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Making Flour

For entrepreneurs looking to start a business, we offer resources on making breadfruit flour for economic benefit.

We have helped several successful breadfruit flour entrepreneurs in Haiti to get a business up and running. Before you buy equipment and start making flour, you must first create a business plan. A business plan should include the following 10 components:

  • Mission statement to articulate the goal of the company
  • Description of company, product, and/or service
  • Market analysis – Describe market you are entering, competitors, where you fit, what type of market can you secure
  • Description of management team and their experience
  • How you will market the goods
  • Analysis of company strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats
  • Cash flow statement describing your financial needs now and in the future
  • Revenue and expense projections
  • Summary/conclusion to wrap it all together
  • Details on plant suitability, climate, transportation, processing, and packaging

Other considerations before beginning:

  • Find customers to sell to
  • Create attractive packaging for flour or for other end product

Now that you have a business plan you can acquire the equipment needed to make flour. You can visit our equipment page, which describes the type of equipment you will need based on the size of your operation. If you are a new business owner you will likely be a mid-sized operation.

Now that you have the equipment, you can produce flour.

Harvesting fruit

  • Fruit is not too green or too overripe
  • Fruit has latex on the skin
  • Cut out the stem, invert the fruit, and drain excess latex
  • Wash the fruit and keep in cool water before processing

Shredding fruit

  • Cut the fruit into chunks
  • Peeling the skin is optional
  • Shred fruit using grater, mandoline, or hand/motorized shredder
  • Recommend 3/16” (or 4 mm) shred teeth

Drying fruit

  • Dry outside, within 24 hours
  • Use hybrid solar dryer, dehytray, or propane oven
  • Spread out shreds on mesh or a perforated tray
  • Ensure plenty of air flow, preferably warm and dry
  • Protect from insects and dust
  • When fully dry, the shreds will snap between your fingers
  • Dry shreds can be safely stored for months, if moisture protected

Grinding fruit

  • Grind fruit into a fine flour using mortar and pestle or hand/motorized mill
  • Shreds must be completely dry or grinder/mill will clog
  • Manual grinding is heavy work. Use electricity or other power if possible
  • Clean equipment daily

Packaging

  • Use food safe packages 
  • Include 1 to 5 pounds of flour per package
  • Weigh accurately
  • Use labels

Be sure to check out our hybrid solar dryer here, our recommended equipment here, and recipes for breadfruit flour here!