§1What this business is

Mature amla is washed, deseeded, pulped with an equal weight of water, filtered, pasteurised, cooled, preserved with potassium metabisulphite and filled in sterilised bottles. Amla is too sour to sell well as a table fruit, so juice is a popular way to sell its vitamin C. Fresh fruit is available only about three months a year.

Capacity: 1,000 litres a day (semi-automatic plant); year 1 at 50% capacity.

§2Is it right for you?

Who it is for

Someone in an amla-growing area who can build a brand or supply other brands.

Who it is not for

Someone without cold storage or a plan for the months when there is no fruit.

Advantages

  • Amla juice is a well-known health drink
  • UP and MP grow large amounts of amla
  • Semi-automatic plant fits a small shed
  • Can add other fruit juices on the same line

Drawbacks

  • Fresh amla only about three months a year
  • Thin net margin in year 1 (about 3% of sales)
  • Big Ayurveda brands dominate shelves
  • Needs strict hygiene and shelf-life control

Skills you need

  • Juice processing and pasteurising
  • Food safety and testing
  • Branding and distribution
  • Buying fruit in season

Why difficulty 3/5: The plant is simple, but the short season and brand competition make selling hard.

§3Market

Who buys

  • Health-conscious households
  • Chemists and Ayurvedic stores
  • Grocery and modern retail

How it sells

  • Distributors and retailers
  • Own brand online
  • Supply to other brands

Good to know

  • The report notes amla is not popular as a table fruit, so processed products have strong demand.

§4Raw material & machinery

ItemQtyCost
Semi-automatic juice plant: fruit washer, amla juice extractor, heating vessel with stirrer, juice filter, chiller, mixing vessels, bottle filling machine, shrink-wrapping machine1 set₹12,99,987
Other equipment (boiler, food-grade conveyor, material handling)1 lot₹50,000
GST on machinery at 18%—₹2,42,998

From: PMEGP sample project report — Anola (Amla) Juice (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)

  • Fresh mature amlaavailable only about three months a year; keeps 7–8 days in cold storage at 0–2 °C
  • Water and potassium metabisulphite (KMS)water equal to the weight of fruit segments is added for pulping
  • Bottles, caps and packing material

From: PMEGP sample project report — Anola (Amla) Juice (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)

§5Licences & registration

  1. FSSAI licence
  2. Trade licence from the local body
  3. Udyam
  4. GST

We can do this registration for you

§6Schemes & subsidies

Made for PMEGP; PMFME supports micro food units with a capital subsidy and branding help.

§7Money

How the investment is worked out: Samadhan report: plant & machinery ₹15.93 L (plant ₹12,99,987 + other equipment ₹50,000 + 18% GST), furniture ₹0.25 L, other assets ₹0.25 L, working capital ₹7.51 L = ₹23.94 L; land and building owned or leased.

Working capital: ₹7.51 L in the project cost; bank working capital ₹6.76 L.

Year not printed on the report — check current machinery prices.

How to prepare a loan file

§8Export potential

Confirm the HS code in the DGFT ITC(HS) lookup before you export

2009.89Juice of any other single fruit or vegetable

Export council / board: APEDA

  • HS codes are from the WCO HS 2022 list; confirm the 8-digit ITC(HS) line with DGFT or your customs broker.
  • You need an Import Export Code (IEC) from DGFT before the first shipment.

§9Risks — where people fail

  • Short fruit season
  • Spoilage and shelf-life complaints
  • Strong brand competition
  • Raw material is most of the cost

§1030 / 60 / 90-day plan

A general plan that applies to any business. A plan for this business will be added after research.

  1. Days 1–30: Visit a working amla juice unit, ask 10 buyers about price and quantity, and get quotations from 3 suppliers.
  2. Days 31–60: Udyam and the licences you need (FSSAI licence, Trade licence from the local body), a project report (DPR), and the scheme or loan file.
  3. Days 61–90: Space and machines, trial production, and first deliveries to 10 customers.

§11Who to connect with

Not verified yet

Associations, clusters and training institutes — the directory is being built. Connect

§12Watch

There is no episode on this business yet. Shows are coming soon on the Podcast page.

Want to start Amla Juice?

DPR, loan file or registration — ask us on WhatsApp.

Get a DPR / loan file made

Sources

  1. PMEGP sample project report — Anola (Amla) Juice (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)

Data review: 6 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Report it. For information only — not legal or financial advice.