The Cooling Tray

The Cooling Tray is a solution for cafes and bars, to help them keep their cakes or sandwiches fresh without using any electricity. Currently, restaurants are using large glass displays to present and electrically cool their goods. Cooling goods without electric power, not only helps cafes and bars to save on energy but can also be a more flexible solution for pop up cafes or stand owners at open air festivals.

The Cooling Tray follows the principle of traditional Zeer Pot fridges from northern Africa. Those evaporative coolers typically consist of two porous clay pots that are stacked into each other. The gap between those pots is filled with wet sand. The evaporation of the water from the sand draws heat from the inner pot. To function, the Cooling Tray only requires a flow of relatively dry air and wet sand. To keep the cool air inside the inner pot, a glass lid is added on top of the inner pot. The holes in the inner pot allow water to be refilled without removing the pot or the lid, making the refilling process easier for the staff.