BigCold

What BigCold does

BigCold Kenya Limited, founded in 2018 and headquartered in Nairobi, is a private third-party logistics provider specializing in temperature-controlled cold chain storage and distribution across East Africa. The company operates anchor facilities in Nairobi (Modern Reliance Industries Complex, Mombasa Road) and Naivasha (Pelican Depot Complex), serving customers in Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda. It is wholly owned by BlackIvy, a U.S.-based strategic operating company that builds and invests in commercial enterprises across Sub-Saharan Africa.

BigCold's service portfolio spans four core product lines: (1) temperature-controlled storage and transport across frozen, chilled, ambient-controlled, and ambient regimes; (2) fulfillment, distribution, and last-mile delivery to retail outlets, restaurants, hotels, and institutions; (3) value-added services including demand planning, sourcing, packing, labeling, re-packing, and cross-docking; and (4) post-harvest cold chain solutions for small-scale and commercial farmers. The technology backbone is a proprietary LFS Warehouse Management System (WMS) and Transportation Management System (TMS) that provide product traceability, real-time inventory and expiry reporting, batch management, and delivery monitoring, layered with real-time temperature sensors and backup power redundancy across vehicles and facilities.

BigCold generates revenue primarily through managed-service storage fees and transportation contracts, supplemented by professional-services fees for value-added offerings. It targets enterprise clients via direct B2B relationships and a website-based quote-request workflow, with customer segments spanning quick-service restaurants and hospitality (Yum! Brands / KFC and Pizza Hut), pharmaceutical and government health institutions (Kenyan Ministry of Health, COVAX vaccine distribution), food manufacturers, importers and distributors, fresh produce exporters (FPEAK), and smallholder farmers. The company is the first FSSC 22000 certified food storage and transport operator in East Africa and the only Yum! Brands Tier 1 certified cold chain provider in Kenya, both of which serve as qualification barriers for enterprise and government contracts. Distribution is performed using the company's own fleet of temperature-controlled vehicles for door-to-door, customized-run, and last-mile delivery.

Name

BigCold

Legal name

BigCold Kenya Limited

Website

https://bigcold.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

BigCold Kenya Limited is a private, Nairobi-based third-party logistics provider offering temperature-controlled cold chain storage, transport, and last-mile distribution across East Africa. It serves QSR chains, food manufacturers, pharmaceutical and government clients, fresh produce exporters, and smallholder farmers, anchored by proprietary WMS/TMS systems.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cold Chain Logistics Services

NAICS

Drugs and Druggists' Sundries Merchant Wholesalers (42421)

SIC

Public Warehousing & Storage (4220), Trucking (No Local) (4213), Wholesale-Drugs, Proprietaries & Druggists' Sundries (5122)

akta.pro primary industry

Integrated 3PL + Broadline Foodservice Distributors (Warehousing, Pick/Pack, Last-Mile) (AFAIAAAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Vaccine Cold Chain, Storage & Distribution (HLAIAEAK), Produce & Floral Cold Chain Logistics (TLAIAIAH), Medical Devices & Diagnostics Temperature-Controlled Storage (TLALABAH), Vaccine & Public Health Immunization Cold Chain Logistics (TLAIAIAD)

Keywords

• Cold chain logistics
• Temperature-controlled storage
• Refrigerated transportation
• Pharmaceutical distribution
• Food safety compliance

Headquarters

HQ city

Nairobi

HQ country

Kenya

HQ region

Africa

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Cold Storage Services: Temperature-controlled storage facilities offering frozen, chilled, ambient-controlled, and ambient storage. Revenue generated from warehousing fees charged to clients for storing their products.
2. Transportation and Distribution Services: Transport solutions for frozen, chilled and ambient goods including door-to-door delivery, customized runs, cargo consolidation, and last-mile distribution for quick service restaurants, retail outlets, restaurants and hotels.
3. Value-Added Services: Demand planning and forecasting, packing, labeling, re-packing, sourcing, cross-docking, and consolidation services.
4. Post-Harvest Cold Chain Services: Cold chain solutions for small-scale and commercial farmers to minimize post-harvest losses, including cooling boxes at collection points, cooling and curing facilities, and temperature-controlled transportation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

BigCold is a third-party logistics (3PL) provider that delivers customized cold chain solutions across East Africa from its anchor facility in Nairobi and secondary site in Naivasha, Kenya. The company offers temperature-controlled storage in frozen, chilled, ambient-controlled, and ambient formats, paired with door-to-door refrigerated transportation, last-mile distribution, cargo consolidation, post-harvest cold chain services for farmers, and value-added services such as demand planning, packing, labeling, sourcing, and cross-docking. BigCold sells and operates these services directly to enterprise and institutional clients, including quick-service restaurant chains, food manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies, government health programs, and smallholder farmers.

