Business plan for grinding and packaging of pepper products for retailing market / Gura Langgong

Pepper (Piper nigrum) is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning, known as a peppercorn. When fresh and fully mature, it is about 5 mm (0.20 in) in diameter and dark red, and contains a single seed, like all drupes. Peppercorns and the ground pepper derived from them may be described simply as pepper, or more precisely as black pepper (dried nearly ripe fruit), green pepper (dried unripe fruit), and white pepper (ripe fruit seeds that process through soaking in clean running water to remove its skin). Pepper play an important role in enhancing the flavour and taste of the processed foods. On account of their ability to impart flavour and aroma, pepper have been used in the preparation of a wide variety of processed foods. Pepper are required in preparing appetizing and digested beverages and confectionary, soup powders, sauces, instant curries, canned meat and poultry products etc. Pepper are also used in the medicines because of their carminative stimulating and digestive properties. Ground pepper are extensively used in all types of curried dishes in Malaysia and abroad. Although Malaysian pepper are traded mainly in an unprocessed form, a small yet significant quantity enters international trade as ground pepper. Apart from the overseas market, ground pepper is becoming popular in the domestic market also. Hence the demand for unadulterated pepper products in attractive packaging is fast emerging. Demand for packed pepper products is directly linked with its consumption in food processing industry and this is set to grow in Malaysia in coming years with growth of population and fast changing food habits as well as increase in purchasing power of the households in this regions. Considering the potential market opportunity, the present detail business plan has been developed. At the same time, it is aim to productively utilize the abundantly available resources of the local area in particularly in Sarawak and to enable uninterrupted supply of the retail pepper products to market throughout the year to cater domestic demand and beyond.