1. Project Overview
Product: Dehydrated Tomato Powder
Form: Fine red powder (moisture ≤ 5%)
Raw Material: Ripe fresh tomatoes
Production Capacity Example: 500–1,000 kg/day finished powder (requires ~7–8 tons fresh tomatoes/day)
Shelf Life: 9–12 months (if packed in airtight pouches or drums)
Market: B2B food industries, spice blenders, snack companies, and export
2. Market Opportunity
- Rapidly growing use in instant soups, pasta, snack flavoring, sauces, ready mixes, and dry seasoning.
- Strong export demand from Middle East, Africa, Europe, and SE Asia.
- Ideal utilization of excess or off-season tomatoes — reducing waste.
- Low transport cost vs puree or sauce.
Top buyers: Food processing units, instant food manufacturers, seasoning companies, spice brands, and exporters.
3. Raw Materials & Inputs
| Item | Use | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Fresh ripe tomatoes | Main input | Farmers / own farms |
| Anti-caking agent (optional) | Prevent clumping | Food-grade supplier |
| Packaging material | Vacuum / laminated pouches | Packaging suppliers |
| Power, steam, fuel | Drying & processing | Industrial utilities |
| Water | Washing & processing | Borewell / municipal |
4. Machinery & Equipment
| Equipment | Function | Approx. Cost (INR) |
|---|---|---|
| Tomato washer & sorter | Cleaning tomatoes | ₹75,000 |
| Crusher / pulper | Extract juice/pulp | ₹1,50,000 |
| Filter / decanter | Remove seeds and fiber | ₹1,00,000 |
| Evaporator (for concentration) | Reduce pulp moisture | ₹2,50,000 |
| Spray Dryer / Tray Dryer | Convert puree to powder | ₹8–15 lakh (core machine) |
| Pulverizer / Grinder | Finer powder | ₹1,00,000 |
| Sieve & Blending unit | Uniform size | ₹80,000 |
| Filling & sealing machine | Packing | ₹1,50,000 |
| Miscellaneous (pumps, boiler, etc.) | — | ₹1,00,000 |
Total Machinery Cost: ₹20–25 lakh (tray drying) or ₹30–40 lakh (spray drying, semi-automatic)
5. Production Process (Step-by-Step)
A. Using Tray Dryer (Low Investment):
- Sorting & Washing: Clean and select fresh tomatoes.
- Blanching: Boil or steam briefly to loosen skins.
- Pulping: Extract pulp using a pulper/refiner.
- Pre-heating: Concentrate pulp slightly to remove excess water.
- Drying: Spread pulp thinly on trays → dry at 55–60°C for 6–8 hours.
- Grinding: Pulverize dried flakes into fine powder.
- Sieving & Blending: Achieve uniform consistency.
- Packing: Fill in air-tight pouches or containers.
B. Using Spray Dryer (Industrial / Export Quality):
- Prepare Tomato Pulp → Filter & Preheat.
- Feed into Spray Dryer → Hot air rapidly evaporates water.
- Powder Collection: Fine powder settles in cyclone separator.
- Cooling & Packing: Cool under controlled humidity and pack.
6. Plant Layout (Flow)
Sorting → Washing → Pulping → Concentration → Drying → Grinding → Sieving → Packing → Storage
7. Manpower Requirement
| Role | No. of Persons |
|---|---|
| Production supervisor | 1 |
| Machine operators | 2 |
| Helpers | 3 |
| Quality control | 1 |
| Packaging staff | 2 |
| Admin / sales | 1 |
Total: 9–10 employees
8. Quality & Certifications
- FSSAI License (Mandatory)
- BIS IS 4955:1968 (Tomato Powder Standard)
- MSME / Udyam Registration
- HACCP / ISO 22000 / GMP (For export)
- APEDA & IEC for export compliance
Testing Parameters:
- Moisture: ≤ 5%
- Acidity: ≤ 2%
- Color: Deep red
- Flavor: Natural tomato
- Microbial load: within FSSAI limits
9. Financial Overview (Approx. for Small Scale)
| Item | Cost (INR) |
|---|---|
| Building (rented) | ₹3–4 lakh/year |
| Machinery & Equipment | ₹25–35 lakh |
| Raw Material (monthly) | ₹3–4 lakh |
| Labor & Utilities | ₹2 lakh/month |
| Packaging & Marketing | ₹1 lakh/month |
| Working Capital | ₹6–8 lakh |
| Total Initial Investment: | ₹35–45 lakh |
Profit Margin: 25–40%
Break-even: 2 years
10. Packaging Options
| Pack Type | Size | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Vacuum / Laminated pouch | 100 g, 250 g, 500 g, 1 kg | Retail / B2B |
| HDPE Drum / Liner bag | 20–25 kg | Export / Industrial |
| Paper can / PET jar | 200 g–1 kg | Retail branding |
11. Marketing Strategy
Domestic (B2B):
- Supply to noodle, soup, and spice manufacturers.
- Sell to ketchup & sauce producers (off-season use).
Retail (B2C):
- Pack under your brand “Kolar Red Gold Tomato Powder”.
- Sell in supermarkets, food stores, and e-commerce.
Export:
- Bulk tomato powder in 20–25 kg drums to Middle East, Africa, SE Asia.
- Partner with importers and seasoning companies for white-label supply.
12. Integration with Your Existing Line
You can integrate tomato powder production with existing purée / sauce / ketchup units:
- Use surplus pulp or off-season tomatoes for drying.
- Reduce raw material waste to nearly zero.
- Export high-margin product to global markets.
Combined Chain:
Fresh Tomato → Purée → Sauce/Ketchup → Powder (Full Tomato Utilization System)
13. Sustainability & Energy Optimization
- Solar drying tunnels (optional) reduce energy cost by 40%.
- Tomato skins & seeds → compost or animal feed.
- Use heat recovery from spray dryer exhaust for preheating pulp.
- Recyclable laminated packaging or paper-based options.