Long before refrigerators existed, people kept food cool the same way the earth has always kept itself cool: by digging down.
Ice houses and earth cellars have been used for centuries to exploit the stable, cool temperatures found just a few feet below the surface — where soil and plant matter insulate against the heat of summer. Now a Dutch inventor has turned that ancient principle into a thoroughly modern product: the Ground Fridge, an ingenious underground food storage unit that requires almost no electricity and can keep produce cool even during heatwaves.
The device — shaped like a large, rounded pod buried beneath a grass mound — has just been installed at OmVed Gardens, a two-acre urban growing project in north London. It is the first Ground Fridge to be installed in the UK, and early reports suggest it is performing exactly as promised.
"The temperature seems to stay at between 8 and 15 degrees, even during heatwaves, which is ideal," said Josefine Marchandise, the regenerative kitchen lead at OmVed Gardens. "We are always in need of more storage space, and this meets that need in a way that is both very useful and practical, but also beautiful."
The Ground Fridge was designed by Dutch inventor Floris Schoonderbeek. Its design takes advantage of the fact that several feet underground, insulated by soil and vegetation, the ambient temperature remains remarkably stable throughout the year. A small solar-powered ventilation system draws cool night air in and flushes warmer daytime air out — maintaining a cool interior temperature without a conventional refrigeration unit, compressor, or significant electricity draw.
The result is a space with roughly the same storage capacity as a dozen full-size household fridges, at a fraction of the energy cost.
Ordinary domestic refrigerators are significant energy consumers. Globally, food cold-chain infrastructure accounts for a substantial share of energy use across the food system. Solutions that cut refrigeration energy without sacrificing food preservation could make a meaningful contribution to sustainability — particularly in contexts where electricity is expensive, unreliable, or carbon-intensive.
OmVed Gardens is precisely the kind of place where such a device thrives. The site grows dozens of varieties of vegetables, herbs, and medicinal plants according to permaculture principles, and the on-site kitchen uses its bounty to run workshops, host events, and feed visitors. Demand for fresh, seasonal produce — and the space to store it safely between harvest and use — is constant.
Visitors to OmVed Gardens encounter the Ground Fridge as a curious object half-buried in a flowerbed: a circular door set into the grass, opening onto a staircase descending into a small, round, blissfully cool underground room lined with shelves. Even on a hot summer day, the temperature inside is immediately noticeable.
"It's lovely to come out into the garden to fetch something from the fridge, rather than just staying in the kitchen the whole time," said Marchandise. "More space, with less stress."
The Ground Fridge is not cheap to install — a new unit costs around 12,000 pounds plus tax. But its running costs are negligible, and the cost per unit of storage compares favorably with conventional refrigeration over time. Schoonderbeek's company has previously installed units across continental Europe; the London installation marks a step into the UK market.
Community gardens, urban farms, small restaurants, schools — anywhere that handles large quantities of fresh food could benefit from a low-cost, low-carbon approach to keeping it cool.
The Ground Fridge is a reminder that the most useful innovations are not always entirely new ideas. Sometimes the smartest thing you can build is a better version of something your great-great-grandparents already knew.
