§1What this business is

Ripe cashew apples are cleaned, cut and crushed for juice, which is concentrated and bottled as syrup. The astringent tannins must be removed first (by steaming, boiling in salt water or adding gelatin to the juice). The report also describes fermenting and distilling the juice — any fermented or distilled product needs excise approval, so be clear which product you make.

Capacity: 280 kg a day (semi-automatic plant).

§2Is it right for you?

Who it is for

Cashew growers, farmer producer organisations or processors in cashew-growing areas.

Who it is not for

Someone far from cashew orchards.

Advantages

  • The raw material is a by-product that is mostly thrown away
  • Cashew apple is rich in vitamin C
  • Juice, jam, candy and pickle can be added
  • Extra income for cashew growers

Drawbacks

  • Short harvest season
  • Tannins must be removed for a good taste
  • A new product — buyers must be convinced
  • Any fermented product brings excise rules

Skills you need

  • Fruit processing and hygiene
  • Buying in a short season
  • Product development
  • Marketing a new product

Why difficulty 3/5: A new product with a short season, and the licences must be planned.

§3Market

Who buys

  • Households and health-drink buyers
  • Shops in cashew-growing regions
  • Tourists looking for local products

How it sells

  • Local retail and wholesale
  • Online and gift-shop sales

Good to know

  • The report lists health uses of cashew apple and notes its poor shelf life, high tannin content and microbial spoilage as the reasons it is rarely sold.

§4Raw material & machinery

ItemQtyCost
Fruit mill crushing machine——
Fruit syrup distiller / vacuum concentration evaporator——
Automatic bottling and packaging machine——
Plant & machinery total—₹15.00 lakh

From: PMEGP sample project report — Cashew Apple Syrup (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)

  • Ripe cashew applesonly mature, undamaged fruit should be used
  • Sugar, additives and preservatives (sulphur dioxide, potassium sorbate, sorbic acid or metabisulphite)

From: PMEGP sample project report — Cashew Apple Syrup (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)

In our raw material database

Raw cashew nut (RCN) →

§5Licences & registration

  1. FSSAI licence
  2. Udyam
  3. GST
  4. Trade licence
  5. Factory licence
  6. NOC from the forest department (the report lists it)
  7. Excise licence if any product is fermented or distilled

We can do this registration for you

§6Schemes & subsidies

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

§7Money

How the investment is worked out: Plant & machinery ₹15.00 L, other assets ₹1.50 L, working capital ₹4.82 L = ₹21.32 L. Premises rented (about ₹12,000 a month).

Working capital: Working capital ₹4.82 L. The summary shows a working capital loan of ₹7.42 L but the finance table shows ₹4.34 L — settle the figure with your bank.

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

How to prepare a loan file

§8Export potential

Export council / board: APEDA

  • Confirm the ITC-HS code for fruit syrups on the DGFT site before export.

§9Risks — where people fail

  • Short season
  • Fresh fruit spoils quickly
  • Slow market acceptance
  • Licensing (FSSAI, and excise if fermented)

§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 cashew apple syrup 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 Cashew Apple Syrup?

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

Get a DPR / loan file made

Sources

  1. PMEGP sample project report — Cashew Apple Syrup (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)

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