Koolboks

The company

Koolboks produces ecofriendly refrigeration accessible in the absence of power and sunlight to everyone who needs it.

Problem

In Nigeria, up to 40% of all food produced is wasted, largely due to a lack of access to cold storage. Even where there is access to the grid, power is unreliable and back-up diesel generators are ubiquitous. These generators are both more expensive for customers and harmful to the environment.

GSMA Project

In March 2022, Koolboks received a GSMA grant to launch and scale its off-grid refrigeration solution in Nigeria, targeting fish traders, the majority of whom are women. The GSMA project focused on two models from Koolboks’ product range. With the introduction of IoT, Koolboks monitors its refrigeration systems remotely and evolved its offering to include cooling-as-a-service.

Outcomes

Secured investments from Beyond the Grid Fund for Africa, the French Facility for the Global Environment (FFEM), and others.

Traction

More than 290 fish traders purchased a Koolboks freezer, a more than 110% increase in sales. Of these users, 205 customers are women-led MSMEs. • At the end of the grant period, 85% of users (out of 140) reported increased revenue from using the refrigerators, and 87% reported a reduction in wasted fish.

Scaling journey

A message from the Co-founder

“Through working with the GSMA, we expect to learn how the adoption of solar refrigeration on a lease-to-own basis improves profitability and impacts financial inclusion for women fish traders. We also hope to understand how the deployment of IoT PAYG leads to improved freezer monitoring and improves affordability, leading to increased access to energy for the underserved.”
– Dominic Ayoola and Deborah Gael, Co-founders