A NORTH Queensland-made invention for drying out fresh produce could hold valuing-adding potential for smaller horticulture growers, but its maker is having a tough time getting traction for further development.
Mareeba-based Keith Courte spent 30 years in the cacao industry in Papua New Guinea, rising through the ranks to become a plantation manager of an 809 hectare (2000 acre) operation boasting some 365,000 trees.
It was here he saw the need for low-maintenance, user-constructed driers to help with cacao bean drying.
What resulted was the Guguini Produce Dryer; a unit about the size of a fridge that runs off a small timber furnace and a solar-powered fan.
When using an Australian-made drying unit back in the day, Mr Courte was amazed at the high cost of running it, including using 17 litres (4.5 gallons) of diesel per hour.
"It gulped fuel like I can drink rum," he said.
"I thought; there's got to be a better way."
He observed smaller cacao producers who made rudimentary dryers out of 44-gallon drums with chimneys.
This resulted in the beans absorbing the smoke from the timber being burned which would then have to be removed using chemicals in the factory.
Mr Courte's design seals the drying produce away from the smoke, leaving it untainted.
"If this furnace is run correctly, it is impossible to contaminate any produce with smoke or fumes from the fire," Mr Courte said.
"The fans put a small pressure in the drying chamber and this will stop any smoke from coming to the hot air, should a leak occur."
He presented some of his early models of the dryer to PNG growers for feedback.
"They said it was very good but with no roads into some plantations, they asked how would they get them in? They asked if I could make it better," Mr Courte said.
This pushed him to re-think the dryer with ease-of-shipping and set-up in mind.
Packed for simplicity
A ONE metre dryer can be shipped in a 1m x 1m x 2m package.
Buyers are required to create a level cement footing to specific dimensions, plus two 12-volt batteries to run the fans in case of loss of power.
The box is then placed onto the slab with the door facing the back.
When opened, all the loose parts for the drying racks, solar panels and electric box are inside.
RELATED READING
Once the furnace, heating pipe and exhaust are put in place and secured, the drying racks can be inserted and the electric box connected with the correct (marked) wires to the solar panels and fan motors, plus the batteries.
Mr Courte said the two 12-volt batteries would drive the fans for days without sun.
A fire is lit within the firebox, which will only accept pieces of wood about 13cm (5 inches) in diameter and 30cm (12 in) long.
A fire that is too large will heat up too much and ruin the produce.
"A steady feed of wood about every 30 minutes with a couple of small pieces is best," Mr Courte said.
The temperature gauge should be between 45 and 65 degrees Celsius.
The 1m model contains seven square trays giving 6.31 square meters of drying space.
Larger models can hold 10 trays, while specific requirements can also be manufactured.
The whole thing is modular, designed so each piece can be carried by two men if required.
The furnace is the same size on all models which means if it is damaged or worn out, it can be easily replaced. Larger driers have multiple furnaces fitted.
"In half an hour of receiving the unit you can be drying your produce," Mr Courte said.
Large driers are fitted out onsite.
Potential for produce
WHILE cacao and coconut were the impetus, Mr Courte said there is great potential for the units to be used to dry second-grade fruit, copra (coconut kernels) and even meats for the creation of jerky.
He said there had been a request from a kangaroo harvester for hanging racks.
"I can't see why we can't be drying mangoes, pumpkin and all kinds of stuff," he said.
The dyers are ideally suited to plantations in areas like Papua New Guinea as they easily handle drying both cacao beans and coconut.
"The interior fit-out depends on the final use," Mr Courte said.
The interior can be modified in consultation with the client, be it for drying fish or producing jerky.
While Mr Courte said the cost of shipping was a major hurdle in exporting the units to other countries, despite interest from other places such as Samoa and West Africa.
An ideas man
THE dryer isn't Mr Courte's only innovation.
He also patented an efficient cacao bean opener back in the seventies, and has also developed his own soap and hand sanitiser which, he said, has the ability to deal with head lice and dog fleas.
Frustratingly for Mr Courte, he has been unable to get backing or government support for further expansion of the dryers despite making contact with various departments and politicians over the years.
"There is no such thing as local support for anything you want to do in Australia," he said.
Mr Courte said he'd prefer to use all Australian-made materials however that was increasingly cost prohibitive.
One example was sourcing food grade stainless steel half-inch mesh for a specific dryer request.
A local manufacturer could only provide the product at about three times the price of which he could import it from China, including transport costs.
Mr Courte said when an order comes in, he requires a 50pc deposit and the remaining 50pc when it's shipped.
Sign up here to Good Fruit and Vegetables weekly newsletter for all the latest horticulture news each Thursday...