Integrated meat processing & cold storage — Brazil
Beef exporter expanding capacity for halal and EU markets needed an integrated chilling, blast freezing and frozen storage line.
Challenge
- Throughput target: 280 t/day chilled, 120 t/day blast.
- Power constraints required peak-shaving via thermal storage.
- Halal segregation and EU traceability in one facility.
ColdMatch solution
- NH₃ central plant with ice-bank thermal storage.
- Conveyorised blast tunnels with automated retraction.
- ColdMatch-managed tender across 5 international EPCs.
How this project was delivered — planning to commissioning
Integrated process + refrigeration EPC with staged energisation. Total programme: 24 months, concept to export throughput.
- 1
Planning & feasibility
Months 1–5- Throughput modelling for 280 t/day chilled and 120 t/day blast capacity.
- Grid capacity study and thermal-storage peak-shaving strategy.
- Halal and EU segregation designed into the product flow and hygiene zoning.
Milestone: Process flow and refrigeration concept frozen for tender.
- 2
Permitting & approvals
Months 5–10- Federal inspection service and EU establishment approval requirements mapped.
- State environmental licence covering effluent, refrigerant and noise.
- Utility connection agreement negotiated with the local distributor.
Milestone: Environmental licence and export establishment pathway confirmed.
- 3
Procurement & build-out
Months 10–20- Chill halls, two blast tunnels and frozen storage built in a single civil programme.
- Central ammonia plant with thermal storage installed and staged for partial energisation.
- Hygiene-critical finishes, drainage and dock equipment installed under supervision.
Milestone: First chill hall energised while the freezer package continues.
- 4
Testing & validation
Months 20–23- Chilling and blast curves verified against contractual throughput per shift.
- Peak-demand testing to confirm thermal storage holds the site inside its grid limit.
- Traceability and segregation audit rehearsals for EU and halal certification.
Milestone: Throughput and demand guarantees demonstrated over sustained runs.
- 5
Commissioning & handover
Months 23–24- Shift-team training on plant operation, defrost and emergency shutdown.
- Maintenance regime, spares and refrigerant management plan handed over.
- Ramp-up plan to full export volume agreed with the operator.
Milestone: Plant released to production and certification audits scheduled.
This project sits under the Develop a Food Processing Cold Chain objective. Start from the objective hub to scope capacity, permitting and budget before engaging suppliers.
Project brief → RFQ package → supplier outreach → outcome
Every ColdMatch project follows the same managed sequence. Nothing reaches a supplier before the ColdMatch project team has reviewed the brief and confirmed the project scope, budget and timeline.
1. Project brief
- Submitted via
- RFQ builder — meat processing expansion
- Review
- Reviewed manually by the ColdMatch project team before supplier outreach
Clarified before outreach
- Daily chilled and blast tonnage targets, split by halal and EU lines.
- Utility constraint: contracted peak demand and the cost of exceeding it.
- Segregation requirements for halal and EU traceability inside one building.
Qualification checks
- Capex indication US$ 10–14M with financing already arranged.
- Plant engineering lead assigned as the single technical contact.
- Live-site construction constraints documented before tender.
2. RFQ package issued
One specification, five bidders, identical clarification log
Documents in the pack
- Throughput model: 280 t/day chilled, 120 t/day blast, with seasonality.
- Peak-shaving requirement and thermal-storage sizing basis.
- Segregation and hygienic-design requirements for halal and EU audit.
- Live-site phasing constraints and permitted shutdown windows.
Mandatory supplier returns
- Guaranteed throughput at stated ambient and product entry temperatures.
- Peak electrical demand profile with and without thermal storage.
- Hygienic-design compliance statement per zone.
- Commissioning and performance-test protocol.
3. Managed supplier outreach
- Approached
- 11 EPCs screened across Brazil, Europe and Asia
- Shortlisted
- 5 invited to a managed tender
- Round 1 — capacity screen
Bidders without comparable red-meat blast references were filtered out before contact.
- Round 2 — technical tender
Throughput guarantees and demand profiles compared on a normalised basis.
- Round 3 — final negotiation
Two finalists retendered on spares, service response and performance penalties.
Evaluation weighting
- Guaranteed throughput
- 30%
- Peak-demand performance
- 25%
- Price (normalised scope)
- 25%
- Hygienic design & audit readiness
- 20%
4. Commercial outcome
NH₃ central plant with ice-bank thermal storage and conveyorised blast tunnels
Delivered results
- +62% throughput uplift.
- −28% peak electrical demand through thermal storage.
- HACCP, BRC, Halal and EU certifications achieved on a US$ 12.4M project.
Size your blast tunnels with the blast freezer calculator before submitting a brief.
Project records are anonymised at the buyer's request and presented as planning-grade benchmarks. Costs, timelines and performance figures are indicative and are not engineering designs or quotations.
Supplier and manufacturer information is provided for research only; it is not a directory for direct contact. There is no direct buyer-to-supplier connection: every RFQ comes to the ColdMatch team, which validates it, contacts suitable suppliers on the buyer's behalf and presents organized responses through ColdMatch.