§1What this business is

A small Kerala-style food unit roasts and pulverises rice into ready-to-use rice powder, and grinds chilli, coriander, turmeric, curry and herbal powders. A small oil expeller presses copra into coconut oil. Products are packed for homes that no longer grind masala themselves. The profile is set in Thrissur, Kerala.

Capacity: 89,190 kg a year at full capacity: rice powder 34,740 kg; chilli, coriander, turmeric, curry and herbal powder 10,890 kg each; coconut oil 5,285 kg. Year 1 at 60%, then 65%.

§2Is it right for you?

Who it is for

Someone with a local retail network, ready to build a trusted home brand of powders.

Who it is not for

Someone hoping for high margins — this is a volume business.

Advantages

  • Seven products from one set of grinders
  • Daily-use foods with steady household demand
  • Low project cost
  • Buyers prefer unadulterated, packed powders, the profile notes

Drawbacks

  • Very thin margin in the profile (₹1.45 L profit on ₹78.81 L sales)
  • Crowded market with big masala brands
  • Spice prices swing with the harvest
  • Needs careful testing to avoid adulteration complaints

Skills you need

  • Roasting and grinding to a steady taste
  • Buying spices and rice at good rates
  • Packing and labelling to FSSAI rules
  • Selling to kirana shops and supermarkets

Why difficulty 2/5: Simple machines and low cost, but margins are thin and the market is crowded.

§3Market

Who buys

  • Households
  • Kirana shops and supermarkets
  • Hotels and caterers

How it sells

  • Local retail shops
  • Distributors and supermarkets

Good to know

  • The profile says demand for unadulterated spices and curry powder in handy packs is growing.
  • Year-1 sales in the profile are ₹78.81 L at 60% capacity.

§4Raw material & machinery

ItemQtyCost
Multi-mill pulveriser (double head 12" one side, single head 12" other side)1₹59,500
10 HP motor with starter, switch and capacitor2₹54,000
12" disintegrator with stand1₹36,000
Uruli roaster, 15 kg a batch, with electric motor1₹28,500
Flour mill parts (motor pulley, belt, rail, foundation bolts, belt guard)1₹30,000
Single-head pulveriser1₹26,000
4-bolt oil expeller1₹92,000
Electronic weighing balance1₹14,500
Cubicle control panel1₹29,500

From: ni-msme project profile — Curry and Rice Powder

  • Rice1,930 kg a month at ₹25 a kg (60% capacity)
  • Chilli605 kg a month at ₹80 a kg
  • Coriander605 kg a month at ₹80 a kg
  • Turmeric605 kg a month at ₹85 a kg
  • Spices (for curry powder)605 kg a month at ₹170 a kg
  • Herbs605 kg a month at ₹400 a kg
  • Copra377.5 kg a month at ₹102 a kg, for coconut oil
  • Packing materials60 kg a month at ₹80 a kg

From: ni-msme project profile — Curry and Rice Powder

In our raw material database

Paddy and rice →Turmeric (haldi) →Coriander seed (dhania) →

§5Licences & registration

  1. FSSAI licence
  2. Udyam registration
  3. GST registration
  4. Legal Metrology registration for packed goods
  5. AGMARK (optional, builds trust)

We can do this registration for you

§6Schemes & subsidies

PMFME fits a micro food unit like this; PMEGP and MUDRA fit a ₹6.66 L project; CGTMSE for a loan without collateral.

§7Money

How the investment is worked out: Plant & machinery ₹3,96,400 + preliminary expenses ₹47,000 + working capital ₹2,22,100 = ₹6,65,500. Land and building owned by the promoter (not costed).

Working capital: Working capital ₹2,22,100 in the project cost; covers 6 days of raw material and 1 day each of work-in-progress, finished goods and receivables.

Year not printed on the ni-msme profile; it charges VAT on machinery, so it was written before GST (2017) — check current prices.

How to prepare a loan file

§8Export potential

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

0910.91Mixtures of spices (such as curry powder)1513.11Coconut (copra) oil, crude

Export council / board: Spices Board India

  • Spice exporters register with the Spices Board.
  • Confirm the 8-digit ITC(HS) line with DGFT or your customs broker before shipping.
  • You need an Import Export Code (IEC) from DGFT before the first shipment.

§9Risks — where people fail

  • Spice price swings
  • Brand competition
  • Food-safety or adulteration complaints
  • Moisture and insects in stock

§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 curry powder and rice powder unit 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 registration), 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 Curry Powder and Rice Powder Unit?

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

Get a DPR / loan file made

Sources

  1. ni-msme project profile — Curry and Rice Powder

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