FreshBox's flagship model is a large commercial cooling system that can accommodate over two tons of fruits and vegetables while fitting neatly into a vendor area at Kenyan fruit and vegetable markets. Their exclusive pay-as-you-go model enables them to serve consumers who traditionally did not have access to refrigeration facilities and helps to reduce fruit and vegetable spoilage.
The world's population wastes about 1.3 billion tons of food per year or about a third of what it produces. Food is lost in the early and middle stages of the food supply chain in low-income countries. Furthermore, the context of the local market, such as recent heat waves in Northern and Coastal Kenya, has a significant impact on how and why food is lost. In East Africa, up to 53% of food is lost or wasted. Over 80% of fruit and vegetable waste comes after the farmer has grown the fruit or vegetable and before the consumer purchases it.
FreshBox's product is a large commercial cooling device that can accommodate over two tons of fruits and vegetables while fitting neatly into a vendor space at Kenyan fruit and vegetable markets. Their pay-as-you-go model allows them to serve consumers who previously did not have access to refrigeration services and helps to avoid fruit and vegetable spoilage. Furthermore, all units have the capacity to be connected to electricity by solar panels and the electric grid as a backup (where possible) allowing the company the flexibility to easily move the modular units to serve communities across Kenya.
Their cold storage system provides more consistent sales to retailers in produce markets and provides a more consistent supply of nutritious produce by extending the sale time of a fruit or vegetable and extending the shelf life of fresh fruits and vegetables from 2 days to over 21 days hence reducing food spoilage by up to 950%. Their innovative solar-powered refrigeration technology would help them get off the grid and into Africa's final mile of poverty eradication. Beyond this, they mitigate the financial risk for retailers to sell high-value produce because their system lengthens the life of fruits and vegetables. By providing refrigeration as a service, rather than as a product, they reach the bottom-of-the-pyramid and increase the earning potential for local retailers. Additionally, they not only support farmers and retailers but also provide local employment opportunities by manufacturing their products in Kenya.