5.1 Place of Work (Home, Shop, or Shared Space)

You don’t need a factory. Just a 6×6 ft clean corner — like a storeroom, verandah, or garage.

The machine looks like a double-door fridge, works silently, and needs only a regular 5-amp power plug.

✅ Ideal setup examples:

• Home-based unit: In Jaipur, Mrs. Neelam Bhatia runs her dryer next to her washing machine. She calls it her “Second Earning Corner.”

• Rented shop: In Nagpur mandi, Raju Patel pays ₹3000 rent for a small godown, runs two dryers, and earns ₹1500–₹2000 profit daily.

• Shared unit: In Surat, an SHG of four women runs one shared machine on rotation — one day each. They’ve now applied for two more units under the PMFME scheme.

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5.2 Tools & Equipment Needed

You only need a few everyday tools — no heavy gear:

• Knife set, cutting board, peeler, slicer.

• Plastic or stainless trays for loading.

• Airtight jars or zip pouches for packing.

• Labels and weighing scale.

• Small table fan and rack for cooling dried food.

💡 Pro tip: Don’t use iron trays — they can react with acidic foods like tomato or amla. Use plastic or steel mesh trays for best results.

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5.3 Understanding the Science — “Drying is Like Gentle Breathing for Food”

Most people think drying means “garam kar do, paani uda jaaye.”

But that’s not drying — that’s burning the soul of food.

SNL’s Heat Pump Dryer works differently — it removes water molecules slowly under controlled, cool air circulation.

Here’s the small science in simple words:

💬 Think of it like this:

• Hot drying is like standing in a desert wind.

• Heat pump drying is like drying your hair with a cool breeze — slow, safe, stylish.

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5.4 How to Operate the Machine (Rules = Perfect Results)

Every batch follows 5 simple steps — just like a recipe:

1. Pre-Cleaning: Wash, cut, and pat dry the items.

2. Loading: Place items evenly on trays. Don’t overload — airflow is key.

3. Set Time & Temperature: Choose the product mode (e.g. “Fruits,” “Spices,” or “Cooked Food”). The machine has presets designed by SNL engineers.

4. Let It Work: The system automatically adjusts airflow, humidity, and temperature.

5. Cooling & Packing: Wait 10 minutes before sealing — moisture condenses a little, which is normal.

💡 No need to watch constantly — you can do other work. The IoT system pings you when drying is done.

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5.5 The Science You Can Feel — “Color, Aroma, Texture”

• Color Retention: When tomatoes come out red, not brown, that’s cold drying magic.

• Aroma Preservation: The scent of mint, tulsi, or curry leaves remains as fresh as plucked from the garden.

• Texture Stability: Apple chips stay crisp, not rubbery. Paneer cubes dry white and sponge-like, ready to soak water again.

👉 Example: In Nashik, Mr. Suresh Joshi, a retired food inspector, dries 30 varieties of herbs — basil, rosemary, tulsi, pudina — all bright green and aromatic.

He calls himself “Herb Scientist without Degree.”

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5.6 Rate of Drying — The Invisible Formula Behind Quality

Every food has its own drying curve — fast at first, slow near the end.

The SNL system automatically senses this using sensors and feedback loops.

You just load, and the machine does the math.

📊 Typical rates:

• 1 kg tomato → 100 g dried in 4 hrs

• 1 kg coriander → 80 g dried in 3 hrs

• 1 kg cooked pulao → 200 g dried in 5 hrs

Even moisture removal rate = even drying = no color loss.

You can say proudly: “Mere dryer mein food khush hokar sukhata hai, gussa nahi karta!” 😄

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5.7 People Who Became Experts by Running This Business

• Sunita Didi (Jodhpur): Started with drying bhindi and tinda; now runs small workshops teaching others about nutrition and dehydration. Locals call her “Drying Didi.”

• Arif & Rehana (Lucknow): Husband-wife duo making Mughlai gravy bases for cloud kitchens; their biryani and korma mixes sell across India through WhatsApp orders.

• Vijay (Ahmednagar): A science teacher turned foodpreneur — runs experiments with mushroom and moringa drying. Now supplies to nutraceutical startups.

• Mary Joseph (Kerala): Retired nurse, dries cooked fish curry for NRIs in Dubai — rehydrates in 5 minutes, tastes fresh!

All of them started as learners and ended up as food processing champions — without going to any college or lab.

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💬 In Simple Words

You are not just switching on a machine — you are controlling temperature, humidity, and time like a scientist, but with a homemaker’s heart.

The science is already built inside the machine — you just follow the recipe, stay clean, and stay patient.

In a few weeks, you’ll speak like an expert — “Rate of drying slow rakho toh color retention better hota hai.”

That’s how simple small people create big food miracles.