The Grandmas and their grandchildren came to see the dryer arrive. The heat pump for the new fruit dryer was delivered in a large wooden create and it will enable the grandmas to dry their own pineapples, pack and ship them to the UK all on site, in Luwero Uganda.
The journey of the dryer began thousands of miles away in a factory in China, then packed and put on board and shipped to Mombasa the principal port for East Africa. The distance from Quangzho to Mombasa Kenya’s Red Sea port is over 6,800km. The journey to Kampala is another 1,000 km and 100km to Luwero. The fruit drying processing facility will produce premium quality dried tropical fruit, with profits returning to the Grandmas Gardens for the benefit of the community.
The precious cargo of the dryer is so important to the Grandmas’ Gardens group as it means they can dry the tropical fruit themselves (now pineapple but they’ll soon be drying mango, jackfruit and bananas for sale!) reducing the cost of contract drying. More importantly, the grandmas will receive training in food preservation and processing, recognised hygiene standards, and building a local skills base in food production that will support the wider family farming community.
These benefits are all part of the lasting legacy of this social enterprise. The real beneficiaries are the children whose education can be assured with the income from fruit sales going to pay school fees, as well as developing new job opportunities in the food technology industry.
They produce a premium pineapple snack is a favourite choice for vegans and one of your five a day, best of all it is plant-based and packed with healthy vitamins.