| 37 T T Russell Fredric Correct temps critical for food storage Northport Coolstores provides a crucial link in the cold chain logistics of butter, kiwifruit and avocados. Northport Coolstores REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Based in Whangarei, Northport Coolstores provides a crucial link in the cold chain logistics of butter, kiwifruit and avocados. Managing director Bruce Mulligan says the company is owned by 14 shareholders originally linked to the kiwifruit industry, either as growers or post-harvest operators. “The business has grown and evolved since then; our main business now is butter for Fonterra.” As Fonterra’s site at Kauri, just north of Whangarei, has a chiller but not a freezer, its total butter production is frozen and stored by Northport Coolstores before being exported. The first kiwifruit usually arrives around late March and is shipped progressively until about August. “We operate with Seeka, who have a packing facility up in Kerikeri. We also do avocados for Golden Mile packhouse based here in Whangarei. “The kiwifruit and butter are two products that work quite well together because their seasons are almost opposite each other,” Bruce says. Butter is stored at -10 Celsius, but the refrigeration needs of kiwifruit are more precise and depend on the variety. “Kiwifruit and avocados are the most critical, temperature-wise, because it has to be maintained at a very narrow temperature band. “Avocados are stored slightly warmer; green kiwifruit normally stores at around zero and the gold kiwifruit is plus-one, but we’ve only handled gold over probably the last five years.” Among its staff, Northport Coolstores employs a full-time refrigeration engineer to oversee its plant. “The butter store is an industrial coolstore run by anhydrous ammonia and it was built way back in the 1960s. “We’ve modernised the plant, the refrigeration and control equipment, but the basic rooms are pretty much as they were, but it will all go for another 60 years quite happily,” Bruce says. With sustainability and reducing emissions being an important element in any production and supply chain today, the carbon rating of refrigeration is no exception. The refrigerant in the butter-store system is zero-rated for carbon, while the other stores use two different refrigerants that do have a carbon rating, “which is a bit of a challenge”, but this challenge is faced by most coolstore operators. Northport Coolstores has a rail siding, and previously the butter went to the inland port in Wiri then to Port of Tauranga. However, more recently the containers have gone to Tauranga via coastal shipping due to the rail link between Whangarei and Auckland being affected by a landslip during Cyclone Gabrielle. “Most of the product that we receive, including the fruit packed in Kerikeri, goes out through Marsden Point now,” Bruce explains. There is an expectation that the kiwifruit harvest and consequently the need for more cool- storage capacity will increase over the next two or three years, Bruce says. “The volumes of gold kiwifruit in particular are increasing quite significantly year-onyear.” The only independent cold store in Northland, Northport Coolstores also provides storage for around 400 to 500 pallets of Salty Dog Bait products as well as for smallgoods manufacturers, food wholesaler Bidfood and casual customers. Driving Success Through Strong Relationships At NZ Pilchard Processors, we rely on Northport Coolstores for their exceptional cold storage services. As one of their largest customers, we’ve build a relationship based on trust, reliability, and the consistent quality that keeps our business thriving. Together, we ensure top-tier products reach our customers, year after year. www.saltydogbait.co.nz GOLDEN MILE Fruitpackers Ltd 09 438 2326 • info@goldenmile.co.nz Proudly supporting Northport Coolstores • PACKING • RIPENING • COOL STORAGE • DISTRIBUTION
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