Product overview

BigCold offers a unified cold chain logistics platform providing comprehensive temperature-controlled storage and transportation services across East Africa. The core offering includes cold storage and logistics services (BigCold Kenya LTD), supported by proprietary LFS Warehouse Management System (WMS) and Transportation Management System (TMS) for inventory traceability and delivery optimization. The platform extends through fulfillment and distribution services, last mile delivery, post-harvest cold chain solutions for farmers, demand planning and forecasting, sourcing services, and value-added services including packing, labeling, and re-packing. The company operates from strategic locations in Nairobi and Naivasha, Kenya, serving diverse clients including smallholder farmers, global restaurant chains, food manufacturers, importers, distributors, pharmaceutical sector, and retail outlets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cold Storage Services Temperature-controlled storage facilities providing frozen, chilled, ambient-controlled, and ambient storage, operated from the anchor facility in Nairobi and secondary facility in Naivasha, Kenya, serving enterprise clients including food manufacturers, restaurant chains, and pharmaceutical companies.
• Transportation and Distribution Services Transport solutions for frozen, chilled, and ambient goods including door-to-door delivery, customized runs, cargo consolidation, and last-mile distribution to quick service restaurants, retail outlets, restaurants, and hotels, delivered via BigCold's own fleet of temperature-controlled vehicles with real-time monitoring.
• Post-Harvest Cold Chain Services Cold chain solutions for small-scale and commercial farmers to minimize post-harvest losses and maintain produce quality, including cooling boxes at collection points, cooling and curing facilities, and temperature-controlled transportation.
• Value-Added Services Complementary supply chain services including demand planning and forecasting (down to individual SKUs), packing, labeling, re-packing, stock control, inventory management, sourcing and buying, and cross-docking services designed to reduce client working capital requirements and streamline distribution.

Quantifiable outcome

• Post-harvest crop wastage reduced by up to 40% for farmers through cold chain solutions
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• FoodBanking KenyaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 June 2024BigCold Kenya partnered with FoodBanking Kenya to provide an equivalent of 83,000 tonnes of meals for 16,000 families, focusing on Kibera, Kayole, and Githogoro slums, with the initiative also expanding to support families affected by floods.
• Kenyan Ministry of HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 April 2021BigCold partnered with the Kenyan Ministry of Health to support the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines under the COVAX initiative. BigCold distributed approximately 4 million doses of Pfizer/BioNTech, Astra Zeneca, and Moderna vaccines to regional hospitals, referral hospitals, and vaccine storage centres across Kenya.
• DHL GlobalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 April 2021BigCold partnered with DHL Global and Freight Forwarders Kenya to support COVID-19 vaccine distribution under the COVAX initiative, providing cold chain transportation and distribution services across Kenya.
• Freight Forwarders KenyacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 April 2021Partnership with Freight Forwarders Kenya as part of the COVAX initiative to distribute COVID-19 vaccines, supporting last-mile delivery to healthcare facilities.
• FPEAK (Fresh Produce Exporters Association of Kenya)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 September 2019BigCold joined FPEAK to offer cold chain management services to fresh produce exporters, helping reduce the 40% crop wastage typically experienced by members through improved storage and distribution solutions.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights10 records

Broad incumbents

• CEVA Logistics: CEVA Logistics is a global 3PL offering temperature-controlled solutions across food, healthcare, and consumer goods verticals. Comparable to BigCold in serving multinational QSR and pharma customers, though at significantly larger scale and global footprint.
• Imperial Health Sciences: Imperial Health Sciences is a leading African pharmaceutical cold chain and healthcare logistics provider (part of Imperial Group). It is comparable to BigCold's pharma distribution work, having distributed vaccines and medical supplies across sub-Saharan Africa at much larger scale.
• Kuehne+Nagel: Kuehne+Nagel operates one of the world's largest cold chain 3PL networks with strong pharma (KN PharmaChain) and perishables capabilities. It has a presence in East Africa and competes with BigCold for multinational food manufacturer and pharma accounts.
• DHL Global Forwarding (Life Sciences & Healthcare): DHL Global Forwarding operates a global cold chain logistics network including GDP-certified pharmaceutical transport and GFSI-compliant food logistics. It is both a BigCold COVAX partner and a competitor for multinational pharma and food accounts in East Africa.
• Maersk Logistics & Services (Cold Chain): Maersk offers integrated cold chain logistics including reefer container shipping, cold storage, and inland distribution. Comparable to BigCold as a full-stack cold chain provider, with broader geographic reach and significant presence at East African ports (Mombasa).

Direct peers

• Cold Solutions Kenya: Cold Solutions is a direct cold chain 3PL competitor in Kenya operating temperature-controlled warehouses and serving FMCG, QSR, and pharmaceutical customers. It is the most analogous emerging-market cold chain operator in the region, frequently compared to BigCold for market share in Kenya's modern cold chain.

Others

• Cold Chain Technologies (Africa/Healthcare): Cold Chain Technologies is a US-based provider of thermal packaging and temperature monitoring solutions for pharmaceutical and life sciences cold chains. Comparable to BigCold as a participant in the broader pharma cold chain ecosystem, particularly for vaccine logistics solutions.

Regional players

• Siginon Group: Siginon Group is a leading Kenyan logistics provider offering freight, warehousing, and cold chain services across East Africa. It is a regional incumbent comparable to BigCold in serving Kenyan QSR and FMCG customers with integrated logistics solutions.
• Mitchell Cotts (MCLI): Mitchell Cotts Freight Kenya is an established Kenyan freight forwarding and logistics company offering cold chain capabilities and bonded warehousing. It is comparable to BigCold as a regional East African player with overlapping QSR and institutional customer base.
• Africa Cold Chain Logistics: Africa Cold Chain Logistics operates temperature-controlled warehousing and distribution across East Africa, serving food and pharmaceutical clients. It is comparable to BigCold as a regional cold chain operator with overlapping customer segments and geographic focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about BigCold