§1What this business is

A shop in a tourist hub such as Joshimath, Auli, Rishikesh, Nainital or Munsiyari buys flowers from local growers and community gardens, sorts and grades them, and turns them into travel-safe fresh flower boxes, dried flower packs, bookmarks, pressed-flower greeting cards, resin jewellery, fragrance sachets and petal tea blends, packed in paper, jute or bamboo. Women's SHGs do packing and preservation; tourists can also order online for delivery after their trip. Only cultivated or legally permitted flowers can be used: picking wild flowers in national parks such as the Valley of Flowers is prohibited.

§2Is it right for you?

Who it is for

A horticulture or craft-minded entrepreneur in a busy tourist town who respects conservation rules.

Who it is not for

Anyone planning to collect wild flowers from forests or protected areas.

Advantages

  • Tourists want light, local souvenirs that tell a story
  • Dried and resin products sell all year, not just in bloom season
  • Uses eco-packaging instead of plastic souvenirs
  • Creates work for women in packing and preservation

Drawbacks

  • Fresh flowers are highly perishable
  • Many hill flowers bloom only a few months a year
  • Wild and protected species cannot legally be picked or sold
  • Cheaper flowers from the plains compete

Skills you need

  • Flower handling, drying and pressing
  • Resin and paper craft
  • Eco-packaging and display
  • Talking to tourists and selling online

Why difficulty 3/5: Seasonal and perishable stock, plus strict rules on which flowers can be used.

§3Market

Who buys

  • Pilgrims and trekkers on Char Dham and Valley of Flowers routes
  • Tourists in hill stations
  • Urban buyers of dried and decorative flowers
  • Hotels, homestays and trekking groups

How it sells

  • Shop in a tourist hub with live preservation demos
  • Online orders and courier delivery after the trip
  • Tie-ups with hotels, guides and adventure operators
  • Flower festivals, handicraft fairs and tourism expos

Good to know

  • The profile names Europe as a possible export market for dried flower crafts.

§4Raw material & machinery

ItemQtyCost
Cold storage and drying unit—₹4.50 lakh
Flower drying equipment——
Display and eco-themed interiors—₹3.00 lakh
Resin and craft supplies——

From: Uttarakhand DUY project profile — High-Altitude Flower Shop (Tourist Packaging) in Uttarakhand

  • Flowers from local growers and community gardensinitial purchase ₹2.50 lakh; only cultivated or legally permitted species
  • Paper boxes, jute bags, bamboo containers, biodegradable wrapseco-packaging ₹2.00 lakh; can be bought from local SHGs
  • Preservatives, resin and natural fragrancesfor dried flowers, souvenirs and sachets

From: Uttarakhand DUY project profile — High-Altitude Flower Shop (Tourist Packaging) in Uttarakhand

§5Licences & registration

  1. Udyam
  2. GST
  3. Shop and establishment registration / trade licence
  4. Forest Department permission for any non-cultivated plant material; no collection inside national parks or sanctuaries
  5. FSSAI registration for flower tea blends
  6. Plant quarantine and phytosanitary rules if exporting

We can do this registration for you

§6Schemes & subsidies

The profile counts a 25% horticulture or MSME subsidy; NHB can support the cold storage component, and MUDRA or CGTMSE the ₹11 L loan.

§7Money

How the investment is worked out: Shop rent ₹3.00 L a year + cold storage and drying unit ₹4.50 L + eco-packaging ₹2.00 L + display and interiors ₹3.00 L + working capital ₹4.00 L + initial flower purchase ₹2.50 L + marketing ₹2.00 L + miscellaneous ₹1.00 L = ₹22 L. Finance: entrepreneur ₹5.5 L, bank loan ₹11 L, horticulture/MSME subsidy ₹5.5 L.

Working capital: Working capital ₹4.00 L for wages, utilities and logistics within the setup cost.

Year not printed on the profile — check current rents and cold storage prices.

How to prepare a loan file

§8Export potential

Export council / board: APEDA

  • The profile prints no HS code; dried flowers and flower crafts fall under different ITC(HS) lines — check with DGFT, and confirm that no CITES-listed or protected species are used.

§9Risks — where people fail

  • Breaking forest or wildlife laws by using protected species
  • Spoilage of fresh stock
  • Short tourist and bloom seasons
  • Resin or dried products fading or breaking in transit

§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 himalayan flower souvenir shop (tourist packaging) unit, ask 10 buyers about price and quantity, and get quotations from 3 suppliers.
  2. Days 31–60: Udyam and the licences you need (Udyam, GST), 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 Himalayan Flower Souvenir Shop (Tourist Packaging)?

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

Get a DPR / loan file made

Sources

  1. Uttarakhand DUY project profile — High-Altitude Flower Shop (Tourist Packaging) in Uttarakhand

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