§1What this business is

A syrup of sugar, glucose, citric acid, essence and preservatives is dosed into each bottle, which is then filled with treated carbonated water, crown-corked and shaken to mix. The report plans orange, cola, lime/lemon and soda, sold at an average of ₹10 a bottle (₹240 a crate) to compete with national brands.

Capacity: 200 crates of 24 bottles a day; 60,000 crates a year at 100%; year 1 at 60% = 36,000 crates.

§2Is it right for you?

Who it is for

Someone with a distribution network among small-town shops, dhabas and fairs.

Who it is not for

Someone hoping to fight national brands in city supermarkets.

Advantages

  • Hot summers bring strong demand
  • A low price suits small towns and villages
  • Simple filling process
  • Soda and local flavours can be added

Drawbacks

  • Big brands control shelf space and coolers
  • Sales drop sharply in winter
  • Glass bottles must be collected back and some break
  • Strict FSSAI standards for drinks

Skills you need

  • Water treatment and hygiene
  • Running a bottling line
  • Route distribution
  • Planning for the season

Why difficulty 3/5: Bottling is simple, but selling against big brands and the seasonal swing are hard.

§3Market

Who buys

  • Small shops, tea stalls and dhabas
  • Fairs, weddings and events
  • Households in small towns and villages

How it sells

  • Distributors and route sales
  • Direct supply to retailers

Good to know

  • The report takes ₹10 a bottle as a market-entry price against brands selling at ₹15–16.
  • It plans 30,000 crates of orange, 12,000 cola, 12,000 lime/lemon and 6,000 soda a year.

§4Raw material & machinery

ItemQtyCost
Automatic bottle filling machine1—
Automatic bottle washing machine1—
Carbonation unit1 set—
Bottle collection and revolving table1—
Steam jacket tank1—
Water treatment plant1—
Baby boiler1—
Refrigeration unit1—
Chain conveyor1—
Crown corking machine1—
Other accessories and electrical panels——
Complete line total—₹12,00,000

From: PMEGP sample project report — Carbonated Soft Drink (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)

  • Sugar14.40 MT a year at ₹30,000 per MT
  • Citric acid600 kg at ₹40 per kg
  • Essence135 kg at ₹1,250 per kg
  • Activated carbon110 kg at ₹30 per kg
  • Caustic soda (bottle washing)1,200 kg at ₹40 per kg
  • Liquid glucose12 kg at ₹25 per kg
  • Carbon dioxide2,400 kg at ₹60 per kg
  • Pilfer-proof caps14.40 lakh at ₹1 each; all quantities are per year at 100% capacity

From: PMEGP sample project report — Carbonated Soft Drink (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)

§5Licences & registration

  1. FSSAI licence
  2. Udyam
  3. GST
  4. Pollution Control Board consent
  5. Legal Metrology registration for packed goods
  6. Groundwater or water permission where required

We can do this registration for you

§6Schemes & subsidies

PMFME (micro food processing) and PMEGP fit; CGTMSE for a loan without collateral.

§7Money

How the investment is worked out: Plant & machinery ₹12.00 L, furniture ₹0.50 L, pre-operative ₹0.60 L, working capital ₹11.90 L = ₹25.00 L. Building (3,000 sq ft) rented or owned — no cost taken.

Working capital: Working capital ₹11.90 L; bank finance ₹10.71 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

2202 10Waters, including mineral and aerated waters, with added sugar or other sweetening matter or flavoured

Export council / board: APEDA

  • Confirm the 8-digit ITC-HS code on the DGFT site.

§9Risks — where people fail

  • Seasonal sales
  • Brand competition
  • Sugar and CO₂ price rise
  • Food-safety failures

§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 carbonated soft drinks 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, Udyam), 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 Carbonated Soft Drinks?

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

Get a DPR / loan file made

Sources

  1. PMEGP sample project report — Carbonated Soft Drink (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)

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