§1What this business is
Grapes are washed, de-stemmed and crushed, heated in steam kettles, pulped and thickened in an evaporator, then packed. Drink, jam and dessert makers use the pulp as a base. The model plant makes 120 tonnes of grape pulp a year, buying grapes at ₹55 a kg and selling pulp at ₹250 a kg.
Capacity: 120 tonnes of grape pulp a year, 300 days of 8–10 hours; 60% use in year 2, 70% in year 3, 80% in year 4 and 90% from year 5.
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
A processor or grower group in a grape belt such as Nashik, Sangli or Vijayapura with bulk buyers arranged.
Who it is not for
Someone who would have to buy grapes at table-fruit prices away from the growing areas.
Advantages
- Uses grapes that are too small or soft for the table market
- Pulp is a base for juice, jam, jelly and desserts
- Grape belts have plenty of fruit in season
Drawbacks
- Grapes are the main cost: ₹132 L of ₹155 L spent in year 2
- First working year barely breaks even in the report
- Grapes come in one season of a few months
Skills you need
- Buying and sorting grapes
- Pulping and evaporation
- Boiler and steam safety
- Selling to drink and jam makers
Why difficulty 3/5: Known process, but margins hang on the price paid for grapes.
§3Market
Who buys
- Juice and squash makers
- Jam, jelly and dessert makers
- Ice-cream and bakery units
How it sells
- Direct bulk supply to food and drink makers
- Sale through pulp traders
- Supply to hotels and caterers
Good to know
- The report takes the selling price at ₹250 a kg.
- Projected sales ₹165.00 L in year 2 rising to ₹270.00 L.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Weighing scale (0.5 HP) | 1 | ₹1.00 lakh |
| Washer (2 HP) | 1 | ₹1.50 lakh |
| De-stemmer crusher (5 HP) | 1 | ₹2.00 lakh |
| Steam kettle (1 HP) | 2 | ₹2.00 lakh |
| Pulper (5 HP) | 1 | ₹1.50 lakh |
| Pump (10 HP) | 1 | ₹1.50 lakh |
| Evaporator (5 HP) | 1 | ₹5.00 lakh |
| Boiler (5 HP) | — | ₹3.00 lakh |
| Packing machine (2 HP) | 1 | ₹2.50 lakh |
From: NIFTEM-Thanjavur (IIFPT) PMFME model DPR — Grape Pulp
- Grapes0.8 tonnes a day at 60% capacity, ₹55 a kg
- Packaging material₹15 per kg of pulp
§5Licences & registration
- Udyam registration
- GST registration
- FSSAI licence
- Boiler registration where the boiler size needs it
- Consent from the State Pollution Control Board where it applies
Start it in your state
Pick your state: today’s cost, central + state subsidy, raw material, land and help, on one page.
§6Schemes & subsidies
- PMFMECentralUnclear35% subsidy, up to ₹10 lakh
- PMEGPCentralActive15–35% subsidy
- MudraCentralActiveLoan up to ₹20 lakh, no collateral
- CGTMSECentralActiveNo collateral, up to ₹10 crore
Written as a PMFME model; the report's finance plan is subsidy ₹10.00 L, own money ₹7.60 L and term loan ₹18.00 L. The project is within PMEGP's ₹50 L manufacturing ceiling.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: Land and building ₹2.00 L + machinery ₹20.00 L + utilities ₹2.00 L + miscellaneous fixed assets ₹2.00 L + pre-operative ₹0.25 L + contingencies ₹2.00 L + working capital margin ₹7.32 L; the report prints the total as ₹35.60 L (rounded off).
Working capital: Working capital gap ₹29.28 L in the first working year (bank finance ₹21.96 L, margin ₹7.32 L).
Year not printed on the DPR (the PMFME scheme began in 2020) — check current machinery prices.
§8Export potential
Export council / board: APEDA
- Processed fruit pulp is an APEDA product group; the report plans for the home market.
- HS code not checked against the DGFT ITC-HS list here — confirm the code before you ship.
§9Risks — where people fail
- Grape prices rising above the ₹55 a kg assumed
- Unseasonal rain damaging the crop
- Pulp fermenting if not heated and packed well
- Slow payment from bulk 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 grape pulp processing unit unit, ask 10 buyers about price and quantity, and get quotations from 3 suppliers.
- Days 31–60: Udyam and the licences you need (Udyam registration, GST 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
§12Watch
There is no episode on this business yet. Shows are coming soon on the Podcast page.
Want to start Grape Pulp Processing 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.