Forced-air pre-cooler
Room or tunnel that pulls cold air through packed produce to remove field heat quickly before storage or shipping.
- Built-up / site-built
- Chilled storage
Packhouses and produce pre-cooling
Fresh-produce packhouses with vacuum, forced-air, hydro and room pre-cooling, sorting and cold storage for fruit, vegetable and floriculture exporters.
ColdMatch facilitates sourcing and RFQs; it does not manufacture, sell, import or export the listed products and is not a regulatory authority. Suppliers are responsible for their products meeting the requirements of the origin and destination countries; buyers for import permissions, local rules and due diligence. Requirements vary by product and country, and the team checks requests before any supplier contact. Regulation and restricted items
Packhouses system types we can source
General descriptions to help you define your request. Specifications, prices and lead times come only from suppliers’ written offers.
Vacuum cooler
Chamber that cools leafy and porous produce by evaporating moisture under vacuum, used where very fast pre-cooling is needed.
- Packaged unit
- Chilled storage
Hydrocooler
System that cools produce with chilled water by shower or immersion, suited to produce that tolerates wetting.
- Packaged unit
- Chilled storage
What to decide before you request quotes
- Produce types, harvest volumes and the time available between field and cold store.
- Pre-cooling method suited to the produce (forced-air, vacuum, hydro or room cooling).
- Packing line, sorting and storage flow through the building.
- Water, power and seasonal peak demand on site.
Compare packhouses options
Forced-air vs vacuum vs hydrocooling
Which pre-cooling method suits your produce and packaging?
| Aspect | Forced-air pre-cooler | Vacuum cooler | Hydrocooler |
|---|---|---|---|
| How it cools | Pulls cold air through vented cartons and pallets. | Evaporates moisture from the produce under vacuum. | Chilled water by shower or immersion. |
| Suits | Most packed fruit and vegetables, including berries and cherries in vented packaging. | Leafy and porous produce such as lettuce. | Produce that tolerates wetting, such as some stone fruit and root vegetables. |
| Watch out for | Packaging without enough vents. | Moisture loss; poor results on dense or waxy produce. | Water hygiene and sanitation of recirculated water. |
Rule of thumb: Produce type and packaging usually decide the method. Check the guidance for your specific crop before requesting quotes.
Read the pre-cooling methods guideGuides before you request quotes
Size it with free calculators
- Fruit and vegetable cold storage ROI
- Cooling load calculator
- Electricity cost calculator
- Backup generator sizing
- RFQ readiness check
Planning estimates to make your request specific — not quotes.
Equipment sourcing vs project planning
This catalog covers sourcing packhouses equipment. If you first need a complete facility sized, laid out and scoped, that is a separate project planning service.
Project planning servicesSources and further reading
Links checked on . They explain rules and practice; they do not confirm that any specific offer complies. Requirements differ by country — check with your own advisers.
- Postharvest Research and Extension Center — University of California, Davis
Produce fact sheets and handling guidance, including recommended cooling and storage conditions by crop.
- Agriculture Handbook 66: The Commercial Storage of Fruits, Vegetables, and Florist and Nursery Stocks — USDA Agricultural Research Service
Reference on storage conditions, pre-cooling, controlled atmosphere and ripening for many crops.
- Post-harvest handling and storage (New England Small Fruit Management Guide) — University of Massachusetts Amherst
Extension guidance on cooling and storing berries soon after harvest.
Supplier-confirmed listings
No supplier-confirmed listings are published here yet. ColdMatch only publishes details that a supplier has confirmed in writing and our team has reviewed — we do not show estimated stock, prices or specifications.
You can still request quotes now: send your requirement and the ColdMatch team will review it and contact suitable suppliers on your behalf.
Details shown once a supplier confirms them
- Capacity range (kW or pallet positions)
- Temperature range
- Refrigerant
- Energy data supplied by the manufacturer
- Country of manufacture
- Countries the supplier can deliver to
- Project scale handled
- Availability confirmed by the supplier, with date
- Documents available on request
Typical packhouses applications
- Vacuum cooling
- Forced-air cooling
- Hydro-cooling
- Sorting
- CA storage
Sourcing requests by country
How a request from each country is handled. Supplier availability is confirmed only in written responses.