There are still four levels in the refrigerated operation, which have specificities for storing different products.

Air-conditioned: considered the first level and prepared to store food, such as fruits, vegetables and seeds. In addition, it can also get chemical products and even serves to preserve works of art. Its temperature usually varies between 10º and 18º.

Cold: in this case, the products do not need to be frozen but stored at low temperatures to preserve the quality of the product, such as chocolate, which needs to be kept between 7º and 10º. In cooled warehouses, the temperature is between 0º and 10º. In addition to chocolate, we can also mention milk derivatives and vaccines.

Frozen: reaching below zero degrees, it serves to store frozen foods in general, such as meats, ice cream, pies, pizzas, etc. The temperature can be between -25 and 0º.

Freezing Tunnel: this level of refrigerated operation is part of the freezing process. It is used for products that need quick freezing, where they enter the tunnel and stay until they reach the ideal temperature for storage. This process is between -45º and -25º. 

Refrigerated warehouses face rising demand

The demand for logistics warehouses with refrigerated storage has increased in the Brazilian market. The SiiLA newsroom interviewed Henrique Machado, M&A and New Business Manager at SuperFrio, to talk more about this trend.

Machado spoke about the growth in demand for refrigerated warehouses and how the company has been dealing with this trend in the logistics market.

“Indicators of food consumption, protein production, and seed storage have grown in Brazil. All these markets need refrigerated or temperature-controlled warehouses”, explains the executive.

Another important point to note is understanding the main challenges to meeting refrigeration demands. Not every logistics condominium is ready to receive this type of operation from conception.

It is possible to make the adaptation, which usually takes about four months. However, retrofit alone is often not enough to meet the needs of different cooling levels. “In these cases, the main deficiencies are floor preparation for freezing temperatures, energy capacity and yard infrastructure for fractional operations”, completes Machado.

SuperFrio started its operations in 1997 in Vargem Grande do Sul. In 2014, Pátria Investimento acquired a part of the company and, in 2017, completed the total purchase. Today, SuperFrio has 39 warehouses spread across 14 states and the Federal District; it is considered the largest in Brazil and the 6th largest in the world in refrigerated storage capacity.