Polar Africa – Company Profile

Polar Africa was founded in 2008 and has traded successfully as a SMME family-owned business offering a range of services, which services are unapologetically based on:

  • Service excellence founded on rendering quality-laden workmanship with warranties that are backed-up by international companies and/or Polar Africa
  • Reliable and “best of the best” products in each category which are sourced from
    • three companies based in Italy
    • one based in the USA (sole distributor)
    • one based in the UK (sole distributor)
    • one based in Hong Kong;
    • one based in Taiwan; and
    • one in South Africa (Paarl, Western Cape)

Polar Africa’s attained the following international awards:

  • Best Cold Chain Humidity Control Solutions Provider 2019 – South Africa (4th Annual LUX Life International Awards)
  • Best Evaporative Cooling Solutions Company 2020 – Africa (5th Annual LUX Life International Awards)
  • Best Humidity Control Provider 2020 – South Africa (5th Annual LUX Life International Awards

 Polar Africa offers the following specialised range of services and/or products:

  1. Humidity and Bacteria Control in Cold Chains – underpinning HACCP Cold Chain Protocols (2008 – 2021)

Polar Africa markets and installs Sorbite humidity and bacteria control filters in the cold chains of the wider food industry. The primary purpose of the filters is to remove air borne bacteria and food spoilage gases and to stabilise relative humidity in (mainly) walk-in cold rooms, thereby enhancing HACCP/ISO cold chain protocols.

Benefits of filters:

  • Extended shelf life of all fresh produce in cold storage/display fridges
  • Substantially less blood losses in hanging carcasses = 1 to 3% less meat weight losses + the far less blood purge in vacuum/Cryovac packaging
  • Between 15% and 20% less compressor energy consumption as cold rooms run colder with filters installed

 A.  Supermarket refrigerator Night Blinds (2015 – 2021)

In 2015 the company introduced one of the top selling slow rise night-blind brands in the UK and Europe to the supermarket, fresh fruit and veg and butchery sectors of the economy.

 Benefits of night blinds:

  • Reduce energy consumption by between 15% and 30% per installed refrigerator case/freezer counter and between 10% and 14% of total monthly energy bill (depending on how many open cases/counters are present on the retail floor)
  • Extends shelf life of all perishables on display by making refrigerator cases more efficient post-trading hours

B.  Evaporative Cooling/Humidification Solutions (2018 – 2021)

In 2018 Polar Africa introduced the top selling misting/humidification systems from two companies in Italy into the local market.

 Benefits of pre-cooling intake air; dry fog misting; & humidification:

  • By pre-cooling the intake air of HVAC systems energy consumption can be reduced by between 15% and 25%
  • Upmarket residences, restaurants, hotels can chill out their friends, family and patrons on open but covered patios and terraces with Polar Africa’s misting options
  • Humidification of cold rooms, wine cellars, degreening chambers, etc. stabilizes relative humidity which in turn enhances ripening/less wine evaporative losses, etc.
  • Production/assembly plants, packhouses, conference halls, lecture halls, offices, classrooms, lecture halls, fresh produce markets can be evaporatively cooled far cheaper than air conditioners (will however require 6 to 8 air changes per hour)

C.  Hypochlorous Acid Distributor (2020 – 2021)

In 2020 with the COVID-A9 outbreak Polar Africa entered into a distributor/agency agreement with the largest manufacturer of hypochlorous acid (HOCl) in the country.

HOCl is probably the safest disinfectant on the Planet as it is naturally produced by our own bodies (in our white blood cells to ward of infections). Commercially manufactured HOCl has a kill rate of 99,9% of most of the most lethal pathogenic organisms, viruses (including COVID-2) and spores within 30 to 60 seconds of contact (depending on ppm concentration levels).

HOCl is recognized by WHO and EPA as an effective and 100% safe disinfectant to use around humans and perishable food products (no rinsing require post application – quite unique in the food industry).

Dentists use HOCl as a gargle liquid; eye specialists treat eye infections; doctors treat open lacerated wounds; and HOCl is thus safe to inhale; has no ocular and/or oral complications; and can in fact can be consumed quite safely (if accidentally consumed). Nowhere in the entire world has HOCl had a negative medical condition ever reported to date.

The HOCl Polar Africa distributes goes further that the foregoing in terms of safety as it is registered with the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) as a ‘medical device” which means it can be used in hospitals, clinics – and as a hand-sanitizer as well.

D.  Disinfectant Aerolisation Curtain  (2020 – 2021)

In 2020 Polar Africa introduced probably the first disinfectant aerolisation system in a supermarket in the country in Limpopo as well as the very first shopping centre in the country in Tshwane (all seven entrances fitted with an intermittent disinfectant fogging curtain).

HOCl is intermittently dry-fogged into the area during the day (whilst shoppers and staff  are around) and at night a higher concentration is released to disinfect all hard surfaces at the entrances to the mall and food preparation/production areas.

E.  Industrial Humidifiers (2020 – 2021)

In 2020 Polar Africa launched one of the top selling range of industrial humidifiers in Europe into the local market (dehumidifiers will follow in 2021 from the same company).

Benefits of installing industrial humidifiers:

  • Stabilizing humidity in wine cellars; tobacco sheds; packhouses; fresh produce cold chains; abattoirs; paper mills; textile weaving plants; timber storage sheds; etc. produces the following direct benefits (depending on type of product in storage):
    1. Qualitative retention of fruit & veg (texture and firmness)
    2. Substantially less weight loss (fruit/veg/hanging meat)
    3. Substantially less evaporative losses (wine barrels)
    4. Less friction/static electricity (paper mills/textiles)
    5. Less shrinkage (timber/tobacco)
    6. Improved degreening chamber performance
    7. Extended shelf-life for all fresh produce post-dispatch
    8. Post-harvest product firmness/texture quality retention in receiving bays

F.  Mosquito Control (2020 – 2021)

Given the devastation mosquitoes bring about in Africa (and of course in many other parts of the world as well) Polar Africa launched one of the most innovative mosquito control technologies on the Planet to South Africa in 2020.

Conceptualized in Canada a ‘mosquito motel’ concept was devised to lure female mossies into a safe and secure environment to deposit their eggs where they are periodically ‘washed away’ in a unique family planning exercise. Over time the local population naturally depletes leaving behind a safer human habitat. Smart thinking here!!

 All of the foregoing products (where applicable) have either Safety Data Sheets, Regulatory Authority Approvals and/or international laboratory reports available upon written request.

Company Commitment (2008 – 2021)

Polar Africa supports, promotes, embraces, networks and enters into mutually beneficial business-to-business relationships with all similar-minded businesses, individuals and/or communities who wish to improve their working, playing and living environments with ecologically sustainable solutions that do not advance climate change nor are harmful to the human and natural habitat (hence our Polar Bear logo)!

Author: Raymond Byrne – February 2021