Keep the complete detailFrostHub · PDF or MarkdownAll sections, plans, figures, expandable notes and sources.
FrostHub · The idea and the plan
Cold space.
A route to the buyer.
Book suitable cold space and a delivery route. Pay for the capacity and services used.
Proposed venture · evidence dates shown with sources
Rent existing food-cooling capacity. Test one compatible crop.
$2,444Proposed test cash · see the scope01 / Overview · evidence retains its observation date
The first move
Rent suitable cold space. Test one crop and one route before buying a hub.
- 01Book
Product + capacity + time
- 02Receive
Weigh, identify, inspect
- 03Protect
Record conditions + custody
- 04Deliver
Compatible loads + time slots
Three numbers to understand
Cold stores in ROOTS report
May 2026 field status varied; verify present commissioning and access.
IFAD · ROOTS supervision reportProposed static test capacity
20 positions × 20 kg each. Not daily cooling throughput; suitable layout and crop conditions must be checked.
Proposed delivery test
Four separately costed runs within the 14-day trial. Vehicle and conditions must be quoted.
Cold space + a route to market
The offer.
In three parts.
Book cold space
Pay for compatible capacity and storage time.
Add delivery
A separately priced route with clear custody.
Track every load
Bookings, temperatures, collection and payment.
Where we start
Start with produce traders and grower groups near a usable room. Existing cold stores can be partners as well as competitors.
The question that decidesDo paid crate-days and separately priced routes cover their full costs?
Fish, frozen foods, pharmaceuticals and port-export freight require separately designed, qualified chains.
Service scope + market calculation
Storage
One product-compatible zone, intake rules, identity/weight record, temperature monitoring and clear custody/liability. Static room capacity is not daily cooling throughput.
Cold delivery
Price the full route: vehicle, driver, fuel, preconditioning, dwell, empty return and cleaning. Validated insulated boxes can serve selected trips; they do not replace refrigeration on every route.
Connected booking
Start with a simple booking ledger and alerts. Assess Coldtivate for inventory and fees; add routing only after actual roads, compatible loads, capacity and delivery windows are known.
Count paid crate-days, then route contribution.
Occupied compatible positions × days × collected fee = storage sales. For routes, deduct the full run cost from collected delivery charges. Do not count a route’s crate fee twice as storage revenue. Size the owned hub from a seasonal calendar.
02 / Capacity + service customers · checked 16 Oct 2026
Real operators.
A service worth paying for.
FrostHub buys or hires cold capacity and sells storage, handling and transport. The customer keeps ownership of the goods.
- 01Source capacityRoom + vehicle operators
- 02FrostHubBook · monitor · coordinate
- 03Sell the serviceGrowers · traders · importers
Named research leads, not agreed customers or suppliers. Product fit is our assessment; buying interest, capacity, price and approval are unverified.
Our recommended first conversations · no outreach completed
Find a working route.
Lamin + JoachimGHE / NBFA: inspect the active vehicle, suitable room and recent runs; request a full written quote.
View the leadFind a paying goods owner.
Lamin + DominikKo-Arata: identify one costly produce delay or overflow and test paid demand. Existing delivery may already solve it.
View the leadPrice both services.
Dominik + JoachimSeparate storage and transport contribution. Investigate Lam’s / BBT import-export flows as later chains.
View the leadA
The supply side.
Transport and grower networks to qualify. Some already sell the service we propose.
Transport supplierGambiaGambia Horticultural Enterprises15-tonne refrigerated truck hire
Role to qualifyTransport supplier · potential competitor
Public evidenceGHE advertises refrigerated trucks for hire throughout Gambia.
Why investigate · our assessmentQuote an existing vehicle before purchasing one. A full-size truck may be too costly for the small trial.
- First question
- What is the minimum hire, all-in run cost and active vehicle availability for our exact crop and route?
- Who to ask
- Transport / fleet manager
- Still unknown
- Roadworthiness, payload at required duty, monitoring, cleaning, backup and actual prices.
Farmer networkNorth Bank · GambiaNorth Bank Farmers AssociationFruit + vegetable transport
Role to qualifyGrower access + transport supplier / possible service buyer
Public evidenceThe association documents a 2025 ROOTS truck handover and offers refrigerated produce transport.
