2008 – 2012: The Foundation
In 2008, AGRO RIPE was founded by Sunil Bhat, a dedicated mechanical engineer with over 20 years of diverse experience in plant engineering across industries such as paper, steel, plastics, and food manufacturing.
The company was established with a vision to revolutionize the ripening process for fresh fruit growers and wholesalers by promoting the use of ethylene—a natural ripening hormone—instead of harmful chemicals like calcium carbide. This initiative aimed to:
- Reduce post-harvest and ripening losses.
- Enhance the shelf life and appearance of fruits like bananas and mangoes.
Through the installation of hundreds of ripening projects across India, AGRO RIPE played a crucial role in transforming the fruit ripening industry.
2012 – 2016: Expansion & Cold Chain Infrastructure
In 2012, the company was formally incorporated and expanded its leadership by bringing in new co-directors and young engineers to strengthen its mission of reducing post-harvest losses.
Key milestones during this phase:
- Collaboration with the National Horticulture Board (NHB), New Delhi, and certification for designing cold chain infrastructure with Grade A standards.
- Helping agri-preneurs establish farm-based pack houses with facilities for grading, sorting, cleaning, pre-cooling, and modular cold storage solutions.
- Designing bulk cold storage systems with capacities up to 5,000 metric tons, supporting the fresh fruits and vegetables sector.
2016 – 2020: Innovation in Food Preservation
Through extensive experience in cold storage and frozen processing, we recognized that the Indian agri-cold chain sector faced significant challenges due to poor rural infrastructure, unreliable electricity, and high investment costs. This led us to explore cost-effective, sustainable solutions for long-term food preservation.
Our focus shifted towards developing novel dehydration technologies based on Close-Loop Heat Pump Dehumidification, which offered:
- A superior alternative to traditional sun drying.
- Preservation of original color, aroma, and nutritional value.
- Excellent rehydration properties for processed foods.
To support research and development, we expanded our manufacturing facilities. However, the COVID-19 pandemic posed severe challenges during our growth phase. Despite the setbacks, our team’s resilience and innovation enabled us to overcome this period and emerge stronger.
2020 – Present: Advancing Food Dehydration Technology
Post-pandemic, we realigned our strategies to address new challenges in the food dehydration industry. Our team developed expertise in hybrid dehydration techniques such as:
- Desiccant drying
- Radio Frequency / Microwave drying
This allowed us to create a diverse range of dehydrated food products, including:
- Candied fruits, fruit chips, powders, and chunks
- Dehydrated sprouts, grains, seeds, and nuts
- Ready-to-eat meals, trail mixes, and healthy snack options
Today, we have successfully installed hundreds of food dehydration plants across India, from Kashmir to Kerala and Gujarat to Bengal, processing a variety of products like walnuts, jackfruit, dates, figs, spices, sprouts, and microbial cultures.
Our journey continues as we push the boundaries of food preservation technology, helping farmers, food enterprises, and industries adopt sustainable and efficient dehydration solutions.
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