Let us give you a little background. Ever since we learned that peanuts originate from Paraguay (and surrounding nations), we wanted to plant them. This marks our fourth year planting peanuts. Our first year we were ecstatic to harvest about 28 lbs of nuts. Here's little Timmy helping spreading our first nuts to dry in the sun.
In the early years, we shelled our own peanuts. Later, we paid our neighbor children and teens to help us. However, each year our production has steadily increased. This year we are hoping to harvest over 1500 lbs (700 kilos) of peanuts. We've discovered that on average, a person can shell 3.3 lbs (1.5 kilos) of peanuts per hour.
This would represent 466 hours of shelling. At a minimum wage cost of $1.71/hour (6875 G using current exchange rate of 4,000) we will spend $800 on shelling alone.
We quickly discovered how inefficient and costly this process will be to our micro-industry. We desperately need a machine to help us.
While researching, we found the Universal Nut Sheller (UNS) and our spirits soared. It is exactly what we need.
The UNS was invented by Canadian Jock Brandis to help a women's coop in Mali. This simple machine is made of cement and after receiving the fiberglass molds, can be made locally. Here's the kicker...
It can shell 110 lbs (50 kilos) of peanuts an hour (pictured here)! That is a 3,233 percent increase in efficiency!
We talked to the director at The Fully Belly Project yesterday, whose mission is to improve the economic development of people in rural communities by training them to manufacture appropriate technologies.
They will sell us the fiberglass molds and a kit with all the parts to make 4 machines. We have to find someone to bring us the kits (in 2, fifty pound boxes). We can make our machines and help other small-scale farmers shell their peanuts as well!
The cost of the kit is only $350, with shipping (2 excess baggage fees of $100 plus ground shipping), it will run us around $600. This will provide us everything we need to make four machines. Not to mention that once we have the molds, we can mass produce this machine to help our neighbors increase the value of their crops (it also shells coffee, shea, and jatropha). The price of an unshelled peanut per kilo is only 3,000 G. The price increases to 8,500 G for a shelled kilo, that's almost three times higher!
The thing is, we need the Universal Nut Sheller as soon as possible. If you would like to help us buy the molds to make our own UNS and help others become more efficient farmers and gather a larger profit for their families, we could really use your help!
Please send support to Missionary Ventures, preferenced for the Kurrle PEANUT project (listed under "other"). You can click on the green button to the right or click HERE to donate safely online.
THANKS for helping us meet this URGENT need for the ICCI institute and the farmers we work with!!!
This is 1.5 kilo of peanuts that takes one hour to shell by hand.
This would represent 466 hours of shelling. At a minimum wage cost of $1.71/hour (6875 G using current exchange rate of 4,000) we will spend $800 on shelling alone.
We quickly discovered how inefficient and costly this process will be to our micro-industry. We desperately need a machine to help us.
While researching, we found the Universal Nut Sheller (UNS) and our spirits soared. It is exactly what we need.
We talked to the director at The Fully Belly Project yesterday, whose mission is to improve the economic development of people in rural communities by training them to manufacture appropriate technologies.
The cost of the kit is only $350, with shipping (2 excess baggage fees of $100 plus ground shipping), it will run us around $600. This will provide us everything we need to make four machines. Not to mention that once we have the molds, we can mass produce this machine to help our neighbors increase the value of their crops (it also shells coffee, shea, and jatropha). The price of an unshelled peanut per kilo is only 3,000 G. The price increases to 8,500 G for a shelled kilo, that's almost three times higher!
The thing is, we need the Universal Nut Sheller as soon as possible. If you would like to help us buy the molds to make our own UNS and help others become more efficient farmers and gather a larger profit for their families, we could really use your help!
Please send support to Missionary Ventures, preferenced for the Kurrle PEANUT project (listed under "other"). You can click on the green button to the right or click HERE to donate safely online.
THANKS for helping us meet this URGENT need for the ICCI institute and the farmers we work with!!!
Julie, what a great project. I just sent a donation. Hopefully I did it correctly, I'm only mentioning it so you can check and make sure it makes it to your project, I put Kurrle PEANUT in the box next to "Other" under special projects. It was $100, let me know if you don't get it and how I can call to make sure it is directed to your project.
ReplyDeleteMiss you! Hopefully I can keep up through the blog a little better. Michelle
my name is Jesse Wainer, I am involved in the production of Peanut Butter.
ReplyDeleteWe would like to set up a new factory in a developing country , preferably in South/Central Americas.
We have a direct line to distribution with many major supermarket chains and have over a 12 year trading history with some of our clients who are NYSE listed company's.
We are looking to erect a peanut factory in an impoverished region, we are willing to assist micro farmers in ensuring they have access to markets and that their produce is of export quality.
We will assist in cleaning / shelling/ sorting/preparing the nuts for export markets,.
We will assist the farmers in trying to obtain the best prices possible for A + B grade produce and try open up new trade and ways to market , then the remaining produce that is not fit for export we will produce in to peanut butter that we will purchase direct from the farmers at a preferential rate ,.
We are prepared to give back to our community by assisting local entrepreneurs and farmers to develop and market their products, any excess produce and overstock will be donated to schools and charities.
We promote sustainable farming practises.
We promote gender equality and would look to employ 50% -75% of woman.
Our main business is peanut butter , we require minimum 300 tonnes per year of raw peanuts if we are to seriously consider investing in that region, we however would hope to get to 1000 - 1500 tonnes per year in peanut butter production in as earliest time frame possible over the coming years.
Besides supporting the local peanut farmers we to will contribute to the local economy buy purchasing palm oil , sugar and salt as these are the remaining main ingredients that go in to our peanut butters , along with purchasing packaging from local suppliers.
We would look to initially employ around 10-14 full time operational staff to begin operations on our new plant, these would include jobs such as high level management, food engineers along with regular manual labourers and as we grow we would look to increase these numbers by triple.
We would look to start this operation in the earliest time frame possible, we feel that if we were to be guaranteed supply of minimum 25 tonnes per month of peanuts , we would be ready to bring a production plant over and be operational 60-90 days from the moment supply is secured.
We would require minimum 120 - 200 square meters of factory space to begin operations , this can be in as closest proximity to local supply provided it is accessible by road.
For future growth potential ,we too can look procure other products such as honey , asparagus and pomegranate for juicing or look to begin cultivation in the future as we sell these products to our current customer base, however we will only pursue these avenues provided we are firmly established in the peanut business.
If you feel this is a project that you can assist in and feel that this will be of benefit to your country/community, provided you are able to supply the required minimum of raw materials , please contact me to discuss further.
Thanking You
Kind Rregards
Jesse Wainer
jesswainer@yahoo.com
+49-176-613-83735