§1What this business is
Honey, sugar, ginger, citric acid, colour and preservatives are mixed with treated water in a steam-jacketed tank, filled into washed 200 ml bottles on an automatic filler and crown-corked. A food technologist checks each batch. Buyers are shops, canteens, dhabas and distributors.
Capacity: 2,000 bottles a day; 6,00,000 bottles a year; year 1 at 60%.
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
Someone with a beverage or FMCG distribution network in small towns.
Who it is not for
Someone without cold-chain or route sales experience.
Advantages
- Health-drink angle with honey and ginger
- Uses local honey — supports beekeepers
- Low raw-material share of sales
- Can add flavours with the same line
Drawbacks
- Competes with big soft-drink and juice brands
- Glass bottles add weight, breakage and return logistics
- Short shelf life needs tight distribution
- Dealer commission eats 10% of sales
Skills you need
- Beverage formulation and hygiene
- Bottling-line operation
- FSSAI compliance
- Route and dealer sales
Why difficulty 3/5: Production is simple; distribution against big brands is hard.
§3Market
Who buys
- Shops, bakeries and general stores
- Canteens, dhabas and restaurants
- Distributors in small towns
How it sells
- Distributors and dealers (10% commission in the report)
- Direct supply to canteens and institutions
Good to know
- The report sells a bottle at an average ₹20.
- Year-1 sales are ₹64.80 L at 60% capacity.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Automatic bottle filling machine | 1 | — |
| Automatic bottle washing machine | 1 | — |
| Stainless steel tank | 1 | — |
| Bottle collection and revolving table | 1 | — |
| Steam-jacketed tank | 1 | — |
| Water treatment plant | 1 | — |
| Baby boiler | 1 | — |
| Buchner funnels and flasks | 1 | — |
| Chain conveyor | 1 | — |
| Crown corking machine | 1 | — |
| Electrical panels, fittings, testing equipment, other accessories | lot | — |
| All plant & machinery above (total) | — | ₹12,50,000 |
From: PMEGP sample project report — Honey Based Beverages (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)
- Honey8.40 tonnes a year at ₹1,50,000 a tonne (full capacity)
- Sugar8.40 tonnes at ₹30,000 a tonne
- Citric acid0.17 tonne at ₹75,000 a tonne
- Ginger0.60 tonne at ₹50,000 a tonne
- Pilfer-proof caps6 lakh at ₹1 each
- Colour, flavour and preservatives₹30,000 a year
- 200 ml bottles6 lakh bottles; the report shows a ₹10 rate but adds no cost (returnable bottles)
From: PMEGP sample project report — Honey Based Beverages (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)
In our raw material database
§5Licences & registration
- FSSAI licence
- Udyam
- GST
- Legal Metrology packaged commodity registration
- State pollution board consent
- Trademark
§6Schemes & subsidies
- PMFMECentralUnclear35% subsidy, up to ₹10 lakh
- PMEGPCentralActive15–35% subsidy
- CGTMSECentralActiveNo collateral, up to ₹10 crore
- Stand-Up IndiaCentralClosed₹10 lakh – ₹1 crore loan
Food processing: PMFME fits; PMEGP (the report lists KVIC margin money) and CGTMSE; Stand-Up India for SC/ST or women founders.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: Report cost of project ₹25.00 L: building & civil work (3,000 sq ft) ₹2.50 L, plant & machinery ₹12.50 L, furniture ₹0.50 L, pre-operative ₹0.58 L, working capital ₹8.92 L. Finance: own ₹2.50 L, term loan ₹14.47 L, working-capital loan ₹8.03 L.
Working capital: Working capital ₹8.92 L (bank ₹8.03 L) — 30 days of raw material and 30 days of finished stock.
Year not printed on the report — check current machinery prices.
§8Export potential
The report covers the home market only; it does not discuss export.
§9Risks — where people fail
- Weak brand pull against big drinks
- Spoilage and returns
- Bottle breakage and shortage
- Seasonal summer-heavy demand
§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 honey-based beverages 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 Honey-Based Beverages?
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.