Roasted sunflower seeds are a very popular product in our country. Moreover, everyone buys it with pleasure: not only young people, but also older people. Demand this product snack category is stable, so there is an opportunity to build a profitable and promising business. Today we will talk about how to organize the production of seeds and their sale.

Product group characteristics

If we compare roasted sunflower seeds with other products from the snack category (crackers, chips, etc.), then they differ favorably in that the target audience their consumers is the widest. The popularity of sunflower seeds can be explained by the following factors:

There are no age restrictions, they are allowed to be used by children, adults and the elderly;

With no restrictions on the place of consumption, you can enjoy the seeds at home, outdoors, and indoors (for example, some people enjoy husking them in the office);

Absence negative influence on the human body with moderate consumption of this product.

In addition, the seeds contain a lot of substances useful to humans, such as vitamins A, B, D and E, zinc, magnesium, as well as unsaturated fatty acids. Eating this product helps reduce cholesterol levels in the blood, accelerates the process of skin regeneration, improves hair condition, and also has a calming effect on the human nervous system, which makes it easier, for example, to quit smoking. Therefore, when organizing the production of roasted seeds, you can be sure that your products will not only not harm anyone’s health, but will also be healthy.

Business Highlights

The production of fried seeds, like any other enterprise, has a number of its own characteristics. These include the following:

1. Availability of raw materials, as well as its relatively low cost.
2. Opportunity to buy an inexpensive machine for the production of seeds.
3. Quick return on initial investment.

In addition, the prospect of further business development is also very tempting. Thus, the equipment used can be easily reconfigured for roasting coffee beans, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, etc. If in the future you decide to purchase additional units, you can start producing butter, margarine, drying oil, feed cake and a host of other products.

All of the above makes this enterprise a very successful and promising idea. First, you need to draw up a business plan for production.

Seeds as a business: consumers and sales of finished products

As a rule, manufacturers of roasted sunflower seeds do not sell them in retail, preferring wholesale supplies. To do this, it is necessary to establish contractual relationships both with large retail chains and with a number of small shops, stalls and kiosks, as well as, if possible, with distributors and wholesale buyers.

Do not underestimate the activity of competitors in this segment, which makes it necessary to carefully plan all activities aimed at expanding the sales channels of your products.

How are roasted sunflower seeds made?

The seed production technology includes the following stages: calibration, washing, salting, frying, cooling, polishing, packaging and packing. We invite you to consider each point in more detail.

Calibration

On at this stage Large grains are separated from small grains, as well as cleared of debris. For this purpose, calibration units or vibrating sieves are used, which have the function of separating the product into several fractions.

Washing

At this stage, the product is purified. Washing units have a tunnel, pass-through type design and are divided into the following types:

With top watering;

With bottom and top watering, which ensures more thorough washing of the product;

With one heater at the outlet;

With two heaters, which allows for better drying of the seeds, thereby reducing the frying time.

Salting the product

This stage is used in the production of products with a salty taste. For this purpose, an additive adding machine (coating drum) is used. As a rule, units of this type are used in large industries.

Frying

This is the most important stage of seed production. Quality finished products will directly depend on the quality of the equipment used for frying. Most often, electric drum furnaces are used for this purpose, equipped with a stainless steel drum, fins, a thermostat, windows for removing moisture and a paddle for sampling. Sometimes this equipment also includes coolers.

In addition to electric ones, gas-fired drum furnaces are also widely used. They save everything specifications The former, however, allow significant savings on electricity.

Cooling

Since after roasting the seeds are stored for a very long time high temperature Inside their shell, in order to eliminate the possibility of overcooking, they are cooled using special units. This equipment comes in two types: a conveyor or an open round structure equipped with agitators and a directed air flow.

Polishing

At this stage, the process of fine cleaning of products from debris and soot occurs. Cleaning and polishing machines are used for this purpose. By the way, if the production line includes such equipment, then there is no need for initial washing of raw materials.

Packing and packing

As is known, appearance product is very important in the process of marketing a particular product. Roasted sunflower seeds are no exception. Therefore, it is necessary not only to develop a suitable packaging design, but also to purchase high-quality equipment.

Equipment for seed production

The main investments for the manufacture of such products will be related to the purchase necessary equipment. As a rule, it includes the following names:

Units for washing and drying (at the initial stage, in order to minimize costs, this procedure can be performed manually);

Units for calibrating seeds;

Fryer;

Cooler;

Filling and packaging machine.