Why investigate · our assessmentCombine grower bookings with a qualified existing route; investigate collection and return loads.
- First question
- Which recent produce runs had spare capacity or waiting goods, and who can approve a paid trial?
- Who to ask
- Logistics and Transport Coordinator
- Still unknown
- Current service status, hire rights, routes, loads, payment responsibility and usable capacity.
Transport supplierGambia · regional haulageSMG Dry PortPowered reefer-container haulage
Role to qualifyPort transport supplier · potential competitor
Public evidenceSMG advertises powered reefer haulage between ports, borders and customers.
Why investigate · our assessmentA port-network partner to investigate after produce proof; not the transport assumed in the small trial.
- First question
- Which reefer lanes need off-port staging or overflow, and what do power, haulage and waiting time cost?
- Who to ask
- Reefer / inland-haulage operations
- Still unknown
- Current lanes, plug capacity, permits, availability, tariffs, power continuity and damage liability.
Cold-capacity supplierGambiaEL MANSOURCold-chain transport + storage
Role to qualifyCapacity supplier · potential competitor
Public evidenceIts cold-chain page offers reefer transport, storage and monitored delivery for food and pharmaceuticals.
Why investigate · our assessmentCompare a qualified subcontract against owned equipment. Treat the website as a service claim.
- First question
- Can you provide an active vehicle, recent temperature logs and a product-specific written quote?
- Who to ask
- Cold-chain operations / commercial team
- Still unknown
- Actual assets, references, certificates and scope, availability, operating limits and pricing.
B
Who could buy our service?
Goods owners with relevant activity. Their existing systems may already meet the need.
Potential buyerSohm · Kombo EastKo-ArataFresh vegetables
Role to qualifyPotential produce-service customer
Public evidenceThe farm explicitly describes delivery of its own fresh produce by refrigerated van.
Why investigate · our assessmentA small, concrete operator for testing collection timing or paid overflow; it already has a delivery solution.
- First question
- Where do rejected produce, delayed collections or van capacity create a cost you would pay to avoid?
- Who to ask
- Farm owner / delivery manager
- Still unknown
- Unmet need, weekly loads, seasonality, crop conditions and willingness to outsource.
Potential buyerGambia · regional seafood marketsLam’s Fishing EnterpriseFish + seafood
Role to qualifyPotential service buyer / logistics partner
Public evidenceThe company describes fish import/export and temperature-controlled logistics.
Why investigate · our assessmentInvestigate paid holding and port handover in a separate fish chain.
- First question
- Which fish flow needs extra holding or a reliable reefer handover, and who owns the goods and rejection risk?
- Who to ask
- Export / logistics manager
- Still unknown
- Fresh versus frozen flow, actual transport mode, volumes, approvals and service gap.
Lam’s Fishing Enterprise · fish logistics Gambia Ports Authority · fisheries jetty
Potential buyerGambia market · international traderBanyan Bay TradingFrozen meat · ice cream · butter
Role to qualifyPotential import-chain service buyer
Public evidenceBBT names Gambia as a market and frozen/refrigerated food shipping as a focus.
Why investigate · our assessmentFind the actual Gambian consignee and qualify port-to-store holding or delivery.
- First question
- Who receives your temperature-sensitive shipments in Gambia, and is third-party cold capacity needed?
- Who to ask
- West Africa / Gambia logistics and import team
- Still unknown
- Gambia-specific SKUs, consignee, arrival calendar, temperature duty and existing local contracts.
Potential buyerGambia · distributionSasco Cash and CarryFrozen + chilled goods
Role to qualifyPotential overflow customer · possible competitor
Public evidenceSasco advertises frozen/chilled products and national distribution.
Why investigate · our assessmentA reserve conversation on peak storage or small deliveries. Its own assets may already cover the need.
- First question
- Which chilled/frozen SKUs need external storage or delivery, and how are they transported today?
- Who to ask
- Procurement / warehouse and distribution manager
- Still unknown
- No refrigerated-delivery method, capacity gap, outsourcing budget or buying interest verified.
Gambia · what the public evidence actually shows
What already moves cold?
A described operation is stronger than a catalogue or service offer. None of these sources establishes current spare capacity or demand for FrostHub.
