How to Turn Your Homegrown Molokhia into Powder and Sell It

When you want to turn molokhia you grew into powder and sell it, the first stumbling block is preparing the raw material. Molokhia has parts that must not go into the raw material, so you can't simply send the leaves as picked.

At Agriture, we receive raw materials from growers and take on drying and powder processing of leafy vegetables. In this article, based on the terms we actually offer through our contract drying service, we walk through the steps from harvest and contract processing to preparation for each way of selling. First, here is a summary of the terms we can accept.

Seeds and pods can cause poisoning: which parts to use and when to pick

Answering the question "I heard molokhia seeds are poisonous. Is that true?", the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries explains that parts of molokhia contain cardiac glycosides (compounds that act on the heart). Ingesting them by mistake is said to cause poisoning symptoms such as dizziness and vomiting, and a case has been reported in Nagasaki Prefecture in which cattle died after eating molokhia plants bearing fruit.

On the other hand, these compounds have reportedly not been detected in molokhia sold as a vegetable, molokhia health foods or molokhia tea, and eating molokhia distributed as a vegetable is not considered to cause health problems. When you grow and process it yourself, what to watch is when you harvest and what goes into the raw material.

Parts that contain the toxic compounds, and parts that don't

The parts that do and do not contain cardiac glycosides are as follows (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, "I heard molokhia seeds are poisonous. Is that true?").

Once ground into powder, seeds or pods mixed in cannot be distinguished by sight. The basic rule is to keep them out at the raw material stage.

Pick before pods form: 4 things to check before sending

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries lists leaves and stems at harvest time and at the bud stage as not containing cardiac glycosides. Do not take raw material from plants with pods (fruit), and finish picking before that stage. Before sending raw material, check the following.

• You have not picked from plants bearing seeds or pods
• No seeds or pods are mixed in with the picked leaves (remove any you find)
• No young sprouts that have just germinated (such as thinned seedlings) are included
• Hard, woody stems have been removed

Is a home mill enough? Yield after drying and how contracting differs

You can make small amounts of powder with a home dryer and mill. But when it comes to making enough to sell, differences appear in effort and finish.

10kg fresh yields about 1kg of powder or less

Fresh leaves are high in moisture and turn into a paste if ground as is, so they are dried first. Once the moisture is removed, the finished amount is roughly 10% of the raw material weight as a guide, and leafy vegetables can fall below 10% (FAQ on yield）。

• From 10kg fresh, expect about 1kg of powder or less
• Work backward from the amount of powder you want to find how much raw material you need
• Decide exact amounts after seeing how much a prototype actually produces

Home mill vs. contract processing: differences in volume, effort and selling

If you want to sell larger volumes, get a consistent particle size or cut down on labor, contracting it out is easier.

How contract processing works, from consultation and prototyping to delivery

With contract processing, we don't go straight into production. We first check the finish with a small prototype.

Prototypes from 500g/1kg fresh, full production from 10kg fresh

Timeframes are only a guide, and we adjust schedules to suit you (FAQ on the process from prototyping to delivery). Prototyping costs are explained in advance, and production costs vary with the amount of raw material, how much soil is attached, particle fineness and whether bagging is needed.

Can you send it unwashed? Heavy soil may mean extra charges

We can include washing. However, additional charges may apply if there is a lot of soil or other debris attached. Raw material is sent by courier or similar service on a date agreed in advance.

• Agree on the shipping date in advance and harvest to match that date
• Letting us know how much soil is attached, for example with photos, makes the quote more accurate
• General information about processing supplied raw materials is covered in our FAQ on supplying raw materials as well

What to tell us when requesting a quote

• Amount of raw material (fresh weight) and when it can be harvested
• How much soil is attached
• Intended use and desired particle fineness
• Whether you want bagging too (net contents per bag and bag type)
• Delivery destination

Preparation differs depending on whether you sell at a farm stand or wholesale

Even for the same molokhia powder, what you need to prepare differs depending on whether you sell directly to consumers or supply it to business partners as a processing ingredient.

Labeling for small bags sold at a farm stand

If you pack it into small bags to sell, we can also bag the powder. However, small-bag filling requires enough powder for the number of bags, so please check the terms on the Small-bag filling OEM service page. While volumes are small, you can also receive it in commercial bags and pack it yourself.

Molokhia powder is a processed food, so the bag must display the following items (Tokyo Metropolitan Government Bureau of Public Health, "Processed Foods (Overview of General Processed Foods)"). If you sell under your own name and contract out manufacturing, list both the business responsible for the labeling and the manufacturer.

• Name, ingredients and origin of raw materials
• Net contents, best-before date and storage method
• Name and address of the business responsible for the labeling
• Location of the manufacturing facility and name of the manufacturer
• Nutrient content and calories (cases where these can be omitted are explained in the next section)

The best-before date is set, on a reasonable basis, by the business responsible for the labeling. How to state the origin of raw materials is explained in detail in Origin labeling rules for ingredients in processed foods. Note that for products sold at retail, our policy is to carry out microbial (E. coli) testing.

Can nutrition labeling be omitted? It depends on consignment vs. outright purchase

Processed foods generally require nutrition labeling, but it can be omitted when sold by a small business. A small business here means one exempt from paying consumption tax, or one that generally employs 20 or fewer regular employees (5 or fewer in commerce and services) (Consumer Affairs Agency, "Omission of Nutrition Labeling by Small Businesses").

The key is who is selling the product, which is determined by from whom to whom ownership of the product passes. Applied to selling at a farm stand, it works out as follows.

If you wholesale to business partners, check particle-size specifications

When supplying it as an ingredient to be kneaded into noodles or bread, business partners may ask about specifications such as particle fineness. Our grinding goes down to about 150 microns (equivalent to 100 mesh) as a guide, so if finer powder is needed, we start by checking with a partner. Commercial products for business partners follow different labeling rules from consumer products, so confirm the necessary information with your partner as well.

• Required particle fineness
• Bag size for delivery
• Whether specification sheets or test results are needed (we arrange testing at the partner's request)
• How much is needed each month, and whether it can be made all at once when harvestable

Making powder with specified particle fineness or color is also covered on our Commercial vegetable powder page.

If you have photos showing the expected harvest amount, timing and how much soil is attached, we can send you prototype details right away.

We have materials available to help you understand dried processing OEM

Agriture OEM, flexibly handling everything from small lots to large lots

• OEM available from small lots of 10 kg
• Drying of brought-in raw materials also possible
• Support from processing to filling in one place

Download the materials here

FAQ

Summary

Here are the key points for turning molokhia into powder and selling it.

• Use only leaves and soft stems as raw material. Leave out seeds, pods and young leaves soon after germination, and finish picking before pods form
• Drying reduces weight to roughly 10%, and leafy vegetables can fall below that, so work backward from the amount you want to find how much raw material you need
• Contract work starts with a prototype of 500g/1kg fresh and moves to full production with 10kg of raw material
• If selling at a farm stand, check labeling and how nutrition labeling applies first; if wholesaling to business partners, check the required specifications first

How much powder your molokhia will make can be confirmed with a prototype. Start by asking us about a prototype.

Recommended reading
The Complete Guide to Successful Private-Label Development with Vegetable Powder
A complete guide to choosing vegetable powder