§1What this business is

You make mango, lemon, chilli and mixed pickles in oil and spices and pack them in jars or pouches. Sales are through kirana shops, supermarkets, fairs and exhibitions, and online/WhatsApp. Home-style taste and cleanliness are the selling points.

Capacity: 200 kg a day, 60,000 kg a year (ni-msme, 300 days).

§2Is it right for you?

Who it is for

People with a home-taste recipe and a team from a women's group or the family.

Who it is not for

Someone who will not pay attention to hygiene, FSSAI and packing standards.

Advantages

  • A direct way to turn women's home skills into a business
  • Raw material is cheap in UP in season
  • Long shelf life — can be sent far
  • Good margin online and in gift packs

Drawbacks

  • Seasonal — mangoes come once a year
  • Risk of fungus and spoilage if hygiene is weak
  • Fight with big brands for shelf space
  • Glass jars are costly and can break

Skills you need

  • Recipe standardisation
  • Food hygiene
  • Packaging/labelling
  • Selling at fairs, online and in retail

Why difficulty 2/5: Easy to make; consistent taste, hygiene and brand-building are the challenge.

§3Market

Who buys

  • Households that now buy ready pickle instead of making it at home
  • Hotels, restaurants and caterers

How it sells

  • Grocery and kirana shops
  • Direct supply to hotels
  • Own brand in local markets

Good to know

  • The ni-msme profile says pickle sells all year because it is eaten daily; lack of time at home is driving ready-made sales.
  • The ni-msme unit sells at ₹80 per kg and makes 200 kg a day at full capacity.
  • Regional varieties (such as a famous local mango) help a small brand stand out.

§4Raw material & machinery

  • Mangolocal varieties; the ni-msme profile notes all raw materials are easy to buy locally
  • Lime (nimbu)
  • Ginger and garlic
  • Pickle spice powder
  • Edible oil
  • Jars, pouches and packing materialconsumables and packaging in the UP report

From: ni-msme Hyderabad project profiles compiled on Bihar Udyami portal (Project_profiles.pdf) · UP MSME 1-Connect (Govt of UP, RAMP) – Project Report: Pickle Making (Medium Scale) (2024)

Suppliers in Building Business Bazaar

NIFTEM Kundli (National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management) · Kundli →NIFTEM Thanjavur (National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management) · Thanjavur →CSIR-Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysuru · Mysuru →Shiva Analyticals (India) Private Limited · Hoskote →Intertek India Private Limited (Food Services) · Hyderabad →Vimta Labs Limited · Hyderabad →Interfield Laboratories · Kochi →National Commodities Management Services Limited - NCML Labs · Gurugram →Fare Labs Private Limited · Gurugram →Edward Food Research and Analysis Centre Limited · Barasat →VJS Phytosanitary Service Private Limited (Food Testing Laboratory), Tuticorin · Thoothukudi →Lilaba Analytical Laboratories LLP, Surat · Surat →

In our raw material database

Rapeseed and mustard →Onion →Mango →Red chilli (dry) →Garlic →

§5Licences & registration

  1. FSSAI licence/registration
  2. Udyam
  3. GST
  4. Legal Metrology labelling

We can do this registration for you

§6Schemes & subsidies

PMFME fits directly (pickles are the ODOP product in several districts). PMEGP/MUDRA. A small ₹10 L version is close to the CM-YUVA range. Stand-Up India for women entrepreneurs.

§7Money

How the investment is worked out: Min = ni-msme pickle profile cost of project ₹10.50 L (machinery ₹7.00 L, other assets ₹0.60 L, electrification ₹0.20 L, pre-op ₹0.20 L, WC ₹2.50 L). Max = UP pickle (medium scale) start funds: share capital ₹2.30 L + term loan ₹15.32 L + cash credit ₹5.40 L, summed from report cash-flow.

Working capital: Raw material is bought all at once in the mango season — WC ₹2.5 L (ni-msme) to ₹5.4 L CC (UP).

ni-msme profile year not printed; UP report 2024.

How to prepare a loan file

§8Export potential

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

2001.90Vegetables, fruit and other edible parts of plants prepared or preserved by vinegar or acetic acid (other than cucumbers)

Export council / board: APEDA

  • Oil-based achar may fall under a different heading; confirm the 8-digit ITC(HS) line for your recipe with DGFT or your customs broker.
  • Processed fruit and vegetable products are APEDA-scheduled; you also need an FSSAI licence and an IEC.

§9Risks — where people fail

  • Seasonal raw material
  • Spoilage
  • Brand competition
  • Labelling non-compliance

§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 pickle (achar) unit 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/registration, Udyam), 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 Pickle (Achar) Unit?

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

Get a DPR / loan file made

Sources

  1. ni-msme Hyderabad project profiles compiled on Bihar Udyami portal (Project_profiles.pdf)
  2. UP MSME 1-Connect (Govt of UP, RAMP) – Project Report: Pickle Making (Medium Scale) (2024)

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