Setting up a cold room is the easy part. The real test is keeping it trusted, used, and financially sound in busy markets and low-connectivity settings, so assets don’t sit idle and investments don’t go to waste. That’s the problem Your VCCA has been navigating since 2021, listening to operators, trainers, and farmers who need clear choices, fair pricing, and tools that work in their world.

Today, those lessons are bundled into the Your VCCA Onboarding Kit—a practical, field-tested set of resources across five areas: Feasibility Assessment, Business Models, the Coldtivate® app, open-source Coldtivate code, and awareness-raising materials. It’s designed to help teams move from idea to operational viability with confidence.

Inside, you’ll find: a guided look at cooling options plus the CoolSel selection matrix (from Empa & Wageningen) with a case study from Guinea-Bissau; a hands-on CaaS Pricing Tool (Excel) to set crate fees that balance costs with farmer buy-in; step-by-step training for Coldtivate® – covering inventory, shelf-life “digital twins,” impact tracking, and an integrated marketplace – with trainer certification to ensure accurate onboarding. For inclusivity, Coldtivate is available in 10 languages and offers SMS access for users without smartphones.

Developers can dive into the open-source Coldtivate code (with docs) and, through an Open Source Incubator running September–October 2025, learn how to adapt it; public recordings follow in November 2025. Trainers get plug-and-play materials, from operator SOPs to community comics that explain why crops need cooling; researchers can explore how the app models shelf life for 26 crops and calculates avoided CO₂ via its Impact Dashboard.

Support sessions with topic experts are available through April 2026, and the Kit was made possible with support from the ClimateWorks Foundation. Explore the Onboarding Kit and start building cold chains that last.

Read the full story: https://yourvcca.org/blog/making-cold-rooms-operationally-viable-your-vccas-onboarding-kit-has-the-tools-you-need/