Private equity firms are investing in the cold chain. Why? It's not just vaccines that need to be kept at appropriate temperature: other commodities such as foods have specific cold temperature requirements. Knowledge@Wharton, the Wharton School's online journal of business analysis, looks at the cold chain landscape as a potential business opportunity built on the foundation of innovation that EtC has established. They write,

"More than two million people die each year from diseases that could otherwise be prevented through the use of vaccines targeted at those ailments. The challenge is not so much a shortage in the supply of those vaccines, but that they must be refrigerated from their point of manufacture to their point of distribution to end-users in remote locations that lack reliable the power required to keep those vaccines properly chilled.

The vaccine industry is only one of several sectors where maintaining the integrity of the “cold chain” is critical for preserving the safety and efficacy of high-value goods, notes Harvey Rubin, professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine. Although consumers in the industrialized world often take it for granted, sound management of the cold chain is critical in the manufacturing and distribution of pharmaceuticals, for food service products (for restaurants, hospitals and other institutions), and for high-value products such as frozen foods, meats, fruits and fish. Maintaining the integrity of the cold chain also plays a vital role in efforts to comply with stringent regulations for food and drug safety."

Read the rest of the article: From Vaccines to Cheese Caves: Energizing the 'Cold Chain'