This year's NVKL Cooling Trophy 2026 was awarded to Hamapo BV. This afternoon, the refrigeration company received the challenge trophy from the hands of Formula 1 sports reporter Jack Plooij under the watchful eye of an expert jury and visitors at the VSK+E trade fair in Utrecht.
NVKL, the association of refrigeration companies, has been awarding the NVKL Cooling Trophy since 1989 - once every two years - during the VSK+E to a company that has realized an innovation in refrigeration and/or climate engineering. Innovations that stand a chance of being awarded the trophy must be applicable in practice and lead to successful results in a technical, economic and/or social sense.
An independent jury led by John Tsoutsanis, member of NVKL project group KANS, evaluated all entries and announced the three nominees. In the end, the product OpTiO Cascade Evolution of Hamapo BV was declared the winner of the Cooling Trophy.
The contenders
From the entries, three finalists were nominated. In addition to Hamapo BV, BLR-Bimon and HE Techniek stood a chance of winning the innovation prize. BLR-Bimon developed with their KlimaatKlas a practical learning environment in which young people and lateral entrants are trained to become climate technicians of the future.
The concept connects education, practice and sustainability and contributes to solving the shortage of professionals in the sector.
HE Techniek participated with the heat pump training unit. This compact, mobile heat pump training unit makes the operation of heat pumps transparent and measurable for students and course participants, thus stimulating knowledge and interest in sustainable heat pump technology.
Winning product OpTiO Cascade Evolution of Hamapo BV
With the OpTiO Cascade Evolution, Hamapo BV shows how innovation, safety and efficiency come together in industrial refrigeration technology. Developed specifically for CO2/NH3 cascade systems, this unique 3-in-1 tube exchanger sets a new standard in design and performance. The strength of the OpTiO lies in its thoughtful cascade design: high energy efficiency at a very small temperature difference, combined with minimal ammonia content. Dual safety chambers eliminate leakage of CO2 to the ammonia side, making the system exceptionally safe. The integrated NH3 separator also ensures dry suction gases without additional components or maintenance.
Its compact, modular design makes the OpTio widely applicable: from new installations to phased expansions and add-on heat pumps. The OpTiO Cascade Evolution proves that advances in refrigeration technology can go hand in hand with safety, durability and practical applicability. With this innovative solution, Hamapo BV rightly earned the NVKL Refrigeration Trophy 2026.
