SokoFresh Secures $500,000 Catalytic Investment to Expand Cold Storage and Market Access for Smallholder Farmers in Kenya

SokoFresh, an Enviu venture providing solar-powered cold storage and market linkages to smallholder farmers across Kenya, has secured a $500,000 local currency loan from the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), backed by catalytic funding from Bayer Foundation.

The four-year loan marks the first investment in Kenya under the Food Systems Innovation Finance Facility (FSIFF) — a blended finance mechanism designed to channel capital into food system enterprises that commercial markets too often overlook.

Approximately 40% of fruits and vegetables in Kenya, worth an estimated $140 million, are lost every year before they reach buyers. Smallholder farmers, who produce more than 80% of the country's food, bear the heaviest cost. Without access to cold storage near the farm, they harvest at dawn to beat spoilage, sell under pressure, and accept prices that rarely reflect the quality of their produce.

SokoFresh eliminates that pressure.

The venture deploys solar-powered, mobile cold storage units at the farm gate — in communities with no reliable grid electricity and connects farmers to vetted buyers, large retailers, and export markets through a digital platform. Farmers pay only for what they store, with fees deducted from sold produce. Nothing is owed until produce moves.

The $500,000 UNCDF loan will allow SokoFresh to scale its cold storage infrastructure and market linkage services across Kenya, reaching more than 5,000 smallholder farmers annually. Projected outcomes include:

• A 10% increase in farmer incomes through improved produce quality, better timing on sales, and access to premium markets
• A significant reduction in post-harvest losses across fresh produce value chains
• Expanded cold storage capacity across Kenya's 17 counties, building toward a target of 100 additional solar-powered cold rooms by 2028

The Food Systems Innovation Finance Facility reflects a recognition that grant funding alone cannot meet the scale of today's food systems challenge. Official development assistance fell by 23.1% in 2025 — the largest annual decline on record — returning to levels last seen in 2015. As concessional resources contract, mobilising private capital into high-impact sectors becomes more urgent, not less.

FSIFF responds by deploying concessional capital through tailored financial instruments, derisking early-stage investments, and building the track record that enables private finance to follow. Bayer Foundation's philanthropic capital sits at the first-loss position — absorbing risk so enterprises like SokoFresh can access the debt they need to grow, at terms that fit their business model.

SokoFresh was built by Enviu, a global venture-building studio that designs and scales businesses that address systemic challenges in food systems, textiles, mobility, and waste. Enviu founded SokoFresh in 2019 as part of its FoodFlow programme, a deliberate effort to build a zero-loss food chain from farm to shelf across East Africa.

SokoFresh is now one of Enviu's most advanced agrifood ventures, serving 12000+ smallholder farmers and operating across Kenya's key horticultural value chains: avocado, mango, French beans, and banana. The UNCDF investment accelerates SokoFresh's path toward financial independence and positions the venture for further private capital raises as it scales across East Africa.