Fresh fruit + vegetables
Ko-Arata names its van; NBFA documents a truck and produce service. Crop-specific conditions and actual recent runs still need checking.
Fish + seafood
Lam’s describes temperature-controlled fish logistics. GPA describes fish discharged into refrigerated containers at the main port; current shipment volumes are unknown.
Vaccines
The UN’s March 2026 Basse report describes carriers/cold boxes with vehicles and motorcycles. This is a dedicated public-health chain, not proof of refrigerated trucks or an open commercial contract.
Ice cream
Kuehne+Nagel links Polish ice cream in Gambia with sea-reefer logistics. The post is circa 2024; a current shipment, brand and consignee are not identified.
Frozen meat + poultry
EL MANSOUR explicitly offers transport for frozen poultry/meat. BBT ships frozen food and serves Gambia; the sources do not establish a current, named Gambia consignment.
Dairy / other chilled food
BBT lists butter and ice cream; EL MANSOUR lists dairy transport. Verify each Gambia SKU and labelled conditions. UHT milk and dry goods do not automatically require a cold chain.
One crop first. Dedicated chains later.
Specify temperature, humidity, ripeness, maximum dwell and segregation for the actual product. Fish, frozen food, produce and medicines are separate designs. Pharma needs its own qualified operator, authorisations and release process; a public immunisation programme is not a confirmed commercial customer.
Competition · what customers already use
Existing public / cooperative rooms
The market is not empty. Verify assets and operator agreements; a management/booking partnership may require less capital than an owned hub.
IFAD · ROOTS supervision reportTraders’ own storage and delivery
Compare total handling cost, collection timing and reliability. Bigger businesses may prefer their own equipment; small loads may value shared capacity.
Sasco · wholesale and deliveryLam’s Fishing Enterprise · operator profileCooling platforms and PCM projects
Reuse suitable tools and learn from existing interventions. Technology is a delivery method; paid utilisation and product condition are the proof.
BASE / Empa · ColdtivateUNGM · Gambian cold-chain PCM contractWhat we keep from the supplied concept
The FrostHub concept contributes anchor-first demand, hub-and-route architecture, thermal storage, third-party operation and simple booking. Fixed 2027–2035 rollout dates, quoted-looking GMD tariffs, a “Coast” package return and assumed prepaid anchors remain unvalidated. Pharma does not start on a calendar date alone.
Source: FrostHub · Konzept 2.0, 5 October 2026, supplied by the owner. The German concept and its English summary describe historical internal planning. Later user decisions take precedence. No excluded business idea is restored.
Quality + growth
Prove the essentials.
Then repeat.
Technical, quality and expansion requirements
01First test: one crop, a 14-day operating window
Rent 20 crate positions, buy suitable crates/loggers and cost four delivery runs. This is up to 400 kg static capacity at 20 kg/position. Agree crop, ripeness, temperature and maximum dwell with a food specialist; the test window does not mean every crop can be held for 14 days. Customers keep title to their goods.
02A modular network, built from demand
Audit room condition and usable layout before a rental or operating agreement. After paid proof, quote a removable module with tropical-duty refrigeration, drainage, backup, commissioning, spares and trained operators. Add a second node only if the combined route contribution and seasonal occupancy justify it.
03Pharma is a separate qualified chain
Potential future clients are licensed importers and clinics with specific labelled storage requirements. Use dedicated storage/boxes, calibrated monitoring, excursion handling, documented release and a qualified responsible operator. Ask MCA for the actual licence/authorisation route; do not infer an exemption from an old guideline.
04Port/export is a separate commercial case
Pre-cooling, pallet consolidation and temperature records may support an exporter. They do not by themselves authorise seafood exports, a bonded facility or customs handling. Price reefer availability, destination, booking cut-offs, dwell and rejected-shipment responsibility with qualified freight and regulatory partners.
Four conditions for moving forward · our decision criteria
Demand
A paid, crop-specific booking calendar; free interest is insufficient.
Conditions
Compatible intake, safe handling and a documented fault response.
Contribution
Storage and route fees separately cover their measured full costs.
Repeat
Quiet-season demand and qualified modular-capacity quotes.
03 / Our proposed start plan · not started
Start with a clear plan.
Build it together.