Of course, you can purchase equipment separately, but the most the best option there will be a purchase of a finished production line.

If the size of your investment in the business is limited, then you can purchase a mini-line for the production of fried seeds. It is based on an electric oven capable of producing 60-100 kilograms of finished products per hour. It is assumed that washing and drying will be done manually. To operate such a production line, two people will be required. Its cost will be about 450-500 thousand rubles. This equipment is designed for a workshop area of ​​30-35 square meters.

If you decide to purchase a fully automated production line, then you will need to spend at least 1.2 million rubles on its purchase. In this case, you will need a workshop with an area of ​​at least 50 square meters.

Room

If you decide to start producing roasted seeds, then you will need to rent a room suitable for these purposes. First of all, it must have sufficient area to accommodate all the equipment. It must also meet all the requirements of the sanitary and epidemiological station and the fire service and have access to basic communications. It is best to select premises on the outskirts of the city in an industrial zone, which will allow you to save on rent.

Business in the production of fried seeds: the financial side of the issue

To begin with, we suggest estimating the approximate initial investment. So, if you decide to organize the production of fried seeds with the purchase of a mini-line for their production, then to start such a business you will have to invest about 1 million rubles (including the purchase of raw materials, renting premises and hiring workers).

As for income, monthly revenue will be about 800 thousand rubles. In this case, the net profit will be at the level of 110 thousand rubles. Thus, the initial investment will be able to pay off within 10-12 months of active work.

So, we can conclude that roasted sunflower seeds as a business is a very profitable, promising, highly profitable and quickly pays off business.

Practice shows that there are no bad business ideas; there are unfavorable circumstances or an incorrect approach to implementation. De facto, a lot of competition or lack of experience is not a hindrance to a successful start; the main thing is to have a great desire and correctly calculate your strengths, plus, of course, think through a sales strategy. Taking such axioms as a basis, you can take a completely new look at how to organize your first business.

Looking at a small business without regard to competition and lack of experience, you can discern a whole cluster successful ideas, primarily mini productions of different formats. Alas, the practice of entrepreneurship in Russia has brought trade and trade to the forefront, but the experience of Western countries suggests the fallacy of this approach. Following the realities of development market relations It can be assumed that in the near future, the retail market will face difficult times and, on the contrary, mini-workshops will receive a tangible impetus for development. Of course, such bright prospects are strategic calculations, but “the sleigh needs to be prepared in the summer.” Although, in addition to strategic advantages, many small ideas production have very specific advantages and can provide high. Today we’ll talk about one such direction, also subscribe to the blog, a whole series of articles devoted to this direction is being prepared for publication. Let me remind you that the publication contains three articles with a description, with business plan calculations, it will be interesting.

Without false modesty, roasted sunflower seeds can be called the most popular product in Russia for “killing time”; for example, in the USA, this niche is occupied by popcorn. The real volumes of consumption of roasted seeds in the country are simply not known; of course, there are statistics from large producers, but according to experts, they occupy no more than 10-30% of the market, although these figures are frankly taken from the air. Of course, we can note the trends of the last decade in the growing “civilization” of the market and the increasing demand for packaged “factory” roasted seeds. But as always. Their greed played a cruel joke on the producers. Fast enough big business refused to work with “quality” and switched to working on the principle of “quantity”, thereby turning away some consumers. Although it is worth being objective, sometimes it is not only the manufacturer of fried seeds who is to blame, but also the intermediaries, who do not comply with the storage conditions of the finished product upon delivery. Be that as it may, the result of such actions was a significant deterioration in the quality of finished seeds from “branded” companies. Small businesses began to take advantage of this factor, creating small mini workshops for the production of roasted sunflower seeds on a regional scale, and very successfully.

Strengths of the idea of ​​a mini workshop for the production of fried seeds

• - low cost of entering the business, more details about the list of equipment for the production of fried seeds here. (date of publication: 04/18/2014);
• - high profitability of seed processing;
• - ease of organization. You need a small room, minimum requirements from regulatory authorities, including the SES, a minimum, a few staff and the usual infrastructure, in fact the same can be said about taxes, enough and;
• - technological simplicity of the production process;
• - high demand. It is worth noting that there is a demand for seeds all year round, What

Disadvantages of producing roasted seeds

• - organization of sales of mini-workshop products. The most painful issue and requiring special attention, plus non-traditional approaches at the stage of formation of a sales network.
• - the need for additional investment in advertising campaigns.

