LISTED AyalaLand Logistics Holdings Corp. (ALLHC) recently broke ground on a new cold storage facility in Consolacion, Cebu as part of its network expansion.

The new ALogis Artico Consolacion is scheduled for completion by the third quarter of 2025 and will be the company’s second facility in Cebu following the addition of ALogis Artico Mandaue in 2022, ALLHC said in an e-mailed statement on Wednesday.

The new facility will expand ALLHC’s cold storage capacity by 6,000 pallets. It will include 16 cold storage rooms with temperatures ranging from 5°C to -25°C, and a processing room.

“Our focus is on meeting the rising demand for dependable modern cold storage solutions, which are vital for the preservation of the quality of perishable goods to reduce food waste and post-harvest losses,” ALLHC Chief Operating Officer Patrick John C. Avila said.

“By investing in this facility, we are not only broadening our capabilities, but also ensuring that we can provide our clients with various locations that can meet their needs,” he added.

The facility is accessible via the Cebu-North Coastal Road and is near key transportation hubs, including Mactan-Cebu International Airport and Cebu Port.

“The population of Cebu is tremendously multiplying. Within five years, it is going to double. Logistics is very important, and I do hope that with the opening of this facility, this will lead to more investments that will be complementing the needs of the people,” Consolacion town Mayor Teresa P. Alegado said.

ALLHC said the new Cebu cold storage facility will be registered with the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS), Board of Investments, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, and the Bureau of Plant Industry to ensure compliance with food safety and quality standards.

“I consider Cebu as an economic hub that distributes meat products outside of Cebu going to Mindanao and the adjacent provinces of Cebu. This facility can really help us in our desire and our implementation to produce sound, safe meat for the meat-consuming public,” NMIS Regional Director Alvin A. Leal said.

In the first half of the year, ALLHC opened its fourth cold storage facility, ALogis Artico Santo Tomas in Batangas.

ALLHC is the industrial parks and real estate logistics arm of Ayala Land, Inc. It is engaged in the businesses of industrial parks, warehouses, cold storage facilities, data centers, and commercial leasing.

On Wednesday, ALLHC shares rose by 1.12% or two centavos to P1.80 apiece. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave