Coconut Milk Powder Business: How to Start a Coconut Milk Powder Processing Plant

Coconut is found in abundance in Africa, Asia, Malaysia and India. Exploited for its amazing qualities the drupe is a member of the palm family. 

Coconut is a valuable commodity that has many commercial applications. Almost every aspect of the coconut tree is used from the fruit, shell and leaves to make canopies.

It is manufactured into different products such as coconut creams, coconut oils, coconut drinks and coconut milk powder. It can be consumed raw, made into additives or used in many dishes.

The tree has a very long lifespan and produces between 70-200 coconuts on each tree yearly. The tree is commonly found in the tropics and grows abundantly on beaches around the world.

Coconut milk powder is just one of the products you can produce using this valuable resource. The characteristic of coconut milk powder is a fine white powdery substance.

Coconut milk powder is favored in India and other East Asian countries. Manufacturers of coconut milk package the product in ascetic packages, bottles and cans.

Coconut milk is produced through a spray drying process. The process uses raw unsweetened coconut milk cream, reconstituted with water to use in various recipes.

Coconut milk is added to smoothies, cakes, curries, coffee sauces and yogurts. To launch your enterprise you need to understand the spray dry process and consumer market.

You need to find a steady source of raw coconuts, equipment and funding. Other considerations are incorporation, permits and licensing.

By Papa November (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Different Products Manufactured from Coconut

There are many products both consumable and non-consumable made from coconuts. Listed below are a few products in the market.

·         Coconut cream

·         Coconut water concentrate

·         Coconut milk

·         Coconut milk powder

·         Desiccated coconut

·         Coconut water

·         Coconut flavor

·         Coconut Sugar

·         Coconut Flour

How Coconut Milk is made at home

Once harvested the coconut flesh is grated and soaked in hot water. Coconut cream is skimmed off the top while the reaming liquid strained to extract coconut milk.

The white liquid goes through the process repeatedly to obtain a clear liquid. Manufacturers use coconut milk extracting machines to produce large quantities of coconut milk.

Coconut water is the liquid found in the coconut when opened and distinctively different from coconut milk.  

The machine automatically squeezes the coconut to produce coconut milk. Fresh coconut is processed into three products vinegar, coconut milk powder and desiccated coconut powder.

Coconut Milk and Coconut Milk Powder Processing

The fresh coconut is first processed into white meat while the coconut water is used to produce vinegar. The white meat is then extruded into low fat desiccated coconut and coconut milk.

The low fat desiccated coconut is dried and made into desiccated coconut powder. To make coconut milk powder the coconut milk obtained from the extrude is blended and other ingredients are added.

The blended coconut milk is dried and turned into coconut milk powder. The final stage is the packaging of the product.

Chart for Vinegar

Fresh Coconut – Coconut Water – Vinegar

How to make Vinegar

Chart for Desiccated Coconut Powder

Fresh Coconut – White Meat – Extrude – Low Fat Desiccated Coconut – Dry – Desiccated Coconut Powder – Packaging.

Chart for Coconut Milk Powder

Fresh coconut – White Meat – Extrude – Coconut Milk – Blend – Ingredient – dry – Coconut Milk Powder – Coconut Milk Powder Packaging.

Coconut Milk Nutritional Facts

The liquid extracted from grated white meat is coconut milk. It has 16% saturated fats and rich oil.

It contains 1% magnesium, 1% iron, 0.5g sugar, 0.3g dietary fiber. Manufacturers have a choice of coconut milk extracting machines.

They are made from stainless steel and have different production capacity. Most machines need only one operator and can produce from 35kgs to 300kgs per hour depending on the type of motor and capacity.

The machine you purchase should produce high quality low fat and high fat powder. Make sure the operational cost is low and uses minimum manpower. It should have a compact design, auto controlled and easy to operate.

Locating the Coconut Milk Factory

You can lease a shop in a commercial area or operate home. You don’t need large space to install the machinery needed to produce coconut milk powder.

 However large producers could install automated and semi automated machinery. Other machines to consider are caning and sealing machines.

Registration

Incorporate the enterprise as a sole proprietorship business or limited liability company. Make sure your product is tested and standardized by regulatory agencies.

You need a trade license and value added tax. To secure funding apply for soft bank loans or borrow from friends and family.

Try target saving or approach someone for partnership arrangement. Print labels for your product and include ingredients and description.

The Product

To beat the competition produce pure, diary, gluten-free coconut milk powder. It should have natural flavor and enticing aroma. The product should have at least 80% freshly squeezed coconut milk, other ingredients and beautiful package.

Marketing

Sell your products to grocery stores, supermarkets and malls. Other customers include wholesale commodity stores, retailers and market women. Use print or electrical medium to reach your customers.

Build a Website

Hire a web developer to build an SEO website. Include product images, description, ingredients and size.

Makes sure the website has a telephone number, home address and email address. If you want to take online orders include a shopping cart.
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