For years the co-operative sent its catch south in ice chests on the back of pick-ups. By Ogbomoso the ice was water, and by Lagos the buyers were bargaining hard. About a fifth of every load was sold cheaply or thrown away. Example figures, shared with permission for this demo.
What changed
Twice a week, a pre-cooled reefer truck now collects from the landing site at 5 am. Fish is gutted, washed and frozen in blast freezers at the landing, then loaded at -20 °C. At the Ilorin hub it cross-docks in a cold room, and arrives in Lagos and Abuja still frozen hard.
The buyers stopped asking how fresh the fish was. They could see the log.
Paying for it
Reefer transport costs more than a pick-up. The co-operative found that selling every fish at the full price more than covered it, and buyers began ordering ahead because they trusted the quality. Results like this depend on many things, and no outcome is promised.
What we learnt
The hardest part was the landing, not the road. Blast freezing on site, clean crates and a fixed collection time did more than any truck. Now we help every new food customer start there.