As we see, there are few disadvantages in a small workshop, but they are quite significant, now we will consider the main stages of opening production.

The first stage of opening production is choosing a premises.

The room for a mini workshop for roasting seeds should be quite spacious, optimally up to 100 square meters, plus 30-40 square meters storage facilities. The regulatory authorities do not put forward any special requirements for its equipment, as in fact, in any production, cladding, ventilation, electricity and running water are needed. It would be a good addition if gas was supplied to the room. Gas ovens are a little more economical compared to electric ovens, but practice shows that you should not specifically use natural gas at least at the initial stage of establishing a small production workshop, the costs are too high. Actually, all the requirements, and of course the workshop premises, need to be equipped with a fire alarm. The latter is mandatory for all types of production activities.

Stage two – selection of equipment for a small production workshop.

Actually, there are several options here; you can go with the most condensed option and buy a minimum set of equipment, which will include:

• oven for roasting seeds,
• packaging machine
• cooler-cleaner.

In this case, only ready-made culinary seeds (pre-calibrated, dried and peeled) will have to be used in production. Such raw materials will cost an order of magnitude more than ordinary farm seeds, which still need to be processed. It is worth noting that purchasing additional equipment for calibration and cleaning is quite expensive and justifies such equipment only for more or less significant volumes. We’ll talk about this separately in an article dedicated to equipment for a mini-workshop for the production of fried seeds here.

Stage three of opening – installation of equipment

All equipment used in the production of fried seeds is installed independently and does not require special conditions or knowledge, although if you buy a new one, then of course the best option would be to buy it with installation by the manufacturer. By the way, the ease of installation and dismantling of the equipment provides very high mobility of the business for the production of fried seeds, which is another big plus. For example, the same fish workshop is much more difficult to “move”, which often has a negative impact. Taking into account small investment in opening production and mobility, this is an excellent option for those who want to try themselves in the production direction and dream of a mini-workshop.

Stage four in opening a small production - choosing suppliers of raw materials.

Of course, ideally, I would like to find one channel for the supply of high-quality calibrated culinary seeds, but business practice shows the unreality of this option. Typically, such a supplier has very inflated prices and is ready for discounts only for large volumes. A small workshop cannot afford this, therefore a constant search for a supplier and the availability of a constant supply of raw materials is the main condition for work. Frankly speaking, the most the best option is the purchase of sunflowers at the height of the harvest; it is during this period that sunflower seeds are sold at the lowest price. Especially if you buy from the “field” and “finish” them yourself, bringing them to marketable condition and selling part of the seeds after the new year. Equipping a small barn for storing sunflowers will be relatively inexpensive; the main problem is further work with the seeds, which requires the presence of certain equipment. And these are additional costs. Although, a couple of years ago, when we carried out calculations for one farm on the payback of building a mini elevator for processing and storing sunflower seeds, we came to the conclusion that such expenses pay off in 2 successful seasons. True, purchasing raw sunflowers also requires money, and this is an additional burden on business. In general, I recommend going one of these ways:

• - first, work with small farms with their own storage capacity. It is this category that sells sunflowers in small batches throughout the year to maintain business. The cost in this case will fluctuate greatly depending on the price of the seed on the market;
• - second, this is the creation of our own storage facilities and purchases at the height of the season, which implies additional investment money for opening own production. In this case, a small seed production workshop will have a more or less stable cost throughout the year, and of course a certain stability.

Stage five - fry the seeds.

Actually, the technology of a mini workshop is no different from the technology of frying sunflowers at home. The main difference may be the presence of an automatic conveyor-oven, but for small production it is better to use ovens with periodic loadings of seeds. This is cheaper to start a business and makes it possible to better control the roasting process, and this means control over the quality of the finished product. And quality is the key to the success of an idea.

Stage six – sales of finished products.

As the implementations have already said, this is the biggest problem when opening a small production, and it doesn’t matter in what area. And even more so regarding fried seeds. A proven way to sell the products of a small workshop is to work with convenience stores, while the vast majority of such stores belong to small businesses that are not picky in choosing suppliers. To be clear, large networks require not only big discounts, but also a fee for placing goods on their shelves. As a result, it’s worth starting your own business with them, working with retail, you should do two main things at once:

• - dumping. We offer our products below the wholesale price of branded manufacturers;
• - it is immediately necessary to provide seeds of different packaging, from the smallest packages to 500 grams.

