Ecuador’s Puerto Bolivar Is 93% Done With a US$30 Million Cold Store for Bananas
Right now an Ecuadorian banana grower harvests when the ship is coming. The point of this warehouse is to let them cut on any day of the week. The post Ecuador’s Puerto Bolivar Is 93% Done With a US$30 Million Cold Store for Bananas appeared first on The Rio Times .
Ecuador's Puerto Bolivar is 93% complete with a US$30 million cold store for bananas. The refrigerated warehouse in Machala, Ecuador's second-largest banana port, will enable harvesters to cut fruit any day of the week, regardless of ship arrival times. The 17,000 square meter facility is designed to hold more than 15,000 pallets, with completion expected between October and November 2026.
The project aims to optimize dwell time for producers and ships, reducing age-related losses in bananas and improving overall efficiency. While the current occupancy stands at around 30%, the warehouse is being built ahead of demand, with close to 70% of capacity still available for future expansion. Yilport, Ecuador's port operator, has invested over US$400 million since 2016, with the initial investment of US$750 million over 50 years.
The cold storage facility will allow Ecuadorian bananas to compete more effectively on the global market, particularly with European Union shipments, which have risen about 13% in the first half of 2026.
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