Ever wondered how namkeen is made at Heerson? Our journey to zero palm oil processing has transformed everything. Let us walk you through our production line and show you exactly what happens from raw ingredients to the poha chiwda or garlic farsan that reaches your home.

Why zero palm oil?

The Heerson factory process has always prioritised quality. When customers started asking about palm oil, we switched to rice bran oil. It has a higher smoke point, delivers cleaner frying and creates crispier results. Our mass production of healthy snacks needed this change for both taste and customer preference.

Switching to zero palm oil processing meant reworking every recipe. Our eight no palm oil products (poha chiwda, multigrain chiwda, gathiya, salted moong dal, garlic farsan, sukha bhel khatta, sukha bhel lite and chana dal red chilli) were all tested, adjusted and perfected again.

Step 1: Ingredient quality checks

Understanding how namkeen is made starts with ingredients. Every morning, our team checks rice bran oil quality, tests curry leaves for poha chiwda and inspects garlic for our farsan. Chickpea flour for gathiya, flattened rice for chiwda, moong dal and chana dal all get checked before entering production.

What we check:

• Rice bran oil purity and viscosity.

• Freshness of spices and aromatics.

• Grain quality and moisture content.

• Dal sorting for stones or impurities.

Step 2: Mixing traditional recipes with modern equipment

The Heerson factory process begins at mixing. For multigrain chiwda, we blend rice flakes with oats, wheat and pulses in exact ratios. Working with rice bran oil instead of palm oil meant adjusting moisture levels and mixing times.

Our industrial mixers handle large batches, but the recipes remain traditional. Curry leaf tempering for poha chiwda, garlic paste for farsan, spice blends for gathiya have not changed since 1975.

Quick tip: Even salted moong dal, our simplest product, gets the same meticulous attention during preparation.

Step 3: Frying with rice bran oil

This is the most critical stage in how namkeen is made. Our zero palm oil processing line uses continuous fryers maintaining precise temperatures:

• Gathiya: 180°C for perfect golden colour.

• Chana dal red chilli: Slightly lower to preserve spice coating.

• Poha chiwda: Varying temperatures for thick poha versus delicate peanuts.

• Sukha bhel (khatta and lite): Lower heat for delicate puffed rice.

Rice bran oil breaks down slower than palm oil at high temperatures, resulting in less oil absorption and better crunch. The Heerson factory process monitors oil quality hourly and replaces it more frequently than industry standards.

Heerson note: Our garlic farsan transforms from pale beige to golden brown in just three minutes, with automated conveyors ensuring even frying throughout.

Step 4: Cooling and seasoning

After frying, namkeen moves through cooling tunnels. Our mass production of healthy snacks uses perforated conveyor belts allowing simultaneous air circulation and oil drainage.

Final seasoning happens here:

• Chana dal red chilli gets its spice coating in automated seasoning drums.

• Garlic farsan receives a final dusting of spices.

• Sukha bhel varieties are carefully seasoned to maintain lightness.

Quick tip: Operators constantly check samples, adjusting seasoning based on taste rather than just following recipes.

Step 5: Quality checks at every stage

The zero palm oil processing line includes hourly checkpoints. Samples from all eight products are pulled and tested for:

• Crunch (by breaking pieces and listening).

• Colour against reference samples.

• Salt balance and spice levels.

• Rice bran oil cleanness.

If anything is off, production stops immediately. The mass production of healthy snacks never compromises quality.

Step 6: From warehouse to your doorstep

Once sealed, packets move to cartoning. Our Heerson factory process sorts by product type and batch number, then fills corrugated boxes with manufacturing and best-before dates.

All eight no palm oil products are stored separately in our dedicated warehouse section. When you order multigrain chiwda online, we can trace which batch it came from and when it was made.

Keep your namkeen crispy at home

Storage guide:

• Sealed packets: Keep in cool, dry place until opening.

• Once opened: Transfer to airtight container immediately.

• Temperature: Room temperature (20-25°C), no refrigeration needed.

• Lost crunch? Spread on baking tray, warm at 100°C for 5 minutes, cool completely.

Avoid: Humid areas near stoves or windows where temperature fluctuates.

The Heerson difference

The Heerson factory process combines zero palm oil processing with nearly 50 years of Mumbai namkeen-making expertise. Our automated snack packaging facility helps us reach more customers, but traditional recipes and careful quality checks remain central.

When you buy our poha chiwda, multigrain chiwda, gathiya, salted moong dal, garlic farsan, sukha bhel (khatta or lite), or chana dal red chilli, you get namkeen fried in rice bran oil, cooled properly, seasoned carefully and packed fresh. That is how namkeen is made at Heerson.

Ready to taste the difference?

Browse our complete no palm oil range and experience namkeen made with traditional recipes, modern production methods and rice bran oil that makes all the difference. Every packet tells the story of Mumbai's favourite namkeen, crafted one careful batch at a time.

Shop Heerson's No Palm Oil Collection