§1What this business is
Ripe fruit is sorted, washed and peeled, crushed in a fruit mill and pressed for juice, which is filtered. Sugar, preservatives and flavour are mixed in; the drink is standardised, pasteurised and filled in sterilised bottles, then coded, cooled and packed. Most fruits are in season only 3–4 months, so processing lets you sell all year through distributors, shops, hotels, restaurants and canteens.
Capacity: Juice 250 kg a day and squash 200 kg a day; the report starts at 50% capacity in year 1 (juice ₹62,000 a tonne, squash ₹68,000 a tonne).
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
Someone in a fruit-growing area with a local distribution network.
Who it is not for
Someone without a steady fruit or pulp supply.
Advantages
- Adds value to local seasonal fruit
- Juice and squash use the same line
- Demand from homes, hotels, railways and airlines
- Low break-even in the report (22%)
Drawbacks
- Fruit is seasonal and perishable
- Big beverage brands dominate shelves
- Distributor and retailer margins of 15–20%
- Bottles and transport add cost
Skills you need
- Food processing and pasteurisation
- Quality and hygiene control
- Distributor management
- Seasonal buying
Why difficulty 3/5: Process needs care for safety, and selling against brands takes effort.
§3Market
Who buys
- Urban households
- Hotels, restaurants and clubs
- Airlines and railways
How it sells
- Distributors, wholesalers and retailers
- Strategic retail outlets
- Door-to-door sales in early years (report)
Good to know
- The report puts distributor and retailer margins at 15–20%.
- It advises local media, social media and discounts to build the brand.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Mixing tank with stirrer | 1 | ₹1,10,000 |
| Juice storage tanks | 2 | ₹1,90,000 (₹95,000 each) |
| Juice extractor | 1 | ₹1,10,000 |
| Fruit washing tank | 1 | ₹1,20,000 |
| Boiler | 1 | ₹60,000 |
| Steam-jacketed kettle | 1 | ₹1,00,000 |
| Bottle washing and filling machine | 1 | ₹1,50,000 |
| Shrink packaging machine | 1 | ₹60,000 |
| SS utensils, weighing machine, small tools | 1 lot | ₹90,000 |
| Testing equipment | 1 lot | ₹30,000 |
From: PMEGP sample project report — Multi Fruit Juice & Squash (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)
- Ripe fruit or fruit pulpbought locally; the report stresses pulp-supply tie-ups
- Sugar, additives, preservatives and flavoursmixed to the standard recipe
- Bottlessterilised before filling
From: PMEGP sample project report — Multi Fruit Juice & Squash (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)
Suppliers in Building Business Bazaar
Amla Amrit Fruit Processing Cluster · Pratapgarh →Jack Fruit Processing Cluster · Udupi →Jijamata Fruit Processing Cluster · Sindhudurg →Poodur Vegetable And Fruit Processing Cluster · Medchal Malkajgiri →Sundarban Fruit And Vegetable Processing Cluster · Pune →Tijara Fruit And Vegetable Cluster · Alwar →Food Processing (Fruit) Cluster, Sillod · Sillod →Multifruit Processing Cluster, Mangaon · Mangaon →Neelraj Multi fruit and Food Processing cluster · Sindhudurg →B. Sen Barry and Co · Delhi →Gardners Corporation · Delhi →Raylons Metal Works · Mumbai →
In our raw material database
§5Licences & registration
- FSSAI licence
- Udyam
- GST
- NOC from the State Pollution Control Board (washing water)
- Legal Metrology registration for packaged goods
- Trademark for your brand
§6Schemes & subsidies
- PMFMECentralUnclear35% subsidy, up to ₹10 lakh
- PMEGPCentralActive15–35% subsidy
- CGTMSECentralActiveNo collateral, up to ₹10 crore
PMFME (micro food processing), PMEGP (this is a PMEGP sample report) and CGTMSE fit. Bank finance ₹22.32 L is above the MUDRA ₹20 L limit.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: PMEGP sample report: total ₹24.80 L = building & civil work ₹6.00 L + plant & machinery ₹12.24 L (₹10.20 L machines + ₹2.04 L taxes and freight) + furniture ₹0.50 L + pre-operative ₹0.50 L + working capital ₹5.56 L.
Working capital: Working capital ₹5.56 L (bank ₹5.45 L). The report stresses steady fruit-pulp supply arrangements; buying in season locks up cash.
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
- Squash with added sugar may fall under a different line; check ITC(HS) for each product.
§9Risks — where people fail
- Crop failure or fruit price spikes
- Spoilage from poor sterilisation
- Brand competition
- Unsold stock with distributors
§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 multi-fruit juice and squash 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 Multi-Fruit Juice and Squash 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.