The first proofOne crop. Paid cold space. A fully costed route.
Validation cash · proposed$2,444Budget + scope Three trader conversations → suitable rented space → a 14-day operating test.
01–03 · Qualify + run the test04 · Decide the next investment separately
- 01
Before reserving cold spaceCoordinates · Lamin Choose one crop and one route.
Establish who needs storage, when they need it and which existing room could safely serve them.
- Lamin
- Local access + operations
- Seek three trader/grower introductions through the local network.
- Record crop, volumes, collection times and busy/quiet weeks.
- Joachim
- Technical design + delivery
- Check crop compatibility with a food/refrigeration adviser.
- Assess whether a working room can cool incoming goods, not just hold them.
- Dominik
- Business + software
- Build a proposed 14-day booking calendar.
- Test a crate-day price and a separately priced delivery offer.
Bring to the next decision- One crop-specific demand brief
- A candidate operating room
- Priced booking + route proposal
Move forward whenRepeat demand, safe crop/room fit and workable access exist before test spending.
Scope + specialist checks
NACOFAG / the National Vegetable Growers Cooperative Association are possible introduction routes, not agreed partners. ROOTS construction progress does not prove that a room is commissioned or available.
The handoverLamin passes the customer and room shortlist to Joachim.
- 02
Before opening the 14-day windowCoordinates · Joachim Agree the room, operator and four runs.
Quote 20 suitable positions, four delivery runs and the handling system as one bounded test.
- Lamin
- Local access + operations
- Obtain room, route, crate and operator offers.
- Agree host access, cleaning, custody and daily responsibility.
- Joachim
- Technical design + delivery
- Audit duty, warm-load cooling and backup with specialists.
- Approve monitoring, dwell limits and the stop-intake response.
- Dominik
- Business + software
- Agree booking, payment and liability terms.
- Prepare intake/route ledgers and approve the complete quoted cash budget.
Bring to the next decision- Room + operator agreement
- Four priced runs
- Handling and temperature checklist
Move forward whenCapacity, conditions, funding and responsibilities are agreed; unsafe or unsuitable space is rejected.
Scope + specialist checks
The proposed 400 kg is static capacity, not daily pull-down throughput. The $2,444 test cash remains an allowance. No owned room, truck, pharma qualification or export facility is included.
The handoverJoachim hands the operating checklist to Lamin and the host operator.
- 03
14 days · one compatible cropCoordinates · Lamin Track every crate, day and collection.
Operate to the agreed conditions and record real use, losses, delivery costs and collected fees.
- Lamin
- Local access + operations
- Label intake, record weights/condition and reconcile custody daily.
- Coordinate four runs and track actual crate-days and collections.
- Joachim
- Technical design + delivery
- Review temperatures, incoming loads and excursions.
- Use the specialist response; stop intake when conditions are unsafe.
- Dominik
- Business + software
- Separate storage fees from delivery income and full route costs.
- Compare bookings with paid use, complaints and repeat demand.
Bring to the next decision- Paid crate-day record
- Temperature + custody record
- Storage and route contribution
Move forward whenGoods meet agreed conditions and custody/cash reconcile. Learn from losses before extending the test.
Scope + specialist checks
At the later model’s $0.65 fee, full test occupancy yields $182, below the $280 assumed room rent before other costs. Neither price is validated. Record this learning cost; a rented test does not prove an owned hub return.
The handoverLamin and Joachim pass the operating evidence to Dominik.
- 04
Next investment · Separate owned-module decisionCoordinates · Dominik Fund capacity from proven bookings.
Compare continuing with a partner room against one owned modular hub, using seasonal demand and real route costs.
- Lamin
- Local access + operations
- Confirm repeat customers, seasonal volumes and a suitable site.
- Select/train operators and map the next demand cluster.
- Joachim
- Technical design + delivery
- Quote a removable cold module and power for measured duty.
- Define commissioning, servicing, spares and safe installation/removal.
- Dominik
- Business + software
- Rebuild full hub cash flow from quotes and seasonal bookings.
- Fund only justified capacity; plan routes from actual loads and travel times.
Bring to the next decision- Partner-versus-owned comparison
- Quoted modular hub case
- A funded seasonal operating plan
Move forward whenOwned-hub operating cash and capital recovery work across the season before purchase.
