§1What this business is
Ripe mangoes are washed, cut, pulped in a two-stage pulper, standardised with sugar and citric acid, pasteurised, filled into cans, seamed and sterilised in retorts. Off-season, the same plant cooks vegetables and pulses in gravy or brine and cans them, and also bottles pickles, sauces and chutneys. Canned food keeps for one to five years.
Capacity: Processes 2 tonnes of mangoes an hour into 1 tonne of pulp an hour. Product mix 3,780 tonnes a year: curried canned vegetables 900, pickles 720, mango pulp 720, sauces and chutneys 720, vegetables in brine 720.
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
A food technologist or an experienced food-business family with money, a buyer network and access to mango-growing areas.
Who it is not for
A first-time founder with small savings — this is a factory-sized project.
Advantages
- Mango pulp in season and canned vegetables all year keep the plant busy
- Canned food keeps for one to five years without a cold chain
- The same line also makes pickles, sauces and chutneys
- The report counts a ₹50 L MFPI grant towards the cost
Drawbacks
- About ₹3 crore before working capital — a very large project
- Packing material costs more than the fruit (₹841.71 L against ₹322.42 L in year 1)
- 124 staff to manage
- Thin margin: about 4.4% net in year 1
Skills you need
- Retort sterilisation and can seaming
- Product costing in a competitive market
- Buying fruit in a short season
- Food-safety and lab testing
Why difficulty 5/5: A ₹3 crore plant, 124 staff and exacting canning hygiene.
§3Market
Who buys
- Shops and supermarkets
- Drink, jam and fruit-bar makers (natural mango pulp)
- Hotels, caterers and institutions
- Importers (the report names Europe as the largest buyer of canned fruit and vegetables)
How it sells
- Distributors and wholesalers
- Direct supply to food and drink factories
- Export through IEC
Good to know
- The report suggests canning organic produce or adding IQF frozen fruit and vegetables later.
- Training is available at IIFPT Thanjavur and CFTRI Mysuru (named in the report).
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Fruit and vegetable washer with blower and conveyor (2 TPH) | 1 | — |
| Abrasive peeler for root vegetables (500 kg/h) | 1 | — |
| Fruit halving machine (2 TPH) | 1 | — |
| Two-stage pulping unit (2 TPH) | 1 | — |
| Hot break system for tomato (1,000 LPH) | 1 | — |
| Lemon juice extractor (2 TPH) with clarifier and plate heat exchanger | 1 each | — |
| Vacuum pan, SS 316, with pump (500 LPH) | 1 | — |
| Steam boiler with pipelines (2 TPH) | 1 lot | — |
| Effluent treatment plant (20 KL a day) | 1 lot | — |
| RO plant (10,000 litres an hour) | 1 lot | — |
| Canning equipment | 1 lot | — |
| Total plant and machinery | — | ₹149.97 lakh |
From: SIDBI Stand-Up Mitra project profile — Canning Unit: Canned Fruit & Vegetable Products, Mango (2018) — private guide — confirm locally
- Mangoes1,440 tonnes a year
- Other fruits200 tonnes a year
- Vegetables810 tonnes a year
- Sugar72 tonnes a year
- Citric acid and acetic acid5 and 2 tonnes a year
- Spices, salt and preservatives10, 5 and 0.5 tonnes a year
- Cans and packing material₹841.71 lakh in year 1 — the largest cost
From: SIDBI Stand-Up Mitra project profile — Canning Unit: Canned Fruit & Vegetable Products, Mango (2018) — private guide — confirm locally
Suppliers in Building Business Bazaar
NIFTEM Kundli (National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management) · Kundli →NIFTEM Thanjavur (National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management) · Thanjavur →CSIR-Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysuru · Mysuru →
In our raw material database
§5Licences & registration
- FSSAI licence
- Udyam registration
- GST
- IEC code for export
- State Pollution Control Board consent (the plant has a 20 KL/day effluent plant)
- Fire NOC and factory licence
- ESI and PF registration
§6Schemes & subsidies
- Stand-Up IndiaCentralClosed₹10 lakh – ₹1 crore loan
- CGTMSECentralActiveNo collateral, up to ₹10 crore
The report itself counts a ₹50 L grant from the Ministry of Food Processing Industries. Stand-Up India can fund SC/ST and women founders; CGTMSE can guarantee the bank loan without collateral.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: Land 1,500 sq m ₹15 L + building 1,500 sq m ₹135 L + plant & machinery ₹149.97 L = ₹299.97 L. Working capital is worked out separately (₹391.64 L of stock and debts; promoter margin ₹204.85 L, bank ₹186.79 L) and is not in this total. Finance: promoter ₹74.99 L, term loan ₹174.98 L, MFPI subsidy ₹50 L.
Working capital: Stock and debts of ₹391.64 L: raw material 15 days, packing material 30 days, finished goods 15 days, bills receivable 15 days. Promoter margin ₹204.85 L, bank ₹186.79 L. Cans and packing are the biggest item.
Stand-Up Mitra profile uploaded in 2018; the year is not printed on the profile. Machinery and material prices will be higher now.
§8Export potential
Export council / board: Not verified yet
- No HS code or export body has been checked against an official list yet.
§9Risks — where people fail
- A poor mango crop or a jump in fruit prices
- Rise in can and packing prices
- Swollen or spoiled cans from poor seaming or sterilisation
- Long credit to large buyers
§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 fruit and vegetable canning unit (mango pulp, curried vegetables) 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 registration), 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 Fruit and Vegetable Canning Unit (Mango Pulp, Curried Vegetables)?
DPR, loan file or registration — ask us on WhatsApp.
¶Sources
- SIDBI Stand-Up Mitra project profile — Canning Unit: Canned Fruit & Vegetable Products, Mango (2018)
Data review: 6 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Report it. For information only — not legal or financial advice.