Plus, don’t forget about the advertising campaign; in this case, billboards at traffic intersections with a bright and memorable slogan and, of course, a design work very well. You shouldn’t “invent” advertising yourself; it’s best to contact a professional advertising agency. The second technique, which has proven itself well for narrow regional business, are Promotions with the use of prizes and the circulation of “soft” toys at traffic intersections.

Discovery practice shows that to form a full-fledged sales network it will take six months of intensive work with retail stores. This factor must be taken into account when forming a “margin” of strength for a tear-off project.

program “Your Own Business” project for the production of fried sunflower seeds

How to start your own business? Will the show talk about this? project for the production of fried sunflower seeds

In our country, seeds are a folklore and even cult product. When it comes to them, the image appears of local punks or village clowns who litter. Part of the population has a negative attitude towards seeds, but even they cannot resist the attraction to them.
Sunflower seeds are hypnotizing, addictive, and even after a person’s tongue begins to hurt, he is unable to stop.

In the 90s, all the free places near grocery stores were occupied by grandmothers who sold sunflower seeds in paper bags, chewing gum and single-piece cigarettes. Old women had to master such a business because of small pensions.
Previously, raw seeds were bought at the nearest wholesale and retail market, then washed them. After this, the largest frying pan was placed on the gas burner. The seeds produced by grandmothers in this way were really tasty. They were subject to high levels of control.
However, time does not stand still. Production of roasted seeds reached a new level. Today, hundreds of thousands of bright plastic bags of seeds come out of the workshops of various organizations every day. Now there are a huge number of different brands, but among them there are leaders whose products people know, the quality of their products remains unchanged. They are developing their own business plan, which makes it tasty for people and not at a loss to them.

But how do they produce the roasted seeds that we crack in our time?

In our country, raw materials are produced in two regions - Altai and Krasnodar region. Thin and long seeds are collected in Altai, and pot-bellied and short seeds are from Krasnodar. Sunflower seeds are delivered to the frying and packaging workshops by train. After the harvest is harvested, it is loaded into wagons and sent to the producers.

Roasted seeds must be produced every day. Therefore, regardless of the number of harvests in a year, seeds are always present in producers’ warehouses. The main enemies of seeds are: rodents, time and moisture. In large warehouses where seeds are stored, you can always see hundreds of mouse and rat nests. From moisture, heat and time, the seeds become moldy, which is why they acquire a bitter taste.

According to technology, seeds should not be washed. Firstly, it is very difficult to do, and secondly, washing spoils the taste of even those seeds that have not been spoiled. For frying, producers take seeds from new and old harvests. The proportion in which mixing occurs depends on many factors. The main factor is the integrity of the manufacturer.

Then the mixed raw materials go to calibration. For this purpose, a special machine with several levels of mesh is used. Each grid has its own cell size. Thanks to this, the seeds are cleaned of dust, dirt, and small debris. The seeds are also divided into fractions. Then the largest seeds go into small bags. They are fried separately, since they are large, they require a special method and a different frying time. Medium seeds are placed in a large container, and the smallest seeds are packaged in bags for home frying. The finer fraction is used in the production of sunflower oil.
Salted seeds are obtained by pouring a salty solution over them, which is poured into large, spinning, hot frying pans.
After roasting, the seeds are again sent for calibration to clean them again. Then they are automatically packed into bags.

Video workshop - roasted sunflower seeds production line:

Like any type of snack, seeds are in great demand. But, unlike other representatives of these products (chips or crackers), they have a wider target audience.

This popularity is due to the following product features:

• no age restrictions - seeds are consumed by children, middle-aged and older people;
• no restrictions on the place of use - at home, on the street, indoors;
• virtual absence of harmful effects on the human body with moderate consumption of the product.

In addition, sunflower seeds are a valuable nutritious product, as they contain vitamins A, B, D, E, magnesium, zinc, as well as unsaturated fatty acids. Eating them reduces cholesterol levels in the blood; improves hair condition, accelerates skin regeneration, increases appetite, has a calming effect on the nervous system and helps cope with smoking cessation.

Among the features of the activity it is worth noting the following:

• availability of raw materials and their low cost;
• inexpensive;
• quick payback investments made.

