In 2012, GCCF worked with Development Alternatives, Inc. (DAI) on the USAID-funded Morocco Economic Competitiveness (MEC) project by hosting activities to identify and promote potential cold chain investment opportunities in Morocco. Specific activities included a webinar introduction, Business-to-Business (B2B) matchmaking, and advisory services. The webinar was led by GCCA with featured speaker, Matthew Meredith of Lixia Capsia (LixCap), who presented several investment opportunities in Morocco. Approximately 2 months later, LixCap established Atlas Cold Port on November 28, 2012 as the entity to develop a food logistics platform at the Port of Tanger Med. The webinar included the participation of GCCA member Friopuerto, a cold storage operator in Valencia, Spain. Principals of LixCap met with Mr. Manuel Cabrera-Kabana Sartorius of Friopuerto Invest SL and subsequently began a business partnership to develop jointly the Tanger Med Project with local investors Yacout Investissement. Since this time, Atlas Cold Port has been rebranded as Friopuerto Tanger. With a total investment commitment into Morocco of USD 15 million, the first phase of the facility opened in February 2016 to create a “fresh hub” at the Port of Tanger Med. This hub includes cold and fresh storage, packaging, processing, and handling services.
