Biggest cold storage north of Manila opens

ALMA Refrigeration and Cold Storage Inc. has formally opened recently the biggest and most modern cold storage facility in the North outside of Metro Manila.

Strategically located in the heart of Pampanga, this company has been serving the freezing and refrigeration requirements of Northern Luzon for over 32 years, according to ALMA president and chief executive officer Alfredo Lagman, Jr.

The new cold storage facility can hold up to eight million kilos of meat. This is way over their former storage capacity of only one million kilograms of meat.

Lagman also said that with this recent expansion and development, the company’s new facility uses state-of-the-art equipment for refrigeration and freezing.

“The expansion aims to address the bigger and higher demand of meat processors in the region. Dahil nag-expand din sila at lumaki ang volume ng kanilang production so mangangailangan sila ng mga mas malalaking cold storage rooms,” Lagman said.

The newly opened cold storage facility, located in Barangay San Agustin, is equipped with 10 newly built, rentable cold storage rooms, each measuring 1,140 cubic meters; cooling temperature of up to minus-28 degree Celcius; cold storage rooms available for frozen meat, poultry, seafood and dairy products as well as for agricultural products.

It is also accredited as a “AA” meat storage facility by the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS).

Lagman also said that all of the big meat processors in the province store their products in their facilities.

Aside from providing store rooms among large, medium and small scale businessmen, Lagman said ALMA also helps people by providing employment for people not only in the province but also nearby areas.

Bishop Teodoro Bacani led the blessing and Eucharistic celebration together with San Agustin Parish priest Rev. Fr. Jose Lacap and Rev. Fr. Deogracias Galang.

Also, Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPC-RV) and NAMFREL National President Harriete de Villa and Bureau of Customs X-Ray Inspections Program chief, Atty. Ma. Lourdes Mangaoang led the inauguration and ribbon cutting of the newly opened cold storage facility.