Following the devastation of Hurricane Beryl in early July, many farmers took a beating, including poultry farmers whose meats were spoilt as a result of a lack of electricity.
Dr. Conway Gordon, one of the partners in Sun2Cool, located in Montego Bay, said the solution the company offers will ensure a loss such as this is mitigated in the future.
Speaking with Freedom Come Rain from his display area at the Denbigh Agricultural Show in Clarendon last Tuesday, he said the company is doing its part to solve the problem of food waste in Jamaica.
“In Jamaica, food waste is a big problem; about 30% of what farmers produce ends up going to waste, and a lot of that is because of the cost of storage. If they do have the storage, it is insufficient. JPS (Jamaica Public Service) charges double the international average for the cost of electricity per kilowatt hour, so that’s already affecting the bottom line,” Dr. Gordon informed.
This, he stated, is where his company’s solution comes in as they offer a completely off-grid cold storage unit that farmers can use to keep their produce fresh for longer. As a result of it being off-grid, they don’t have to pay JPS anything, making the solar-powered unit more cost effective.
Expounding on the company, he said it is formed by a team of professionals from various industries. He is a medical doctor; Javion Blake is an entrepreneur with an engineering background and also the founder of JusChill International, a breadfruit and sustainable food company; Aldane Dawkins is a financial professional with over a decade of experience in the field; and Leon Murray is a sustainability manager with an electrical engineering background.
Explaining the process, Dr. Gordon said that utilising the services of the 20-foot container first starts with a consultation where the team figures out the needs and then develops a cool storage build that caters to their requirements.
They manage the shipping and delivery, installation, and commissioning of the cold storage unit, providing maintenance over its life cycle.
The idea for the unit has been in the works for a couple of years but the company has only been incorporated for one year.
“So, whether it is a farm or a business place, you need to have things kept cool. If you’re trying to run from JPS, then this is the way to do it. The beauty of the product is it can go both ways. If you can’t afford it, you can team with other farmers,” he noted pointing out that there are other affordable solutions available to farmers with financial challenges.
With just one day to highlight the product, Dr Gordon said he wass encouraged by the level of interest and that the reception has been very good.
Stating that it is not a new idea, he informed that it is new to the Caribbean as different variations of it has been done in Africa, East Asia and other countries.