Food drying for business

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I am interested in drying food such fruits, vegetables and other related perishable foods. Please I need the training and machinery for small scale business

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Hi Peter,

While there are many options for food dryers, you might want to check out this simple design from the Horticulture Innovation Lab at UC Davis. We have tested it here at ECHO Florida and found it to be a good low-cost option for food drying.

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Hi Peter,

Here are photos of a design ECHO East Africa promotes shown to us by Anja Weber. This design uses only one piece of plywood, has variable airflow through an adjustable vent, uses expanded metal over tin foil in the flat-black painted convection heat chamber to maximize heat, and costs just $100 including construction here in Tanzania.

food dryer 1
food dryer 1492×1040 37.3 KB

food dryer 2
food dryer 21040×492 57.6 KB

food dryer 3
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Here are the plans for the dryer: Solar Dryer Plans.pdf (6.9 MB)

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If you’d like, I can give you access to these plans:

I have used both the passive and the rocket-assist model, and they work very well.
It is optimized for a cold climate, but a few small modifications would make it suitable for a broad range of climates and contexts.

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Here is a great animation from Trees that Feed