Central Storage & Warehouse (CSW) has opened a new −70°F ultra-cold expansion at its Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin facility, marking the third phase of ultra-cold development at the Kenosha-area campus since the program launched in 2016.
The project was built in partnership with Consolidated Construction Company and Summit Refrigeration. CSW describes itself as a premier Midwest cold storage developer and operator — and for food and beverage supply chain professionals, the expansion represents added depth in a region where ultra-low-temperature capacity remains a limiting factor for scaling certain frozen and specialty product lines.
Why Ultra-Cold Matters
Storage held at −70°F goes well beyond standard blast-freeze or conventional frozen food warehouse specs, which typically run between 0°F and −10°F. This temperature range is essential for preserving the integrity of highly sensitive items — including certain seafood, specialty ingredients, and biological products — where standard cold chain infrastructure falls short. For foodservice distributors and manufacturers sourcing premium or scientifically sensitive products, access to verified ultra-cold capacity near major Midwest logistics corridors can meaningfully reduce both spoilage risk and transport complexity.
Pleasant Prairie sits along the I-94 corridor between Chicago and Milwaukee, giving the facility strong logistical reach into two of the Midwest's largest foodservice markets. That positioning makes CSW's expanded capacity relevant not only to regional distributors but also to national operators managing cold chain logistics across multiple distribution points.
A Decade of Incremental Buildout
CSW's ultra-cold program has grown in deliberate stages. The original ultra-cold space was commissioned in 2016, with a first expansion following in 2020. This latest phase continues that trajectory, suggesting sustained demand from the operator and supplier base the facility serves. For food manufacturers and distributors evaluating cold storage infrastructure partnerships in the upper Midwest, CSW's multi-phase investment signals a long-term commitment to this specialized segment rather than a one-off capacity add.
The cold storage sector broadly has seen increased capital investment over the past several years, driven by growth in frozen and refrigerated foodservice categories, expanding e-commerce grocery fulfillment, and the ongoing need for resilient supply chain infrastructure. Ultra-cold capacity, in particular, has attracted attention as foodservice operators and ingredient suppliers seek partners capable of handling increasingly complex product portfolios.
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 Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
