Keep IT Cool (KIC) provides sustainable refrigeration and smart distribution solutions for small farmers and fishers. It helps extend the shelf life of their produce, reduces spoilage, and creates more stable incomes. By improving profits and cutting down on food waste, KIC is helping build a more sustainable future for these communities.
Food loss from farm to fork is a huge challenge in many markets in Africa. With inadequate cold storage and transport systems in place, fisherfolk on the Kenyan side of Lake Victoria are losing up to half of their catch every day.
The lack of centralised energy grids and limited on-demand cold storage options make it harder to keep produce cool, particularly when transferring from port to market. Localised cold storage provision is one option, but it doesn’t address wider supply chain limitations, which will have the greatest impact on spoilage of fresh products.
Keep IT Cool (KIC) addresses the challenge of food spoilage by providing sustainable, localized refrigeration systems that help small farmers and fishers preserve their produce. They install solar-powered cold storage units where fish are landed, ensuring the catch stays fresh, and then manage the transport to markets. This significantly reduces spoilage and food waste.
In addition to refrigeration, KIC connects farmers and fishers directly to retail markets. By brokering agreements with 1,600 retailers, they ensure timely purchase of the produce. This system provides income security for farmers and fisherfolk, as KIC agrees on a guaranteed price at collection, eliminating the dependence on middlemen and fluctuating prices based on the condition of the catch.
KIC currently works with eight fisherfolk cooperatives representing 4,500 members. As a result of their efforts, they’ve saved 25% of the catch that would have been wasted, and 3,600 fisherfolk have seen their incomes increase by more than 15%.
KIC measures its success through the reduction of food waste and post-harvest losses (PHL), as well as avoided emissions from reducing spoilage, clean energy use, and hybrid trucks. Currently managing 250,000 kg of produce per week, KIC has achieved a 98% reduction in PHL for 1.5 million kg of food since 2022. Their efforts supply over 2,000 small businesses and 40 supermarkets, with demand growing from another 350 small businesses.
Francis Nderitu, Founder and Managing Director of Keep IT Cool
The solution has almost limitless potential in the food storage space. Keep IT Cool is launching Kenya’s largest solar-powered cold chain distribution facility for small holder farmers this year. The new facility will have a 70-tonne capacity, which is seven times their current capacity.
With plans to grow into East Africa and beyond, KIC is now working to expand their activities in poultry, fruit, and vegetables, with plans to expand its service to more communities and improving the livelihoods of up to 1.6 million people by 2030.
