§1What this business is
Atta and water are kneaded in a dough mixer, then fed into a chapati machine that rolls and cooks the rotis on a heated plate. About 35 chapatis come from 1 kg of dough. Buyers are factory and office canteens, hostels, hospitals, caterers and hotels that need rotis in bulk.
Capacity: 800 chapatis an hour, 4,800 a day, 11,52,000 a year; 5,76,000 in year 1 at 50%.
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
Someone who can tie up with canteens, hostels or caterers before starting.
Who it is not for
Someone hoping to sell retail packs to shops without a delivery network.
Advantages
- Rotis are eaten every day — bulk buyers never stop
- Small space and a 3 kW connection
- Raw material is only atta and water
- Gross margin is high — about half of sales
Drawbacks
- Fresh chapatis must be delivered within hours
- Depends on a few bulk contracts
- Tight hygiene needed for food safety
- Price per piece is low
Skills you need
- Dough consistency and machine operation
- Kitchen hygiene
- Contract sales to canteens
- Delivery planning
Why difficulty 2/5: Easy machine; the work is in getting and keeping bulk orders.
§3Market
Who buys
- Factory and office canteens
- Hostels and hospitals
- Caterers, hotels and restaurants
How it sells
- Daily supply contracts
- Direct delivery to bulk kitchens
Good to know
- The report says about 70% of India's people eat chapati daily and ready-to-eat demand is rising with urban life.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Dough mixer | — | ₹30,000 |
| Chapati making machine | — | ₹3,00,000 |
From: PMEGP sample project report — Chapati Making Machine (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)
- Wheat flour (atta)₹25–30 per kg in the report; 32,914 kg of dough a year at full capacity
- Water and salt (if required)
From: PMEGP sample project report — Chapati Making Machine (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)
§5Licences & registration
- FSSAI licence
- GST
- Fire and pollution registration as required
- Trademark for the brand
§6Schemes & subsidies
- PMEGPCentralActive15–35% subsidy
- PMFMECentralUnclear35% subsidy, up to ₹10 lakh
- MudraCentralActiveLoan up to ₹20 lakh, no collateral
PMEGP sample project (the report shows 25% KVIC margin money, ₹1,09,750); PMFME and MUDRA fit this size.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: Samadhan report: 'Project at a glance' cost ₹4.39 L; the detailed table totals ₹5.51 L — plant & machinery ₹3.89 L + furniture ₹0.50 L + working capital ₹1.11 L. Finance: term loan ₹3.95 L, WC limit ₹1.00 L, own ₹0.55 L. Premises rented.
Working capital: Working capital ₹1.11 lakh, bank limit ₹1.00 lakh.
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: APEDA
- Fresh chapatis are a local product; exports are usually frozen or ready-to-eat packs.
- 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
- Losing a big canteen contract
- Wheat price rise
- Machine breakdown on a delivery day
- Food-safety complaints
§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 chapati making unit (machine-made roti) 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, GST), 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 Chapati Making Unit (Machine-made Roti)?
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.