CONA offers specialized solar dryers for medicinal herbs, spices, teas, and other herbal products.
The systems are designed to process food items in compliance with strict hygiene standards. They feature horizontal airflow, ensuring excellent distribution of the drying air throughout the chambers. Solar herb drying is highly effective!
The material being dried is not directly exposed to sunlight. This preserves essential properties such as color, taste, vitamins, and aroma. Unlike direct open-air sun drying, the essential oils of the herbs do not evaporate in our dark drying chambers!
The chambers are equipped with stainless steel floors, and the drying trays are also made of stainless steel, guaranteeing hygienic operation suitable for the food industry. For particularly fine herbs, we also offer washable tray liners that facilitate the drying of delicate botanicals.
Fans blow the air into the system and distribute it evenly. The systems are equipped with protective filters and meshes to prevent dust and insects from entering. Various system sizes are available (see Models).
More than 100,000 people are already supplied with medicinal herbs dried in CONA solar dryers. Solar herb drying is healthy for both people and the environment!
Advantages of Solar Drying for Herbs, Spices, and More
Preservation without additives, sugar, or chemicals:
High-quality drying using efficient solar technology in protected chambers—equipped with stainless steel trays, air filters, and insect screens—enables preservation without any additives, sugar, or chemicals. Solar herb drying is ecological and sustainable.
Advantages of CONA solar driers:
- Secure your harvest: Drying herbs in CONA solar drying systems allows you to secure an entire season’s harvest and make it available for later use.
- Protect valuable ingredients: Thanks to the light-protected drying chamber, color, taste, aroma, and active ingredients are beautifully preserved. It also prevents the evaporation of precious essential oils.
- No turning required: Optimized horizontal drying delivers a highly uniform result, meaning there is no need to turn or rearrange the product inside the chamber.
- 100% natural: It is entirely possible to obtain a 100% natural product completely free of additives.
- Hygienic conditions: The use of premium materials like stainless steel and glass ensures production under strict hygienic conditions—crucial for marketing and obtaining necessary certifications and permits.
- Fast amortization: The initial investment costs of the system pay off very quickly due to minimal running costs.
- Energy-saving technology: The entire drying system is optimized for solar operation and utilizes highly energy-efficient technology.
- Washable fresh air filters: Designed to keep dust away from the drying material.
- Temperature control: The solar drying chamber features removable stainless steel components and a temperature display to ensure that the ideal limit of 45°C for herbs is not exceeded.
- Premium results: Solar-dried culinary herbs beautifully retain their vibrant color, natural scent, and vital vitamins.
Advantages of Solar Technology
- Minimal energy and maintenance costs following the initial investment.
- Utilizing solar energy strengthens sustainable business practices.
- Solar energy is eco-friendly and produces zero CO2 emissions.
- Saves non-renewable energy sources.
- Actively contributes to climate protection—a factor of steadily increasing importance.
Models
CONA offers eight different model variations for solar herb dryers. These compact models range from 5 m² to 50 m² of surface area, providing everything needed for the professional drying of garden herbs, spices, medicinal herbs, teas, and more.
All eight model variants are delivered prefabricated and partially pre-assembled, allowing for very easy on-site installation. This eliminates extra planning and assembly costs.
How to find the right dryer model for your needs:
What do you primarily want to dry?
e.g., fine herbs, whole-stem herbs, spices, etc.What is the weight per square meter of your material?
e.g., 1 m² of chopped herbs without stems, spread 3 cm deep, weighs approx. 1 kgWhat volume do you want to dry per day or per week?
When do you plan to dry? (Spring, summer, autumn, winter, rainy season, etc.)
Is a continuous power supply available on-site, or is an off-grid system required?
Feel free to send us your thoughts on these questions via email, and we will gladly recommend the ideal system for you.
Further details on models SF25, SF75s, SF100s, and SF200s can be found under the respective model types. A detailed overview table comparing the different models is available upon request.
Large-Scale Plants
If you require a larger system with a surface area ranging from 50 m² to 600 m², we offer the opportunity to co-develop a customized solution tailored to your exact needs in a dedicated planning workshop. The result of this workshop is a complete, ready-to-implement blueprint for your custom herb drying system.
References
Semiindustrial solar drying plant SF400 for moringa herb drying in Cuba
In September, 2016 the 5th solar drying of CONA started in Cuba to produce dried moringa leaves. At the institute Finlay moringa is dried in the best quality for moringa tea, moringa powder and moringa capsules.
The solar drying plant for moringa has installed 60 m² solar area on the roof of the house and with it a thermal top achievement of approx. 43 kW.
Inside of the processing building 2 drying lines of the model SF400 were installed.
Every line has 4 high grade steel trolleys on which the moringa leaves can be loaded directly in the processing area. Thus a practical and especially hygienic work is also guaranteed.
We personally explain many other advantages of this arrangement to you with pleasure.
Solar medicinal herb drying in El Salvador:
60m2 of solar collectors and 3 drying chambers SF75 connected in parallel. Here hibiscus get dried and is sold as hibiscus tea.
Solar herbal drying in Wartberg/Krems in Upper Austria
Mr. Baldinger has the model SF25 and dries with it primarily wild herbs. He mixes this on the one hand to a biological soup seasoning and on the other hand he feeds on it his pig to save veterinarian’s costs.
With pleasure you can acquire his products from him and/or contact him for an inspection.
Solar fruit and herb drying in Nicaragua
32m² solar collectors in Nicaragua to dry fruits and medicinal herbs.