§1What this business is
Fresh mussels are received, sorted, cleaned and pre-cooked; the meat is filled into cans with brine (salt and citric acid), sealed, sterilised in a retort and cooled. Canned mussels are used in soups, rice and noodle dishes, pickles and sauces, and in ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook foods.
Capacity: 200 kg a day, 10-hour shift; the report starts at 30% capacity in year 1.
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
Someone in a coastal area with access to mussel farms or landings.
Who it is not for
Someone inland or without seafood-handling experience.
Advantages
- Canning removes the need for a cold chain
- High-protein seafood with growing demand
- Machines cost about ₹10 L
- Export potential
Drawbacks
- Needs a steady supply of fresh mussels from the coast
- Strict hygiene and sterilisation
- Small home market for mussels in many regions
- Can and retort costs
Skills you need
- Seafood handling and hygiene
- Retort sterilisation
- Quality testing
- Selling to distributors and exporters
Why difficulty 4/5: Food safety in canning is strict and raw material is location-bound.
§3Market
Who buys
- Households that eat seafood
- Restaurants and hotels
- Ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook food makers
How it sells
- Distributors and supermarkets
- Seafood exporters
- Online grocery
Good to know
- The report links demand to busy urban lifestyles and more people adding seafood to their diet.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Mussel cleaning machine | 1 | ₹2,25,000 |
| Mussel cooking machine | 1 | ₹1,00,000 |
| Can filling and sealing machine | 1 | ₹1,65,000 |
| Can sterilisation machine (retort) | 1 | ₹4,95,000 |
| Material handling and other equipment | 1 lot | ₹50,000 |
From: PMEGP sample project report — Canned Mussels (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)
- Fresh musselsmain raw material
- Saltfor brine
- Citric acidfor brine
- Cansfilled and sealed on the line
From: PMEGP sample project report — Canned Mussels (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)
§5Licences & registration
- FSSAI licence
- Udyam
- GST
- State Pollution Control Board consent (waste water)
- MPEDA registration (for export)
§6Schemes & subsidies
- PMFMECentralUnclear35% subsidy, up to ₹10 lakh
- PMEGPCentralActive15–35% subsidy
- MudraCentralActiveLoan up to ₹20 lakh, no collateral
- CGTMSECentralActiveNo collateral, up to ₹10 crore
PMFME (micro food processing), PMEGP (this is a PMEGP sample report), MUDRA (bank finance ₹14.21 L) and CGTMSE fit.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: PMEGP sample report: total ₹15.78 L = plant & machinery ₹10.35 L + furniture ₹1.20 L + working capital ₹4.23 L. Land and building own or rented.
Working capital: Working capital ₹4.23 L (bank ₹3.81 L): 15 days of raw material and 10 days of finished goods.
Year not printed on the report — check current machinery prices.
§8Export potential
Confirm the HS code in the DGFT ITC(HS) lookup before you export
Export council / board: MPEDA
- Seafood exports need MPEDA registration and an approved processing plant.
§9Risks — where people fail
- Spoilage or contamination
- Seasonal supply gaps
- Can seal failures
- Food-safety recalls
§1030 / 60 / 90-day plan
A general plan that applies to any business. A plan for this business will be added after research.
- Days 1–30: Visit a working canned mussels unit unit, ask 10 buyers about price and quantity, and get quotations from 3 suppliers.
- Days 31–60: Udyam and the licences you need (FSSAI licence, Udyam), a project report (DPR), and the scheme or loan file.
- Days 61–90: Space and machines, trial production, and first deliveries to 10 customers.
§11Who to connect with
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 Canned Mussels Unit?
DPR, loan file or registration — ask us on WhatsApp.
¶Sources
Data review: 6 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Report it. For information only — not legal or financial advice.