Learn about our processing methods
FACTORY
From raw ingredient to final product
The spices & herbs harvested at our producing areas are carefully sorted and processed to make them easier to use before they arrive at your dining table as the products that you know and love.
- Raw ingredients
- 1.Sorting of raw ingredients
- 2.Crushing into a powder to ensure uniform size of the grains
- 3.Filling of containers
- Final product
1.Sorting of raw ingredients
If you were to look closely at the raw ingredients when they have just been harvested, you would see that there are some impurities mixed in, such as twigs, stalks, husks, etc. In the interests of flavor, safety, and reassurance, it is important to carefully remove this superfluous matter. The raw ingredients are well sorted using a combination of different methods.
Sorting by shape
(rolling sorter)
A sloping conveyor belt sorts rounded raw ingredients from non-round matter, such as twigs.
Sorting by lightness
(cyclone sorter)
Wind power is used to blow away anything lighter than the raw ingredients, such as stalks and husks, leaving only the good behind.
Sorting by weight
(specific gravity sorter)
A sloping deck is vibrated while air is blown up from underneath it, separating the matter on the deck by specific gravity, and leaving only the heavier raw ingredients behind.
Sorting by material
(magnetic sorter)
Any magnetic impurities are removed using a conveyor belt with a magnet at the end.
Sorting by color
(color sorter)
A camera is used to distinguish between colors, and grains of substandard color are removed, leaving only the good behind.
2.Crushing into a powder to ensure uniform size of the grains
The spices & herbs are processed into assorted sizes to ideally suit a variety of dishes and applications. They are either left whole, or crushed into a coarse or fine powder.
The crushed spices & herbs are passed through a mesh to ensure uniform grain size. When the grain size is controlled in this way, a better consistency can be achieved in spice mixtures made from several types of spices.
COLUMN
Our meticulous processing method maximizes the aroma
Did you know that if spices & herbs get hot as they are being ground, they will lose their inherent aroma? That's why at S&B Foods we are particular about using a stamp mill, a machine that pounds the raw ingredients rather than grinding them, similar to the way that rice is pounded into mochi rice cakes. This method produces less heat, allowing the spices & herbs to be processed without losing their wonderful aroma.
3.Filling of containers
Once the grain size of the spices & herbs has been adjusted, they are filled into containers. And when they have undergone a series of checks, the final products are free to leave the factory and make their way on to your dining table.