Why modular cold-chain facilities are replacing traditional builds — BIG interview with Florent Philippot, ZGROUP USA

For many growers and packers, the problem today isn’t demand but timing. Cooling capacity is needed now, not years later after permits, construction, and cost overruns. In many markets, building a new facility has become slow, expensive, and risky, especially when volumes change and seasons don’t wait.

At the same time, shelf-life expectations keep rising. Export windows are narrow, labour is limited, and every hour between harvest and cooling has a direct impact on quality. For operations located far from central infrastructure, the gap between field and cold storage is still costing valuable shelf life before the product even enters the supply chain.

In this interview, Florent Philippot, CEO at ZGROUP USA, explains how modular, container-based solutions are being used to address these constraints in real projects. From on-farm pre-cooling to blast freezing and a large onion processing facility currently under development in the United States, he outlines where containers make sense, why speed has become critical, and how companies are adding capacity without committing to long, inflexible builds.

Fructidor: Could you explain the scope of the onion processing project you are currently developing in the US?

Florent Philippot: We are currently working on a very large onion processing project in the US for one of the biggest growers in the country. The objective is to create a full peeling facility using containers rather than building a traditional plant.

The project includes 46 containers, covering the entire process: onion peeling lines, ultrasonic and metal detection cleaning, packaging, storage areas for packaging materials, storage for finished products, loading docks, offices with restrooms and break-room, and mechanical rooms. Two containers are dedicated to air compressors and mechanical systems required for the peeling machines.

The customer evaluated two options — building a permanent facility or using container-based solutions. When you make the calculations, containers make much more sense. That is why the customer decided to go in that direction. It is a very complete and ambitious project, and we are currently manufacturing it. Delivery will start this February.

Fructidor: Why is container-based infrastructure particularly attractive for this type of project?

Florent Philippot: One of the key advantages is speed. In the US, if you want to build a facility from scratch, it can take two to three years just to obtain building permits. With container solutions, regulations are much lighter because the installations are considered temporary in many cases.

This allows companies to start operating immediately, without waiting years. That is extremely important for businesses today. The same situation exists in Europe — building takes time, permits are complex, and costs are high. Containers allow companies to implement operations fast, scale progressively, and avoid heavy upfront investment.

Fructidor: You mentioned pre-cooling solutions. Why is this technology so important?

Florent Philippot: Pre-cooling is critical, especially when it is done directly on the farm. As soon as a product is harvested, every hour without cooling reduces shelf life. For Blueberries, we often say that every hour without cooling after harvest equals one day of shelf life lost.

In countries like Peru, for example, farms can be three hours away from the nearest cooling facility. That simply does not make sense. Cooling needs to be closer to the field. That is why our pre-cooling solutions are designed to be installed directly on farms or very close to harvest locations.

We have already implemented this for large companies, including projects in USA, Canada and South America. Pre-cooling helps improve post-harvest quality, extend shelf life, and enables more companies to start exporting, even with limited initial investment.

Fructidor: Do your solutions also include blast freezing?

Florent Philippot: Yes, blast freezing is one of our core solutions, and it is extremely important, particularly for berries and other sensitive products.

We offer a wide range of blast freezing capacities. It can start from one ton per batch, and depending on the configuration, it can go up to eight tons per batch, or even 25 tons per batch.

For example, if a product enters at around 5°C and needs to reach -18°C, the average blast freezing time is about 12 hours. But everything depends on the customer’s needs. We are an engineering company, so we design solutions based on the challenge presented by the customer.

Fructidor: Who are these solutions designed for — large companies only, or also smaller operators?

Florent Philippot: We work with all types of companies. Small companies often do not want to invest heavily in infrastructure at the beginning, so they rent our equipment. This allows them to start operations without blocking capital.

Medium-sized companies often need additional capacity quickly and find our solutions reliable, fast to deploy, and competitive in pricing.

Large companies also use container solutions because expanding an existing facility is often very complicated. With containers, they can simply place new units next to a wall or a dock and increase capacity without major civil works.

Fructidor: You also offer modular ripening rooms. How do they compare to traditional ripening facilities?

Florent Philippot: Traditional ripening rooms are very expensive. In the US, investment can range from USD 200,000 to USD 500,000, sometimes more. That is a big investment, especially if a company does not own the building or is not sure it will stay there long term.

With our container ripening rooms, we can achieve the same capacity — for example, 20 pallets per batch — with very precise control of temperature, humidity, CO2, and ethylene management. In many cases, the control is even more precise than in traditional facilities.

We manage the entire process: heating and humidifying until atmosphere is in the right condition, ethylene injection, ripening, ventilation and cooling. And because it is a container, it is mobile. Customers can buy it or rent it, move it if needed, and scale gradually.

Fructidor: What type of companies are most interested in container ripening solutions?

Florent Philippot: Many food distributors or companies that do not traditionally do ripening are interested. For example, a distributor may have a customer asking for avocado conditioning. Instead of investing immediately in a large ripening room, they can test the market with one container.

This significantly reduces risk. If the business works, they can add more units. If volumes grow very large — for example, 1,000 pallets per day — then a traditional facility might make more sense. But for small to medium volumes, container solutions are ideal.

Once customers try modular solutions, scaling becomes much easier for them.

Fructidor: Can you combine different container solutions into one facility?

Florent Philippot: We can combine pre-cooling, blast chilling, blast freezing, ripening rooms, and controlled atmosphere rooms to create a complete modular facility — such as a packing house, a distribution center, or an on-farm cooling facility.

All our solutions are manufactured in our factory in Peru, it can be shipped anywhere in the world. After arrival we delivered it to the site, and simply connect all the pieces together.They are essentially plug-and-play.

The goal is to offer something fast, simple, and straightforward for customers who need to start operating immediately.

Fructidor: How strong is your presence in Europe today?

Florent Philippot: Our main focus so far has been the American region, but we are definitely open to Europe. We are already in discussions with companies in France, Spain, and Germany.

We started exporting more strongly about three to four years ago, and Europe is clearly part of our strategy moving forward. We are fully open to developing projects there.

To learn how modular cooling and processing can scale with your operation, send your inquiry to explore project configurations and deployment timelines.