The further development prospect is very tempting: the ovens used in production can be reconfigured for roasting pumpkin seeds, peanuts, coffee beans, etc. By purchasing additional equipment for separation, peeling and cleaning of seeds in the future, it is possible to produce sunflower kernels. It is also possible in the future to produce butter, margarine, feed cake, drying oil, halva and much, much more.

All of the above together makes the production of fried seeds quite attractive and profitable business

Consumers and sales

Potential wholesale consumers of roasted packaged sunflower seeds:

• large retail chains;
• small shops walking distance;
• stalls, kiosks;
• distributors and wholesale buyers.

It is worth noting, however, enough high competition in this segment of the economy, which requires careful planning of measures to expand product sales channels.

Thus, manufacturers sometimes have to resort to non-standard methods to increase sales: they put various surprises in a package of seeds or supplement the product with a bag of salt; use unusual distribution channels such as print kiosks and movie theaters (as an alternative to popcorn); promote products at public events - beer festivals, football matches; they make unusual packaging, for example, in the form of a double glass, one of which is for husks; produce products under the brand of local celebrities (football teams, sports clubs, etc.).

Range

Packaged roasted sunflower seeds on the market can be classified as follows:

• according to the degree of roasting - fried and dried;
• by calibration - uncalibrated, calibrated (the optimal caliber for roasted seeds is 38-40);
• by size - large, medium, small;
• by the presence of contaminants and additional inclusions (peels, fragments of flowers) - those with associated debris and selected (calibrated, especially clean);
• by the presence of peel - unpeeled and peeled (kernel);
• according to the presence of salt - salted and unsalted;
• by packaging volume - as a rule, these are packages weighing from 40 to 300 grams;
• By type of sunflower - classic black seeds and white, so-called Turkish.

Required Equipment

The main equipment for the production of fried seeds includes the following installations:

The above equipment can be purchased separately, but the most optimal and cheapest option would be purchase of a finished production line.

Equipment overview

Currently, the market represents a large number of seed production lines. Separately, it is worth noting the Miass Packaging Equipment Plant, which produces lines of varying productivity and degree of automation.

Thus, a mini-line based on an electric oven with a capacity of 60 to 100 kg/hour, on which seeds are frying and packed, includes a vat-type fryer, a cooling and cleaning machine, a filling and packaging semi-automatic U-01 series 90 (complete set “ quick start”, manufactured by LLC “MAKIZ-Vostok”). Washing and drying is done manually; you need to buy a calibration machine separately.

A fully equipped, highly automated seed frying line with greater productivity, additionally equipped with a set for washing seeds, a conveyor for reloading hot seeds, an automatic filling and packaging U-03 series 55, version 21, a compressor with an air preparation system, a loading conveyor, hopper-feeder, conveyor for unloading packages (“business” package).

With similar productivity, these lines differ in the degree of automation and completeness. To start, it is optimal to buy the “Quick Start” line, and to expand production, the “Business” line.

Feasibility study of the project

Subject to the purchase of a “quick start” line, capital costs are required:

• set of production equipment - 455 thousand rubles;
• equipment for calibration - 240 thousand rubles;
• expenses for setup, installation of equipment and personnel training - 35 thousand rubles;
• Preparation production premises(50 sq. m) - 50 thousand rubles;
• creation of inventory (1 month) - 250 thousand rubles;
• other expenses - 50 thousand rubles.

In total, to implement the project for the production of roasted packaged sunflower seeds, 1,080 thousand rubles are needed. starting investments.

Calculation of revenue, profitability, payback

* Net profit is calculated based on the industry average profitability this species activities.

Over the past couple of years, we have been experiencing a boom in sales of bagged seeds. If 5 years ago you could only buy 200 grams of seeds from street vendors, now in every supermarket, shop or kiosk you can find a multi-colored bag with the coveted inscription.

Moreover, there are these bags for different tastes: white, yellow, black, transparent, 100 grams, 200, 500 - choose whatever you like. And what’s surprising is that, despite such an abundant supply, demand does not fall: the bags sell out with enviable consistency, and in return, like mushrooms after rain, new manufacturers and new packaging appear.

Seeing such a stir, only the lazy did not think about starting the production of packaged roasted sunflower seeds. But how to fry it on an industrial scale? In fact, everything is quite simple.