Scope + specialist checks
Pharmaceuticals, fish/frozen goods, port-export staging and further nodes need separate qualified designs and business cases. The first produce test does not qualify those chains.
ThenAdd the next module only when repeat demand justifies it.
Preparation + shared working file
Start with these three actions.
Request three produce-trader and working-room introductions.
Prepare a crop, room and handling suitability check.
Prepare the paid booking calendar and separate route-cost sheet.
One shared working fileBooking calendar · intake/temperature log · route costs · fee ledger
Qualified help we must bring in
Refrigeration engineer, qualified electrical team and food-handling adviser. Dedicated pharma / port modules need separate qualified operators, validation and permissions.
At every decisionContinue. Adjust. Or stop.
Review the evidence together. Record the decision, the person responsible, the spending limit and the next review date. Dates follow access, quotes and approvals.
04 / The first test · checked 15 October 2026
The first test.
Clearly costed.
14 days · 20 crate positions
Sell cold space before buying a hub.
Rent existing food-cooling capacity. Test one compatible crop.
Full test scope
Book 20 reusable crate positions for 14 days in an existing suitable cold room: up to 400 kg static capacity at 20 kg per crate, not 400 kg of new intake daily. Use one compatible produce group and four separately costed delivery runs. Customers retain ownership of their goods.
Cash to have available · USD$2,444
Proposed budget, not a supplier quotation.
Full item-by-item calculation · USD
Rented cold-space positions: 280 × $1 = $280; Subcontracted delivery runs: 4 × $70 = $280; Local operator: 14 × $20 = $280; Refrigeration / handling review: $200; Customer pre-checks: 3 × $30 = $90; Labels + data: $50; Cleaning + consumables: $70; Provisional taxes / permissions: $100; Reusable food-grade crates: 20 × $15 = $300; USB-C temperature loggers: 2 × $110 = $220. Subtotal = $1,870; plus 20% contingency $374 = $2,244 of test spending including the reserve. Add refundable room / operator deposit $200 = $2,444 cash required. No customer receipts or assumed resale/refunds are deducted.
Quantities, reference prices and quote gaps
| Item + scope | Quantity × unit | Cash |
|---|---|---|
| Rented cold-space positions20 positions × 14 days · $1/position-day is an unconfirmed procurement allowance, not a Gambian market tariff · test cost | 280 × $1 | $280 |
| Subcontracted delivery runsQuote the full vehicle, driver, fuel, empty return and required temperature control · test cost | 4 × $70 | $280 |
| Local operatorLocal allowance · written quote required · test cost | 14 × $20 | $280 |
| Refrigeration / handling reviewPaid specialist review, including suitability of monitoring/calibration · test cost | 1 × $200 | $200 |
| Customer pre-checksLocal allowance · written quote required · test cost | 3 × $30 | $90 |
| Labels + dataLocal allowance · written quote required · test cost | 1 × $50 | $50 |
| Cleaning + consumablesLocal allowance · written quote required · test cost | 1 × $70 | $70 |
| Provisional taxes / permissionsAllowance, not a statutory rate · test cost | 1 × $100 | $100 |
| Reusable food-grade cratesLocal allowance · written quote required · reusable asset | 20 × $15 | $300 |
| USB-C temperature loggersManufacturer reference approximately $96/unit; local delivered/calibrated price must be confirmed · reusable asset | 2 × $110 | $220 |
| Refundable room / operator depositNot an expense; written refund terms needed · liquidity / inventory | 1 × $200 | $200 |
| 20% contingency on $1,870 | 20% | $374 |
| Total cash required | Before receipts | $2,444 |
Actual paid crate-days, temperature records, spoilage observations and route costs. Rented-room results test customer demand and handling; they do not establish the profit of a future owned solar hub.
An owned cold room, solar installation, truck, ice line, frozen products, pharmaceutical qualification, port concession and export infrastructure. Product temperatures and ripeness must be approved for the selected crop; never combine incompatible goods.
Planning allowances, not local quotes. Includes a 20% reserve; excludes founder pay and travel. No sales receipts are deducted.
