Naga king chilli drying & hot-sauce unit

Mokokchung's farmers grow Naga king chilli (Bhut Jolokia) — GI-protected and famed for extreme capsaicin — but most of it sells fresh in a short window at low prices. This unit captures that lost value-add: hot-air drying, milling to graded powder, and a small hot-sauce production line, reaching global hot-sauce makers, the snack-food trade, and pharmaceutical capsaicin-extract buyers at a large multiple over raw-chilli prices. It builds on the district's ginger-and-banana horticulture and Ao Naga craft-and-cultural identity, which gives the brand a credible single-origin story. What it takes is real: the chilli is genuinely hazardous, so staff need PPE and disciplined handling; Spices Board grading and FSSAI compliance gate export; and a small Naga brand competes against players who already scaled this space, so the wedge is verified GI provenance and quality, not price. The honest risk is brand-building against incumbents and chilli-handling safety — not demand. Start with dried whole pods for export buyers (simplest, fastest cash), then add powder and signature sauce SKUs.