How Much Does It Cost to Install a 100 sqm Blueberry Quick Freezing Cold Storage?

Fresh blueberries are extremely sensitive to temperature and cannot be stored long at ambient conditions. To maintain quality for export, processing, or off-season sales, blueberries must be quick-frozen immediately after harvest and then transferred into frozen storage.

This makes quick freezing cold storage a necessary—but significantly higher-cost—investment compared to ordinary cold rooms. For this reason, blueberry quick freezing facilities are typically built by processing plants and large-scale growers, rather than small traders.

So, how much does it actually cost to build a 100 sqm blueberry quick freezing cold storage, and what return can investors expect?

Project Design Assumptions

This cost analysis is based on a standard industrial quick freezing configuration commonly used for blueberries:

• Cold storage area: 100 sqm
• Internal height: 3 meters
• Total volume: approx. 300 m³
• Design temperature: -35°C
• Daily freezing capacity: 8–10 tons
• Freezing time: 1–10 hours
• Core product temperature: -18°C

This type of blueberry blast freezing cold storage is mainly used by blueberry processing plants and export-oriented producers.

A similar solution has already been implemented in a commercial project — see our [Blueberry Cold Storage Project Case] for detailed design parameters and operating performance.

Why Quick Freezing Cold Storage Costs More

Compared with conventional frozen storage, a quick freezing cold room requires:

• Thicker insulation
  • 200 mm polyurethane panels to minimize heat loss at ultra-low temperatures
• High-capacity low-temperature refrigeration systems
  • Low-temperature compressor units (commonly Copeland or equivalent)
  • DJ-series low-temperature air coolers with strong airflow
• Higher electrical load and control accuracy
  • Faster pull-down time directly increases equipment cost

Because freezing speed, daily throughput, and temperature uniformity are critical, equipment specifications are significantly higher than standard -18°C cold storage.

Estimated Construction Cost

Based on the above configuration:

• Total construction investment:
  USD 48,000 – 62,000

This includes:

• Insulated cold room structure
• Low-temperature refrigeration units
• Air coolers and electrical controls
• Installation and commissioning

Energy Consumption & Operating Cost

Quick freezing is energy-intensive, but efficient insulation and properly matched compressors help control costs.

• Installed power: approx. 45–55 kW
• Average daily electricity consumption:
  200 – 240 kWh