PortMiami and Miami International Airport (MIA), in collaboration with south Florida investment firm Mandich Group, Cold-Link Logistics, and Reveam, have started work on a Phytosanitary Treatment and Cold Chain Processing Facility.
It will eradicate pests from refrigerated cargo containers and air cargo pallets, and the cold chain processing portion will provide cold storage, warehousing, distribution, and other services for perishable goods. It will be located at 7449 NW 12 Street, between the air- and seaport, will be the first center of its kind in the state of Florida and the largest in the US.
The facility is estimated to cost $141 million and open in 2027. Mandich Group will contribute $98.5 million and PortMiami will provide $9 million towards the project. PortMiami has also received a $33.5 million U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration Federal Port Infrastructure Development Program Grant for the project.
Utilizing US Department of Agriculture certified non-chemical treatments, the center is designed to expedite inspections while enhancing protection against invasive pests and diseases.
It will span over 340,000sq ft, around 20% of it dedicated to phytosanitary technology and the remaining 80% optimized for cold storage logistics, including refrigerated warehousing, loading docks, and office space. The facility will be capable of treating over 20,000TEU and will accommodate more than 25,000 pallet positions for chilled and frozen storage.
The facility will feature advanced USDA-approved phytosanitary irradiation capabilities powered by Reveam’s proprietary Electronic Cold-Pasteurization platform. The heat-free, and chemical-free process will help to extend shelf life, reduce spoilage and foodborne pathogens, and allow treatment in final packaging. It is ideal for a wide range of products, including fresh produce, proteins (such as poultry and seafood), pet foods, spices, fresh-cut and pre-packaged foods, and even medical devices and supplies.
Other capabilities include 50-foot clear height for high-density racking, dedicated freezer and cooler storage, and logistics services such as import/export handling, cross-docking, inventory management, case picking, wrapping, unitization, pallet building, up/down stacking, labeling, load consolidation, temperature reduction, floor loading and unloading, lumping, repalletization, and EDI integration.
