USD 4 million loan for off-grid fridges to expand vaccine access and food security in Africa

Small businesses health clinics and households in off-grid African communities will benefit from vital cooling facilities following Oikocredit’s new partnership with Triodos Investment Management. The two companies will provide a credit facility of USD 4 million to SureChill, whose solar-powered refrigerators maintain cool temperatures for up to 12 days without continuous power. 

The agreement provides credit for the company’s working capital needs. 

Henna Savolainen, Renewable Energy Investment Officer at Oikocredit, explained the impact of SureChill’s technology: “SureChill’s environmentally friendly and innovative cooling technology reduces domestic food waste, protects vital medicines and improves livelihoods through increased income opportunities – social impact goals that are fully aligned with ours,” she said. 

SureChill’s refrigerators provide vital access to reliably cooled vaccines in off-grid medical centres and clinics – without need for continuous power or batteries. Likewise, small and medium enterprises can generate additional income by selling more cool and fresh products, even when power supplies are intermittent.  

“We are very proud to be a first lender to SureChill, which is impressively pioneering refrigeration in off-grid and unreliable-grid areas,” she added.  

SureChill’s sustainable refrigeration technology is disrupting the cooling industry. Its patented cooling technology has a wide range of applications, from healthcare to food preservation, ensuring critical supplies are safely stored even in the harshest environments. 

Read our press release here