Methods for frying seeds

The seeds are fried in special frying ovens, which come in two types: periodic loading and continuous loading. Accordingly, there are only two ways to fry seeds. Some, however, also consider heating options for frying ovens, such as gas, electric heating elements or microwave, as frying methods. But, in our opinion, these are just heating options, perhaps affecting the frying speed and its economy, but not the method of obtaining the finished product.

Periodic loading of seeds

This method involves frying the seeds according to the frying pan principle, i.e. poured it into the oven, stirred it, fried it, tasted it, poured it out of the oven. Naturally, this method of frying seeds, as in the situation with a household frying pan, requires maximum human participation. The operator must pour the seed into the oven, which is usually several tens of kilograms or a couple of bags, constantly monitor the process of frying the seeds, tasting it, and, having achieved the desired quality, pour the seed out of the oven. If a person lets his guard down, the entire loaded batch of product can be ruined.

The human factor is the key disadvantage of batch loading. The advantages include the low cost of the frying oven due to the simplicity of its design. Actually, thanks to their low cost, batch-feed frying ovens retain their popularity - the consumer principle works: “simple, cheap, reliable.”

Pass-through method of frying seeds

The second method of frying seeds minimizes human participation in the frying process. The seeds are roasted in a special drum, on one side of which the original product is fed, and on the other, the finished product is poured out. The seed essentially “passes” through the drum, frying along the way, which is why the oven and method are called pass-through.

Used in equipment:

Electric frying oven PZhP-70
. Automated line for frying and packaging seeds ALZHUS-70

In this case, the operator is required to only set operating parameters one-time (product feed rate and frying temperature) and in the future the oven can independently continue frying the seeds. The human factor does not play such an important role as in periodic loading - the quality of frying is guaranteed not by the attentiveness of the operator, but by the consistency of the process.

But such obvious advantages are compensated by the price: continuous-type furnaces are much more expensive than batch furnaces.

Our choice

After a long time weighing all the pros and cons, we ultimately decided on the pass-through method - and for about 5 years now we have been producing exclusively electric feed-through ovens. We also recommend that our clients, despite the price, give preference to continuous-type ovens. What caused this decision?

1. Roasting speed of seeds. In batch ovens, the average speed of frying seeds is about 20-25 minutes, while in continuous-type ovens it is only 10. In addition to the banal productivity, the increased speed of frying seeds has a number of other advantages. Firstly, 20 minutes in the oven is no longer frying, but rather drying. As the seed dries out, like any other product, it loses its taste. This does not happen in continuous ovens and the seeds are actually fried, maintaining optimal taste. Secondly, 20 minutes of being in a hot environment leads to charring of the outer cover of the seed and the formation of ash, which then, when the seed spills out, stains everything it touches: hands, clothes, packaging. Moreover, it gets so dirty that it is sometimes quite difficult to get rid of black spots. In a continuous oven, the seed does not have time to char.
2. Stability of quality. The notorious human factor in batch furnaces leads to the fact that simple inattention, fatigue or poor health of the operator leads to damage to a significant amount of the product. Anything put into the oven may either be undercooked or overcooked. Therefore, the operator is forced to constantly taste the product and monitor its stirring and uniform frying. In continuous-type furnaces, the influence human factor minimized - the seed passes the drum at a given speed. The operator only needs to set the necessary parameters once to constantly receive an equally fried product, without the risk of spoilage.
3. Cooling problem. Anyone who has ever fried sunflower seeds in a frying pan at home knows very well that this product has the ability to “cook.” Those. continue to fry even when removed from the pan. To stop this process, the seed is cooled, usually by laying it out in a thin layer on a flat surface (table), where air circulation extinguishes the roasting process. If you neglect this point and simply pour the seed into a pile, you are guaranteed to get a burnt product. Now imagine roasting several bags of sunflower seeds in a batch oven. When all this mass is ready, it needs to be poured out and cooled. Moreover, cool everything at once, not allowing it to remain in the general mass. And at this time you still need to pour a new portion into the oven (after all, the oven is working) and control its frying. In continuous ovens the situation is simpler: the seeds are not poured out in large volumes, but rather in small quantities. constant flow, so to speak, a “thin stream”, and therefore cooling it is not difficult.
4. Versatility. Pass-through ovens, due to the ability to independently support the frying process, seeds can be easily integrated into automated lines for frying and packaging seeds. These lines are capable, in the absence of direct human intervention, to provide a full cycle of packaging roasted seeds: from receiving the raw material (calibrated seeds) to issuing individually packaged portions. For batch furnaces, the question of inclusion in the line does not even arise: a significant proportion of manual labor makes it simply pointless. Thus, continuous-type frying ovens are more versatile than batch ovens and can function both independently and as part of production lines.

