Post-harvest infrastructure — packing houses, cold chain and grading lines
An executive procurement guide for post-harvest infrastructure: packing houses, cold rooms, grading and sorting lines, ripening chambers and export logistics interfaces. Sizing, standards, HACCP compliance and financing.
- •Post-harvest loss is where farm-level operational excellence is often destroyed — investment in packing and cold chain routinely returns more than equivalent CAPEX at farm level.
- •Sizing must match peak-week throughput, not annual average — undersized packing lines cause the largest single loss category.
- •HACCP, GLOBALG.A.P. and export-market certifications must be designed in, not bolted on.
- •Cold chain continuity is what protects premium price realization — a broken chain destroys the yield-quality premium.
The post-harvest procurement architecture
Design as one integrated flow from field to export dock.
- 1
1. Reception & pre-cooling
Sized to peak-week throughput; forced-air or hydro-cooling by commodity.
Deliverable: Reception + pre-cool spec.
- 2
2. Grading & sorting line
Optical or manual, capacity-matched to reception.
Deliverable: Line specification.
- 3
3. Packing
Consumer or wholesale packs, labelling, traceability.
Deliverable: Packing spec + traceability system.
- 4
4. Cold storage
Volume-sized to inventory turn; temperature/humidity zones by commodity.
Deliverable: Cold room specification.
- 5
5. Dispatch & export logistics
Loading docks, reefer interfaces, documentation.
Deliverable: Dispatch design.
Post-harvest CAPEX benchmarks
Per-m² and per-line ranges.
| Category | Indicative rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Packing house shell (per m²) | $400–$900 / m² | Excludes equipment |
| Packing line, integrated | $1,200–$2,400 / m² | Reception, grading, packing |
| Cold room (per m³) | $450–$900 / m³ | Insulated envelope + refrigeration |
| Optical grader (per lane) | $180k–$600k | Commodity-dependent |
| Ripening chamber (per chamber) | $120k–$350k | Bananas, avocados, tomatoes |
| HACCP + certification uplift | 3–6% of packing capex | Design and audit costs |
Optical grading and specialised chambers are the primary volatility drivers; validate on a per-commodity basis.
Post-harvest supplier evaluation
Reference commodities matter more than absolute reference count.
| Criterion | Weight | What to evaluate |
|---|---|---|
| Reference projects same commodity | 25% | Same commodity + comparable scale in last 5 years. |
| Technical fit to throughput | 20% | Peak-week capacity matched to farm output. |
| HACCP + certification support | 15% | Track record of certified installations. |
| Local service and spare parts | 15% | Downtime kills margin — SLAs and stocked parts. |
| Financial strength | 10% | Bondable, audited accounts. |
| Energy performance | 10% | kWh per tonne handled — 10-year OPEX driver. |
| Commercial terms | 5% | Payment, warranty, LD regime. |
Risk register — the six that matter most
Undersized peak-week throughput
Mitigation: Size to P95 week, not to average.
Broken cold chain
Mitigation: Continuous temperature logging with alarms; SLA-backed refrigeration maintenance.
Certification failure delays export
Mitigation: Certification design-in during Stage 3, not post-commissioning.
Energy cost erosion
Mitigation: High-efficiency refrigeration + heat recovery; model 10-year energy scenarios.
Downloadable templates
Editable, supplier-neutral templates you can adapt to your project. Pair the CAPEX planner with the RFQ template — the RFQ handoff sheet is pre-wired to feed your commercial section.
Interactive tools
Supplier-neutral calculators to stress-test assumptions before you issue an RFQ.
Project Configurator
9-step configurator that outputs a component list, procurement packages and expert list you can push into the RFQ Builder.
Open toolEnergy Cold Storage Calculator
Model refrigeration energy load and OPEX.
Open toolDSCR & Payback Calculator
Model financing headroom against target DSCR — pair with the Agriculture Financing Center.
Open toolMove commercial greenhouse procurement into a structured RFQ
Editorial · not a sales pitchWhen your feasibility, financing envelope and technical specification are aligned, the RFQ Builder produces a supplier-neutral request that comparable suppliers can quote against on the same basis.
What a complete, supplier-neutral request on this topic usually includes. Use it as a checklist before submitting.
- Structure type (Venlo glass, polycarbonate multi-span, tunnel) and covered area (m² / ha)
- Climate strategy: heating, cooling, screens, dehumidification and target set-points
- Growing system, irrigation and fertigation scope with water source & quality data
- Energy mix (boiler, CHP, PV, storage) and grid capacity constraints
- Contract structure (EPC, EPC-M, multi-contract) and required performance guarantees
- Financing route: equity/debt split, DSCR target, off-take letters and permitting status
Open the builder with the topic pre-selected. You stay in control — nothing is submitted until you review and confirm.
Free to submit · supplier-neutral · reviewed by a specialist before any supplier is contacted.
Frequently asked questions
Executive-level answers in English, Spanish, French and Portuguese.
English
How should a packing house be sized?+
To the P95 week of farm output, not annual average. Peak-week throughput determines line capacity, cold-storage buffer and dispatch dock count.
What certifications are required for export produce?+
HACCP is baseline. GLOBALG.A.P., BRC, IFS or country-specific schemes (e.g. USDA, EU 852/2004) depend on target market. Design certification requirements into Stage 3.
What is the payback on post-harvest investment?+
Highly commodity-dependent, but typical range is 3–6 years driven by reduced loss and premium-price realization from consistent quality.