§1What this business is
Tamarind is soaked at 55 °C, de-seeded and pulped (de-stoner, pulper and 1 mm finisher), cooked at about 85 °C, mixed with sugar, cumin, salt, black salt, chilli, dry ginger, acidity regulator and preservatives, then filled into sachets or hot-filled into bottles.
Capacity: 320 kg of imli sauce a day (semi-automatic plant).
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
A food processor with links to hotels, caterers and snack wholesalers.
Who it is not for
Someone who cannot keep a hygienic plant and test every batch.
Advantages
- Every chaat, samosa and snack seller needs imli chutney
- Sachets sell to hotels and caterers in bulk
- Tamarind is cheap and stores well
- Large turnover from a rented shed
Drawbacks
- Raw material is about 70% of sales, so margins are thin
- Needs 40 kW of power
- Strict quality control against fermentation and fungus
- Competition from big sauce brands
Skills you need
- Recipe and taste consistency
- Food safety and preservatives
- Bulk selling to food service
- Packing line operation
Why difficulty 3/5: Food-safety discipline and thin margins at large turnover.
§3Market
Who buys
- Chaat and snack sellers
- Hotels, restaurants and caterers
- Households through grocery shops
How it sells
- Sachets in bulk cartons
- Bottles through distributors and shops
Good to know
- The report says imli sauce goes with Indian and foreign snacks and in many recipes.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Utensils for soaking and washing | 1 | ₹70,000 |
| Pulper (de-seeds and pulps the imli) | 1 | ₹3,50,000 |
| Mixer with cooker | 1 | ₹5,00,000 |
| Filling and sealing machine | 1 | ₹5,00,000 |
From: PMEGP sample project report — Imli sauce (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)
- Raw tamarind (imli)fresh, mature, unripe pods; ripe or damaged fruit is discarded
- Sugar, cumin, salt, black salt, chilli, dry gingermixed into the cooked pulp
- Acetic acid, emulsifier/stabiliser, sodium benzoate or KMSacidity regulator and preservatives
- Sachets, pouches, glass or plastic jarsglass jars must be hot-filled with care
From: PMEGP sample project report — Imli sauce (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)
§5Licences & registration
- FSSAI licence or registration
- Udyam registration
- GST registration
- Trademark for your brand name (optional)
- BIS certification is listed in the report
§6Schemes & subsidies
- PMEGPCentralActive15–35% subsidy
- PMFMECentralUnclear35% subsidy, up to ₹10 lakh
- CGTMSECentralActiveNo collateral, up to ₹10 crore
Prepared for PMEGP; PMFME (micro food processing) and CGTMSE also fit.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: Plant & machinery ₹14.20 L + other misc assets ₹2.00 L + working capital ₹6.57 L = ₹22.77 L. Land and building on lease (not costed). Term loan ₹14.58 L, working-capital loan ₹5.91 L, own ₹2.28 L.
Working capital: Working capital ₹6.57 L, of which the bank loan is ₹5.91 L.
Year not printed in the report — check current machinery and raw-material prices.
§8Export potential
Confirm the HS code in the DGFT ITC(HS) lookup before you export
Export council / board: APEDA
- Sauces fall in APEDA's processed foods group.
§9Risks — where people fail
- Spoilage or fermentation
- Tamarind price swings
- Thin margin at low volume
- Labelling and expiry-date mistakes
§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 imli (tamarind) sauce making 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 or registration, 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 Imli (Tamarind) Sauce Making?
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.