Most freezers top out around 0°F. Central Storage & Warehouse just opened space that runs 70 degrees below that. On June 2, 2026, the Midwest cold storage developer and operator celebrated the grand opening of a new −70°F ultra-cold expansion at its Pleasant Prairie facility in the Kenosha, Wisconsin area—and for anyone who moves temperature-sensitive product through the food supply chain, it's a milestone worth understanding.
This is the second expansion of CSW's ultra-cold capacity, which was originally built in 2016 and first expanded in 2020. The company partnered with Consolidated Construction Company (CCC) and Summit Refrigeration to design and build the new environment.
Why −70°F Is a Different Animal
Hitting and holding −70°F is not a matter of turning a conventional freezer down a few notches. It's a specialized engineering feat. The system requires purpose-built refrigeration to sustain temperatures far colder than standard frozen storage—and to hold them reliably, around the clock.
The payoff is a highly specialized capability: safely storing temperature-sensitive ingredients that play a critical role in the food manufacturing supply chain. These are the inputs that can't tolerate temperature swings, the ones where cold-chain integrity is the whole ballgame.
The expansion was purpose-built to support continued growth in CSW's Ultra-Cold Operations—capacity added deliberately, not as an afterthought.
Growing in Step With Customers
CSW frames the Pleasant Prairie project as part of a broader strategy: investing in new capacity and capabilities so long-term partners have room to scale with a trusted provider. In other words, build the room before the customer needs it, so growth never stalls waiting on infrastructure.
"The expansion would not have been possible without our frontline team members and leaders living our people-first, team-based, and service-oriented values every day," said Hill Hamrick, Co-CEO of Central Storage & Warehouse.
Tracing its roots to 1947, CSW operates five facilities and describes itself as actively expanding. The company offers custom cold storage solutions across a range of temperature options, maintains high food safety standards, and leans on warehouse management technology to keep operations tight.
Why It Matters
For food manufacturers, procurement directors, and foodservice executives, ultra-cold capacity is a quiet but critical link in the chain. When an ingredient demands −70°F, there is no "good enough" alternative—storage either meets the spec or the product is at risk. Added regional capacity in the Upper Midwest gives buyers a nearer, more resilient option and reduces reliance on a single or distant provider.
The practical takeaways for operators and buyers:
- Vet cold-chain partners on headroom, not just current capacity. A provider that expands ahead of demand is one you can scale with instead of outgrow.
- Match the temperature spec to the ingredient. If your formulations or sourcing include ultra-cold-sensitive inputs, regional −70°F availability can shorten transit exposure and tighten food safety.
- Build resilience into procurement. Every added node of specialized regional capacity is one more hedge against cold-chain disruption.
The signal here is bigger than one building: as food manufacturing grows more specialized, the storage infrastructure behind it has to keep pace—and the operators who plan their supply chains around that reality will be the ones who protect quality and margin.
Explore More Cold-Chain and Supply Chain Coverage
Infrastructure innovations rarely make headlines, but they shape what's possible on every menu and manufacturing line. For more on how the industry is rethinking behind-the-scenes systems, see our coverage of advancing health and sustainability in foodservice and how hospitality operators are reengineering programs for scale.
Is ultra-cold capacity a factor in your sourcing strategy? Tell us how cold-chain reliability is shaping your procurement decisions in the comments.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine’s “Top 40 Under 40” for founding American Wholesale Floral. Politz is also the founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
