Lebanon Trading Company — Large-Capacity Freeze Dryer for a New Freeze-Dried Fruit Business

Client Background:

SunCode is a trading company in Lebanon with experience in dried food and food equipment distribution. The customer noticed that freeze-dried fruit was becoming increasingly popular in supermarkets, health food stores, and online snack channels. Compared with traditional dried fruit, freeze-dried fruit has a crispier texture, better color retention, and a more natural taste. Because of this market trend, the customer wanted to start a new business by producing and supplying freeze-dried fruit products to local food brands and retailers.

Project Background:

At the beginning, the customer only had a basic understanding of freeze drying technology. Their original idea was to start with a very small machine for testing. However, after discussing their business model, we found that a small-capacity freeze dryer would not match their future sales plan. As a middleman and business developer, the customer needed enough production capacity to supply different clients, test multiple fruit products, and respond quickly when market demand increased. If the capacity was too small, the payback period would be long, unit production cost would remain high, and the customer would not be able to compete with imported freeze-dried fruit products.

Customer Product Requirements:

The customer’s main pain points were lack of freeze-drying experience, uncertainty about market demand, and concern about production cost. They needed a machine that was easy to operate but large enough for commercial production. Their target products included apple slices, banana slices, strawberries, mango cubes, and mixed fruit snacks. The desired finished product was similar to supermarket-grade freeze-dried fruit: lightweight, crispy, natural in color, and suitable for retail packaging.

Solution:

Based on the customer’s new business plan, we suggested upgrading the project from a small trial unit to a large-capacity industrial freeze dryer. The recommended solution could support large-batch production and help the customer build a more competitive freeze-dried fruit supply chain from the beginning. The system included a food-grade drying chamber, high-efficiency refrigeration, reliable vacuum pumps, and an automatic control panel. This configuration reduced technical barriers for the customer and made it easier to standardize production.

Transaction Results:

For SunCode, the equipment was not only a machine but also the foundation of a new business. It solved the customer’s concerns about limited output, high unit cost, and unstable product quality. With large-scale production capacity, the customer could serve more downstream buyers, develop supermarket-style freeze-dried fruit products, and expand from trading into food processing. The project helped the customer enter the freeze-dried fruit market with stronger production confidence and better long-term business potential.