WASHINGTON: PortFresh Logistics plans to build a perishable cargoes cold treatment facility at the Port of Savannah. The Bloomingdale, Ga.-based company is building a facility dedicated to handling imported South American fruits and vegetables, according to a news release.
The operation is scheduled to open later this summer. PortFresh’s cold storage facility is on 20 acres of a 182-acre site, and was designed to allow multiple climate zones to maintain cold chain integrity and ensure fast delivery, according to the release. The building will be adjacent to Interstate 16, seven miles from Interstate 95 and 15 miles from the Port of Savannah’s Garden City Terminal.
More than 90% of imported fruits and vegetables entering the U.S. East Coast arrive via Northeast ports, which means cargo headed to the Southeast must be trucked, which adds time and expense to the logistics supply chain, Brian Kastick, PortFresh’s CEO, said in the release.
The company has been working for more than two years to meet the need for additional chilled cargo infrastructure in Savannah, Kastick said in the release. Following a new U.S. Department of Agriculture program allowing South American fruit, including citrus, grapes and blueberries, to enter via the Port of Savannah, substantial cost savings are now available to customers across the Southeast and beyond, according to the release.
“Our customers have found they are able to move perishable cargoes more efficiently and deliver better quality products to store shelves by using the Port of Savannah,” Chris Logan, Georgia Ports Authority’s senior director of trade development for beneficial cargo owner sales, said in the release. “Citrus, avocados, blueberries and other products are already moving through the Port of Savannah, and we hope to grow that portfolio.”
The port welcomes PortFresh to the community of service providers supporting the port’s customers. Perishable foods remain an important growth sector for port, Griff Lynch, Georgia Ports Authority’s incoming executive director, said in the release. PortFresh plans to contribute $1.5 million annually in local taxes and nearly $5 million total in local, state and payroll taxes, according to the release.
The development has been made possible, in part, by a $400,000 OneGeorgia grant to help cover the cost of installing water and sewer lines. OneGeorgia Equity seeks to fund projects which increase capacity and economic vitality in rural Georgia, according to the release. The program is administered by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs.
