§1What this business is

A small kitchen unit makes a range of hill chutneys from local ingredients: bhang ki chutney from ground hemp seed, kafuli chutney from spinach, gahat (horse gram) chutney, aadu (peach) chutney, rai (mustard) chutney, and jakhia, jangora and thechwani chutneys. Ingredients are ground and blended in food processors, cooked, filled, sealed and labelled. Buyers are tourists, local shops, hotels and online customers who want authentic pahadi flavours.

Capacity: 12,000 kg of chutney a year (30–35 kg a day), run at 90% capacity.

§2Is it right for you?

Who it is for

A cook, homemaker group or small food entrepreneur in Uttarakhand who knows pahadi recipes.

Who it is not for

Someone with no access to tourist outlets or online selling.

Advantages

  • Tourists and pilgrims look for local food to take home
  • Small investment with simple kitchen machines
  • Many flavours from cheap local ingredients
  • Chutney and relish sales in India are growing (report)

Drawbacks

  • Many home producers already sell similar chutneys
  • Taste must stay the same batch after batch
  • Hemp seed must be bought from licensed sources
  • Short shelf life if not processed and sealed well

Skills you need

  • Traditional recipes and standard batch sizes
  • Food hygiene and shelf-life control
  • Filling, sealing and labelling
  • Selling to shops, hotels and online

Why difficulty 2/5: Small kitchen-scale food unit; the main work is consistent taste and steady selling.

§3Market

Who buys

  • Tourists and pilgrims
  • Local grocery and gift shops
  • Hotels, restaurants and homestays
  • Online shoppers

How it sells

  • Shops on tourist routes
  • Direct supply to hotels
  • Online marketplaces and own website

Good to know

  • The report cites India's chutney and relish market at INR 42,258.10 million in 2020, growing 10.68% a year from 2015 to 2020.
  • It advises branding around local tradition to stand out from existing local producers.

§4Raw material & machinery

ItemQtyCost
Food processor2₹50,000
Mixing utensils1 set₹50,000
Cooking vessels1 set₹50,000
Filling machine2₹60,000
Labelling machine1₹30,000 (total as printed)
Sealing machine1₹15,000

From: Uttarakhand DUY project profile — Chutney Unit

  • Hemp (bhang) seedsfor bhang ki chutney
  • Gahat (horse gram), spinach and mustard seedfor gahat, kafuli and rai chutneys
  • Local fruits — peaches, plums, apricots — and tamarindfor sweet and tangy chutneys
  • Garlic, green chillies, mustard oil, spicesbought from local farmers and suppliers

From: Uttarakhand DUY project profile — Chutney Unit

§5Licences & registration

  1. FSSAI licence (report)
  2. Udyam / MSME registration (report)
  3. Trade licence from the local body (report)
  4. GST (report)
  5. Labelling compliance and Legal Metrology registration for packed goods

We can do this registration for you

§6Schemes & subsidies

PMFME gives a 35% subsidy for micro food units like this; PMEGP also fits; a MUDRA loan covers the full project.

§7Money

How the investment is worked out: Plant & machinery ₹2.67 L + equipment & furniture ₹2.60 L + misc. fixed assets ₹0.02 L + preliminary ₹0.15 L + working capital ₹0.76 L = ₹6.20 L (building rented). Finance: own ₹2.48 L, bank ₹3.72 L (60%).

Working capital: ₹0.76 L in the project cost.

Year not printed on the DUY profile — check current machinery prices.

How to prepare a loan file

§8Export potential

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

2103Sauces; mixed condiments and mixed seasonings

Export council / board: APEDA

  • Check the exact 8-digit code in the DGFT ITC-HS list before shipping.

§9Risks — where people fail

  • Spoilage and fungal growth
  • Competition from local home producers
  • Seasonal tourist demand
  • Price rise of local ingredients

§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 pahadi chutney unit (uttarakhand chutneys) 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 (report), Udyam / MSME registration (report)), 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 Pahadi Chutney Unit (Uttarakhand Chutneys)?

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

Get a DPR / loan file made

Sources

  1. Uttarakhand DUY project profile — Chutney Unit

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