§1What this business is
Litchi is washed, peeled and pulped in a twin pulper. The pulp is blended with sugar syrup, filtered, homogenised, pasteurised and filled into bottles. The model unit makes 150 tonnes of drink a year (500 kg a day). The report takes litchi at ₹175 a kg with 50% recovery and the drink at ₹100 a kg.
Capacity: 150 tonnes of litchi drink a year (500 kg a day), 300 days of 8–10 hours. The summary says 70%, 80% and 90% use in years 2 to 4; the profit table uses 55%, 65%, 75%, 90% and 100% in years 2 to 6.
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
A processor or grower group in a litchi belt such as Muzaffarpur, with cold storage for pulp and a local distributor.
Who it is not for
Someone outside litchi-growing areas, or anyone counting on quick profit.
Advantages
- Litchi drink is a well-liked flavour with steady summer demand
- Uses fruit that would otherwise be lost — litchi spoils within days of harvest
- The same line can pack other fruit drinks out of season
Drawbacks
- Litchi is costly (₹175 a kg in the report) and the season is only a few weeks
- Profit in the report is very low — about ₹1 L in the first working year
- Two different project totals are printed, so the report needs reworking before a bank sees it
Skills you need
- Fast handling of fresh litchi
- Pulping, blending and pasteurising
- Clean bottling
- Selling to distributors before summer
Why difficulty 3/5: Standard drink line, but costly, short-season fruit leaves almost no margin in the report.
§3Market
Who buys
- Households and children
- Hotels, canteens and juice counters
- Retail chains
How it sells
- Beverage distributors
- Kirana shops and supermarkets
- Direct supply to hotels and canteens
Good to know
- The report takes the selling price at ₹100 a kg.
- Projected sales ₹82.50 L in year 2 rising to ₹150.00 L in year 6.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Cold store (1,500 kg) | 1 | ₹4 lakh |
| Fruit washer (100 kg/hr) | 1 | ₹1.5 lakh |
| Litchi peeling machine (100 kg/hr) | 1 | ₹0.8 lakh |
| Twin pulper (100 kg/hr) | 1 | ₹1.2 lakh |
| Feed pump | 1 | ₹0.25 lakh |
| Sugar syrup preparation tank (100 litre) | 1 | ₹1 lakh |
| Mixing / blending tank (100 litre) | 1 | ₹0.8 lakh |
| Filter press (100 litre) | 1 | ₹0.7 lakh |
| Homogeniser (100 litres/hr) | 1 | ₹2.3 lakh |
| Pasteuriser, plate type (100 litres/hr) | 1 | ₹1.6 lakh |
| Filling and capping machine | 1 | ₹2.7 lakh |
| Weighing balance | 1 | ₹0.06 lakh |
| Accessories | 1 lot | ₹0.5 lakh |
From: NIFTEM-Thanjavur (IIFPT) PMFME model DPR — Litchi Beverages
- Litchi fruit350 kg a day at 70% capacity; ₹175 a kg in the report; 50% recovery; store below 6°C
- Sugar₹35 a kg
- Bottles and packaging₹12 per kg of drink
From: NIFTEM-Thanjavur (IIFPT) PMFME model DPR — Litchi Beverages
§5Licences & registration
- Udyam registration
- GST registration
- FSSAI licence
- Trade licence from the local body
- Consent from the State Pollution Control Board where it applies
Start it in your state
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§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 (35% subsidy up to ₹10 L). The summary shows subsidy ₹8.79 L, own money ₹5.33 L and term loan ₹12.52 L; section 2.10 shows ₹11.35 L, ₹5.84 L and ₹15.24 L — but the PMFME subsidy cannot go above ₹10 L. The project is within PMEGP's ₹50 L manufacturing ceiling.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: Two totals are printed. Project at a Glance: ₹26.64 L (land and building ₹5.18 L + machinery ₹17.41 L + utilities ₹0.80 L + fixed assets ₹0.90 L + pre-operative ₹0.90 L + contingencies ₹1.20 L + working capital margin ₹0.25 L). Section 2.10: ₹32.42 L, with the same fixed costs but a working capital margin of ₹6.03 L. Both are shown as the range.
Working capital: Working capital gap ₹24.12 L in year 2 (bank finance ₹18.09 L, margin ₹6.03 L).
Year not printed on the DPR (the PMFME scheme began in 2020) — check current machinery prices.
§8Export potential
Export council / board: APEDA
- The report names APEDA and NAFED as the main export promoters for litchi.
- HS code not checked against the DGFT ITC-HS list here — confirm the code before you ship.
§9Risks — where people fail
- Fruit browning and spoiling before it is pulped
- A short crop pushing up litchi prices
- Large brands selling litchi drinks cheaper
- Unsold stock after the summer season
§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 litchi beverage (ready-to-serve drink) 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 Litchi Beverage (Ready-to-Serve Drink) 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.