§1What this business is

Maida, starch and soda bicarbonate (with edible colour) are blended dry in a vertical powder mixer, kneaded with boiling water so the starch gels, extruded into shapes and dried on trays into hard, shelf-stable pellets. Shops, snack makers and households fry the pellets, which puff into crunchy snacks. You can sell plain pellets in bags, ready-to-eat fried and seasoned packs (which earn more, per the profile), or fresh wet pellets to local snack shops. The SIDBI profile plans 150 tonnes a year.

Capacity: 150 tonnes a year; year 1 at 60%.

§2Is it right for you?

Who it is for

Someone in the namkeen or snack trade who can sell to fryers and shops in bulk.

Who it is not for

Someone expecting quick profit — the profile shows thin margins and two loss years.

Advantages

  • Simple process with low-cost machines (₹6.00 L)
  • Dry pellets keep for months and travel cheaply
  • Sold to snack shops, namkeen makers and households
  • Same unit can make plain, seasoned or wet pellets

Drawbacks

  • Thin margin — raw materials take about 87% of sales
  • Losses in the first two years in the profile
  • Many small local makers compete on price
  • Pellets crack or puff badly if drying is uneven

Skills you need

  • Recipe and moisture control
  • Extrusion and drying
  • Food hygiene and packing
  • Selling to snack shops and namkeen makers

Why difficulty 2/5: Easy process and small machines, but thin margins.

§3Market

Who buys

  • Local snack shops and fryers
  • Namkeen makers
  • Households

How it sells

  • Wholesalers and kirana shops
  • Direct bulk supply to fryers
  • Fresh wet pellets to nearby snack shops

Good to know

  • The profile says ready-to-eat seasoned pellets earn more than plain ones.
  • The profile sees demand in both urban and rural areas.

§4Raw material & machinery

ItemQtyCost
Vertical powder mixer1₹1.00 lakh
Dough mixer1₹0.80 lakh
Pellet extruder unit1₹1.50 lakh
Weighing scales1₹0.50 lakh
Wooden drying trays1 set₹0.30 lakh
Water boiler1₹0.80 lakh
Other machines and equipmentlump sum₹1.10 lakh

From: SIDBI Stand-Up Mitra project profile — Extruded Pellets from Maida for Frying (2018) — private guide — confirm locally

  • Maida (refined wheat flour) and starchmain ingredients, available locally
  • Soda bicarbonate and permitted edible colourblended in the dry mix
  • Custard powder and refined vegetable oilnamed in the profile's raw-material list
  • Polythene bags, labels and cartonspacking

From: SIDBI Stand-Up Mitra project profile — Extruded Pellets from Maida for Frying (2018) — private guide — confirm locally

In our raw material database

Wheat flour (atta, maida, sooji) →

§5Licences & registration

  1. FSSAI licence or registration (by turnover)
  2. Udyam registration
  3. GST registration
  4. State Pollution Control Board consent where required
  5. Legal Metrology registration for retail packs
  6. Trade licence from the local body

We can do this registration for you

§6Schemes & subsidies

PMFME gives a 35% credit-linked subsidy up to ₹10 L for a micro food unit; PMEGP fits a ₹19.10 L manufacturing project; MUDRA (Tarun) covers up to ₹20 L; CGTMSE for a loan without collateral.

§7Money

How the investment is worked out: Plant and machinery ₹6.00 L + furniture and electrification ₹0.50 L + preliminary and pre-operative ₹0.60 L + margin for working capital ₹12.00 L = ₹19.10 L. No land or building (premises rented).

Working capital: Margin for working capital ₹12.00 L. Finance: owner ₹4.78 L, bank ₹14.33 L.

SIDBI Stand-Up Mitra profile, uploaded in 2018 (no year printed on it) — prices will be higher now; check current costs.

How to prepare a loan file

§8Export potential

Confirm the HS code in the DGFT ITC(HS) lookup before you export

1905.90Bread, pastry, cakes, biscuits and other bakers' wares — other (includes snack pellets; confirm the line)

Export council / board: APEDA

  • Confirm the 8-digit ITC(HS) line with DGFT or your customs broker before shipping.
  • You need an Import Export Code (IEC) from DGFT before the first shipment.

§9Risks — where people fail

  • Maida and oil price rises
  • Damp weather slowing drying and spoiling stock
  • Price competition from local makers
  • Use of non-permitted colours leading to food-safety action

§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 maida snack pellets (fry-and-eat fryums) unit, ask 10 buyers about price and quantity, and get quotations from 3 suppliers.
  2. Days 31–60: Udyam and the licences you need (FSSAI licence or registration (by turnover), Udyam registration), 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 Maida Snack Pellets (Fry-and-Eat Fryums)?

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

Get a DPR / loan file made

Sources

  1. SIDBI Stand-Up Mitra project profile — Extruded Pellets from Maida for Frying (2018)

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