Budget basis, exclusions + next-stage funding
All local prices, specialist day rates and the 20% reserve are proposed allowances until written offers replace them. Relevant overseas references appear in Sources; they are not Gambian landed quotes. Provisional tax/permission amounts are not legal rates. Founders’ time is unpaid in this test; founders’ pay and travel are excluded. Add them before approval if needed. There is no supplier commitment or booking yet. No paid goods are released without the applicable qualified checks.
The later deployment case below has a different scale and scope. Do not add both budgets mechanically: reconcile test spending and reusable assets already included in launch lines before funding the next stage.
Read the test correctly · calculated from the stated assumptions
Storage fees alone do not cover this rented trial.
20 positions × 14 days × $0.65 = $182, versus $280 assumed room rent before other costs. The fee and rent are unvalidated allowances.
Calculation + what the test can prove
Even 20 positions occupied for all 14 days generate only $182 in storage fees at the later model’s $0.65/crate-day assumption, versus $280 provisional room rent before handling or delivery. That fee is not a validated test tariff. Negotiate procurement and test willingness to pay; record the learning cost separately. The $2,444 is upfront cash, with no hoped-for sales deducted. A rented-room trial cannot prove an owned solar hub’s return.
What the later investment model includes
Illustrative 150-crate hub, up to 20 kg per crate, roughly 3 tonnes static capacity. Product compatibility, usable layout and daily warm-load pull-down need separate design. Start with one compatible produce group; no mixed fish/produce/pharma room.
05 / The later investment case
The numbers.
With the assumptions visible.
Our first recommendation
Paid occupancy is the engine. Measure compatible demand across busy and quiet weeks; price delivery separately.
How this business earns
Paid volume×Collected price−Full operating costs=Cash to fund the business
Planning cases below are team assumptions, not verified Gambian offers or customer prices. Reference facts and their limits appear in the source cards.
Cash after operation + reserve
per month · before tax
- Average paid occupancy
- 40 %
- Collected storage fee
- 0.45 USD / crate-day
Cash after operation + reserve
per month · before tax
- All inputs
- As listed below
Cash after operation + reserve
per month · before tax
- Average paid occupancy
- 85 %
- Collected storage fee
- 0.75 USD / crate-day
One illustrative operating month, not a full seasonal forecast. Do not multiply peak-month results by twelve. Figures are USD, before income tax and founders’ pay/travel; debt defaults to zero. Negative scenarios are intentionally retained.
Separate scale · later deployment / launch
Deployment is only part
of the cash needed.
Deployment $40–70k + liquidity $4–8k = $44–78k. No owned refrigerated truck or pharmaceutical qualification is included.
Deployment / launch$55,000
Liquidity$6,000
See every budget line
| Scope | Allowance range | Selected case |
|---|---|---|
| Insulated room + suitable refrigerationTeam allowance · exact duty / pull-down to quote | $12,000–$20,000 | $16,000 |
| Solar, storage + controlsTeam allowance · thermal design first | $12,000–$20,000 | $16,000 |
| Site, drainage + installationLocal scope to quote | $4,000–$8,000 | $6,000 |
| Crates, sensors, booking + handling kitNo custom software platform build assumed | $3,000–$6,000 | $4,500 |
| Freight, clearance + provisional taxesProduct-code / route-specific quote | $4,000–$8,000 | $6,000 |
| Design, commissioning + contingencyIncludes first validation work | $5,000–$8,000 | $6,500 |
| Deployment / launch total | $40,000–$70,000 | $55,000 |
| Operating, collection and subcontract buffer | $4,000–$8,000 | $6,000 |
| Combined funding | $44,000–$78,000 | $61,000 |
Outside the scope: Owned truck, ice-making line, frozen storage, port concession, customs-bonded facility, pharma qualification, land purchase and founders’ travel/pay. Each expansion has a separate budget.
Freight and provisional non-recoverable tax/clearance costs are inside the stated allowances where listed. Actual duty, VAT treatment, permits and charges still need a broker/accountant assessment. No tax exemption is assumed. Recoverable VAT, if any, can create an additional timing gap.
Full calculation + editable assumptions
The selected case · change any input
See what has to work.
150 spaces × 30 days × 70% occupied × $0.65 per crate-day.
Sales income / month$2,048
Operating costs + reserve$1,052
Cash before tax / month$996
Positive operating cash does not prove an investable return.
