Coffee Solar Dryers in Kenya: Efficiently Dry your harvested Coffee Beans.
Coffee solar dryers are used to dry harvested coffee beans to the desired moisture levels. Drying coffee is an important postharvest stage that ensure intended yields are maintained and minimize harvest losses, including taste. Usually, harvested coffee has a moisture content of between 60 and 55% and well-designed coffee solar dryers from Grekkon bring this down to desired moisture content of 10-12%.
Advantages of using Coffee Solar Dryers.
- Increased drying rates. Grekkon natural coffee dryers are designed to efficiently reduce drying times (days). Our dryers can dry coffee between 4 to 6 days, ensuring product quality remains intact.
- Protection from outside environment. Our coffee dryers are designed to ensure rain fall does not enter the drying area, thus minimizing contamination.
- Well ventilated. Grekkon coffee dryers are designed to allow for proper ventilation, minimizing the risk of coffee losses and preserve quality.
- Cost effectiveness: We price our coffee solar dryers competitively.
- Our coffee dryers are designed to maiintain coffee taste and aroma.
The coffee drying process.
Coffee drying typically begins when they are harvested. This is done by taking mature berries to a coffee dryer. Here, they are constantly turned and monitored until the right moisture content is achieved. The drying period should not take more than 7 days on a good weather. Note that drying process takes place during the day in active sunlight. For prolonged drying, the dryer can be modified to dry at night. Please read more about Hybrid Solar Dryers.
How to know when coffee beans are dry.
For proper drying, it is recommended that moisture be reduced from 50% to between 11% and 12%. To achieve even and uniform drying, you need to turn the beans regularly.
Use parchment test to check if your coffee beans are fully dry as highlighted below:
- Take a sample of the dried beans and grab an individual parchment-covered bean.
- Try to crush or break it with your teeth or fingers.
- If it is still soft, rubbery, or crushes easily, the moisture content is too high.
- If it snaps or does not break easily and is very hard, it has reached the ideal 10% to 12% humidity range.
- Alternatively, you can measure the humidity content precisely using a digital humidity/moisture meter.
Components of Grekkon’s coffee solar dryer
We customize coffee dryers using a wide range of materials that include:
- Nectarine polythene cover. This is the most visible component of our coffee dryers. It is the main heat generating and retention component. It is designed to trap and increase temperatures inside. On a good day, temperatures of between 50 to 85 degrees can be achieved. This polythene cover is UV treated to ensure that it lasts for years.
- Shelves. This is made of steel and covered with a food grade black shade netting.
- Ventilation system which is made up of an insect netting. This regulates the flow of air.
- Galvanized steel structure which acts as the main frame.
- Steel door with hinges and locking system.
- Black heavy duty hdpe geomembrane liner to absorb maximum heat and fasten drying.
Coffee Solar Dryer Sizes.
Generally, the size of a coffee dryer will depend on the quantity of coffee intended to be dried and the location it is being constructed. Below are typical sizes constructed by Grekkon and their corresponding drying capacities per session.
| Category | Size (Dimensions) | Drying Capacity per session | Days per session |
| Small | 1.5m x 1.5m x 1.5m | 40-50Kgs | 4 to 6 days |
| Medium | 2m x 2m x 2m | 50 -90Kgs | 4 to 6 days |
| 2m x 3m x 2m | 80-110Kgs | 4 to 6 days | |
| 2m x 4m x 2m | 110-130Kgs | 4 to 6 days | |
| 2m x 5m x 2m | 130-150Kgs | 4 to 6 days | |
| Large | 8m x 10m x 4.5m | 1 tonne | 5 to 7 days |
| 8m x 15m x 4.5m | 2 tonnes | 5 to 7 days | |
| 8m x 30m x 4.5m | 4 tonnes | 5 to 7 days |
Prices of Coffee Solar Dryers in Kenya.
The price of coffee dryers depends on the size and target coffee to be dried. Below are estimates. Please note that the below prices are not final and can be negotiated.
| Category | Size (Dimensions) | Drying Capacity per session | Days per session | Price (Kes) |
| Small | 1.5m x 1.5m x 1.5m | 40-50Kgs | 4 to 6 days | 85,000 |
| Medium | 2m x 2m x 2m | 50 -90Kgs | 4 to 6 days | 100,000 |
| 2m x 3m x 2m | 80-110Kgs | 4 to 6 days | 115,000 | |
| 2m x 4m x 2m | 110-130Kgs | 4 to 6 days | 125,000 | |
| 2m x 5m x 2m | 130-150Kgs | 4 to 6 days | 135,000 | |
| Large | 8m x 10m x 4.5m | 1 tonne | 5 to 7 days | |
| 8m x 15m x 4.5m | 2 tonnes | 5 to 7 days | ||
| 8m x 30m x 4.5m | 4 tonnes | 5 to 7 days |
Do you have any coffee drying needs? We would love to hear from you. Please call us on +254711895635. You can also visit any of our sales outlets across the country. We look forward to working with you as we solve your coffee drying needs.