Used in equipment:

The above factors, in our opinion, are significant enough to justify the price of continuous furnaces and give preference to them. Moreover, having created our first line for frying seeds in 2006, we decided that the design of continuous ovens was not entirely optimal and worked for several years to modernize it.

Our innovations

Realizing that we can compete with cheap batch furnaces only through clear superiority in quality and performance, we persistently tried, and are still trying, to improve the efficiency of the continuous furnace. As of the current moment, we can add to our credit the following achievements in this field.

1. The design of the frying drum and heating elements has been changed, resulting in reduced frying time (less than 10 minutes) and increased efficiency. This made it possible not only to increase productivity to 70 kg per hour, but also to obtain the most optimal taste of the fried seeds. We can say that we have found the only case when, as productivity increases, quality does not fall, but rather strives for perfection.
2. Effective thermal insulation of the internal space of the drum is organized, which reduces heat loss and reduces energy costs. In other words, we are gradually moving towards a highly effective but economical product.
3. An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) has been introduced into the standard equipment of the frying oven, the task of which is not only to equalize the “jumping” voltage of the electrical networks, but also to prevent the seeds from burning when the power supply is cut off. Those. in the event of a power failure, the UPS ensures the operation of the drum's electric drive and allows the seed poured into the drum to finish frying due to the residual heat and spill out of it.
4. A frequency regulator has been added to the design, allowing the operator to regulate the drum rotation speed and, accordingly, the seed frying time. This point is important when using raw materials of different humidity or changing the product being fried: for more humid (dense) ones, you can increase the frying time, and for less humid ones, reduce it. Thus, we, in fact, made the oven even more versatile.
5. Created Feedback according to the voltage of the vibrating feeder that supplies the seed to the drum, which is why it maintains a stable vibration amplitude during any “jumps” in voltage. The seed will always be supplied in the same and uniform flow. In our opinion, this is especially true for manufacturers located outside large cities.

But, probably, the most important thing is that when modernizing the furnace, we are constantly working to simplify its design, eliminate unnecessary elements and optimize the manufacture of parts. Thanks to this, we can afford to keep stove prices at least a third lower than our competitors. And this despite the fact that the advantages listed above are included as standard, while competitors, at best, have some of them installed for an additional fee.

And lastly, in the production of frying ovens we are faced with another important point - the more expedient it is to heat the oven.

Electricity or gas?

As mentioned at the beginning of this material, there are at least three ways to heat a frying oven: gas, electric heating element and microwave. The first two are the most common, the third is more exotic than reality (although some consider it quite promising). Accordingly, there are two energy sources suitable for heating the furnace: gas and electricity. Which one to choose and which one will be optimal?

In the race to increase demand, many manufacturers equip their furnaces with gas heating, motivating this decision by the consumer’s familiarity with this type of energy carrier, its availability and low cost. However, in our opinion, this is not entirely true and trying to get a cheap stove can have negative consequences.

Firstly, gas availability is a relative thing. OK, when production workshops are already equipped with a gas main and the only question is about connecting a separate installation, but if there is no gas supply to the room where the stove is located or gas is supplied for domestic needs, saving loses all meaning. After all, the cost of the furnace is in no way comparable to the cost of the project and the physical connection of the industrial gas main.

Secondly, the price of gas is a variable value and very much depends on various conditions: the political situation, quotes on world markets, exceeding the limit, etc. In this connection, sharp and hardly predictable jumps are possible.

AND, Thirdly, sunflower seeds are a product prone to absorption. The seed, although not strongly, absorbs gas combustion products, which leads to a change in its taste and, perhaps, is not entirely useful for the end consumer. Absorption can be avoided by using a heat exchanger in the design of the furnace, but in this case the cost of the furnace increases greatly and the main advantage is lost - low cost.

Therefore, our ovens are exclusively electric. We do not strive for mythical cheapness and do not incline our clients towards it; it is much more important for us to make a high-quality product that is justified in price. Electricity is supplied to almost every building, and if not, then the cost of connection is significantly lower than that of gas. The price for electricity consumption is more or less stable, and the combustion process, as such, is absent in principle - the seed simply has nothing to absorb.