Variable handling + energy$252
Fixed operation$650
Replacement reserve$150
Debt payment$0
Includes operation, reserve and the financing input. Does not recover the initial deployment.
Unlevered illustration: deployment recovered over the input horizon at the input hurdle, after operation and replacement reserve. Working capital is separate. This is not a loan quote or promised return.
Edit the assumptions
Selected funding inputs: $61,000. Output: 3,150 occupied crate-days per month.
How to interpret and stress-test the result
What the result means.
Only storage is modelled. The occupancy target must be met with compatible products and collected fees, not nominal tonnage. Daily intake cooling may constrain throughput well before the room looks full. The capital target includes a provision for asset recovery as well as operation and reserve.
Stress the case
First test: map daily crate-days over both busy and quiet weeks. Price a route only after vehicle, driver, fuel, empty return and temperature-control costs are known.
Watch the cash timing
Use prepaid bookings where customers accept them; reconcile intake, days and collections daily. Hold an operating buffer for quiet weeks and repairs. Do not multiply a high-season month by twelve.
06 / Evidence register · dated references
Facts with context.
Assumptions you can replace.
Sources retain their observation dates. Test allowances: 15 Oct 2026. Named counterparties and cold-chain evidence: 16 Oct. No customer, supplier, financing or partnership agreement is implied.
Market + operating sources · 9 references
Market / operating evidenceIFAD · ROOTS supervision report
Reports uneven progress at six cold-store sites and operational/business-planning gaps in processing investments. The field observations are not October commissioning evidence.
Read the original sourceMarket / operating evidenceUNGM · Gambian cold-chain PCM contract
Records a phase-change-material cold-chain intervention in The Gambia. An award establishes neither completed deployment nor capacity available to FrostHub.
Read the original sourceMarket / operating evidenceBASE / Empa · Coldtivate
Open-source cooling-service software includes inventory, occupancy and storage-fee management. Evaluate it before commissioning a custom platform; integration and support are still work.
Read the original sourceMarket / operating evidenceMCA · storage and distribution guideline
Medicines need manufacturer-specified conditions, monitoring, records and calibrated equipment. Confirm the current regulatory route with MCA; no transport-licence exemption is asserted.
Read the original sourceMarket / operating evidenceGambia Ports Authority · fisheries jetty
Describes the fisheries jetty and space intended for service/processing facilities. This is not an available concession, export approval or guaranteed reefer service.
Read the original sourceMarket / operating evidenceLam’s Fishing Enterprise · operator profile
Describes seafood import/export and temperature-controlled logistics. Certification, present capacity and procurement needs have not been independently verified.
Read the original sourceMarket / operating evidenceSasco · wholesale and delivery
Advertises FMCG, frozen/chilled products and nationwide distribution. A discovery lead and competitor reference, not evidence that it needs our storage or offers particular wholesale prices.
Read the original sourceMarket / operating evidenceEuropean Commission · authorised establishments
Animal-origin exports need the applicable country, establishment and shipment compliance. A generic cold-store design is not an EU-approved seafood export facility.
Read the original sourceMarket / operating evidenceFSQA · startup food-business guideline
Provides a food-business startup/registration route. Confirm applicable site, handling, water, processing and inspection requirements with FSQA before operations.
Read the original sourceCold-chain operators + goods · 11 source references
Checked 16 October 2026. Dates distinguish current retrieval from publication. Company claims are not site audits or purchase commitments. No company has been contacted. Roles are suggested enquiry routes, not introductions.
Counterparty / goods evidenceGHE · transport services
Operator advertises 15-tonne refrigerated trucks for hire. Fleet range is not a refrigerated-fleet count or evidence of a particular shipment.
Read the original sourceCounterparty / goods evidenceNorth Bank Farmers Association · truck handover + service
Association documents a ROOTS-funded refrigerated truck and offers produce transport. Current roadworthiness, availability and rental terms require confirmation.
Read the original sourceCounterparty / goods evidenceSMG Dry Port · inland haulage
Operator offers powered reefer-container transport. Its total truck count does not establish the number of refrigerated vehicles.
Read the original sourceCounterparty / goods evidenceEL MANSOUR · cold-chain transport
Self-described product coverage and transport offer. No independent shipment, temperature or certification audit; generic temperature tables are not product specifications.
