can sometimes result in fruit being left outside of the cold rooms for days. The delays result in the quality of the fruit, as well as the quality of the packaging, being affected. They have now taken the next step towards being in control of the value chain.

The facility is located inland near the beautiful Loskop Valley in Limpopo province, South Africa. The location of the facility plays a major role in its success. It is centrally located, allowing growers from the Loskop Valley, the Tzaneen and Waterberg Regions, the Low Veld, and the Highveld; convenient access to the facility.

3 440m2 solar panel plant which will generate the electricity needed to power the entire facility

With a storage capacity of 4,500 pallets and the capability to pre-cool 600 pallets prior to sterilization treatments, the facility itself is impressive. eLumac Control Systems and custom-made sensors control variations in temperature precisely. As per PPECB (the export control organization of South Africa) protocols, the fruit is kept at subzero temperatures for 72 hours after a pull down time of just 24 hours. Isolated loading bays, Paltrack shipment management systems and the capability to pre-batch containers (out of cold steri rooms) prior to loading make GOGO’s cold rooms one of the most versatile cold storage facilities in South Africa.

Cold treatment is the sterilization process that perishable goods must undergo for receiving countries such as China, India, Japan, Zambia, Nigeria and Bangladesh. In these markets strict phytosanitory regulations are imposed on the importation of fresh produce. EKM Exports’ main focus is business development in the Far East and Africa. The new facility will undoubtedly play an important role in these activities.

Extensive care is taken to ensure that the quality of the produce being shipped out of GOGO Cold Rooms remains consistent and of industry standard. To ensure this, the onsite quality control rooms at GOGO Cold Rooms are manned by independent quality control officers from the Perishable Products Export Control Board (PPECB) as well as the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) day in and day out.

At Fruit Logistica, EKM and GoGo will be present in Hall 23, Stand E05, where it will host a stand together with its European marketing partner Cool Fresh International.

For more information please contact:
Johan Coetzer
GOGO Cold Rooms
Tel: +27 82 389 9121
marketing@gogofruit.co.za
www.gogofruit.co.za

EKM Exports/GOGO Fruit HQ
Lombardy Business Park, c/o Cole and Graham road
Block 5, Units 75 & 76, Shere
Pretoria,
South Africa
Tel: +27 12 809 1494
info@ekm-exports.com