Read the original sourceCounterparty / goods evidenceKo-Arata · produce and refrigerated delivery
Operator describes its own produce delivery by refrigerated van; no tour records or spare capacity verified.
Read the original sourceCounterparty / goods evidenceLam’s Fishing Enterprise · fish logistics
Operator describes temperature-controlled fish logistics. No vehicle type, current volumes, shipment records or certificate scope independently verified.
Read the original sourceCounterparty / goods evidenceGambia Ports Authority · fisheries jetty
Official search-index text describes fish discharged into refrigerated containers at the main port. Direct page retrieval failed; no current volumes or named shipments supplied.
Read the original sourceCounterparty / goods evidenceBanyan Bay Trading · products and markets
Names Gambia as a market and frozen/chilled food shipping as a focus. Does not assign each SKU to Gambia or establish its local delivery method.
Read the original sourceCounterparty / goods evidenceSasco · frozen/chilled portfolio and distribution
Own-site search-index content describes frozen/chilled products and national distribution; it does not prove refrigerated road delivery.
Read the original sourceCounterparty / goods evidenceUN Gambia · vaccine distribution in Basse
Current programme report describes vaccine carriers/cold boxes with vehicles and motorcycles. It does not call those vehicles refrigerated trucks.
Read the original sourceCounterparty / goods evidenceKuehne+Nagel · ice cream and Gambia
Company describes Polish ice cream in Gambia and sea-reefer logistics. Exact shipment date, brand and importer are not identified; not proof of a current contract.
Read the original sourceThe supplied concept contributes planning ideas; it is not independent market verification. Public programmes and investments are not funding commitments to us. No grant, subsidy, customer prepayment, credit facility or certification is included unless the financial scope explicitly says so.
Cost + finance sources · 7 references
Historical operating referenceColdHubs / BASE · operating case
The case describes 150 × 20 kg crates and daily per-crate charging. Its historical US$0.50 equivalent is not a current Nigerian or Gambian tariff. It supports the capacity/time model, not our assumed fee or cost.
Read the original sourcePartial equipment referenceInacio · basic cold room listing
Advertised R60,000, roughly $3,636 at the dated indicative cross-rate. A basic listing with insufficient design scope for our hub. Solar, tropical duty, usable capacity, freight, taxes and installed service scope are not established; it is not a turnkey FrostHub quote.
Read the original sourceTechnical scopeSelfChill · modular cold room
Shows modular solar cooling designed for selected products and conditions. Obtain a site-specific duty and installation quote; no public price is transferred into this model.
Read the original sourceFirst-test equipment benchmarkTesto · USB-C temperature logger
Listed at AED 351, approximately $96 at the dated CBG cross-rate, before any extra delivery/import cost. ISO calibration is extra. The $110 local procurement allowance is unconfirmed; confirm calibration, availability and landed cost. This component does not qualify a cold chain.
Read the original sourceDated FX referenceCBG · first-test currency conversion
GMD per currency unit: USD 73.22; GBP 96.94; AED 19.94; EUR 83.67. Rounded USD cross-rates are used only for the new first-test references. Valuation is not a bank dealing rate. Earlier investment references retain their original dated conversions.
Read the original sourceFX referenceCBG · daily valuation
The CBG homepage displayed GMD 73.22/USD, 83.67/EUR and 4.40/ZAR. Indicative cross-rates: USD 1.143/EUR and USD 0.06009/ZAR. Valuation rates are not dealing rates. Earlier equipment-reference conversions retain their original observation date; no planning allowance is a binding offer.
Read the original sourceLocal confirmationGambia Revenue Authority · tax and customs
Obtain a product-code-specific landed-cost and tax assessment. No import-duty exemption, recoverable VAT or investment incentive is assumed. Tax and clearance allowances below are provisional amounts, not statutory rates.
Read the original sourceBefore an investment decision
Replace the allowances with complete local/landed quotes, the sales inputs with customer or buyer evidence, and the operating inputs with a measured pilot. Add taxes, founder costs, month-by-month seasonality, exchange exposure and financing terms to the full cash-flow forecast. These transparent pre-feasibility cases are the starting point for that work.