§1What this business is

Ripe sapota (chikoo) is washed, sorted on an inspection belt, pulped, mixed with preservative, pasteurised and packed in 1-litre packs. The model unit takes 1,000 kg of fruit a day and gives 650 litres of juice at 65% recovery.

Capacity: 1,000 kg of sapota a day giving 650 litres of juice, 300 days a year, 8 hours a day; 60% use in year 2, 70% in year 3 and 80% in year 4.

§2Is it right for you?

Who it is for

A fruit processor or FPO in a chikoo belt such as south Gujarat or coastal Maharashtra.

Who it is not for

Someone who cannot collect and process ripe fruit within a day or two.

Advantages

  • Chikoo is cheap in season in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Karnataka
  • Few branded chikoo drinks exist
  • The same line can run other fruit pulps

Drawbacks

  • The fruit ripens fast and bruises easily
  • The DPR counts a large labour force of 20
  • Pulp browns quickly without careful handling

Skills you need

  • Sorting fruit at the right ripeness
  • Pulping and pasteurising
  • Hygiene and preservative dosing
  • Selling a chilled or shelf-stable drink

Why difficulty 3/5: A perishable fruit and a pasteurised drink need tight timing and hygiene.

§3Market

Who buys

  • Households and juice shops
  • Hotels, restaurants and caterers
  • Ice-cream and milkshake makers who use chikoo pulp

How it sells

  • Retail shops and supermarkets
  • Direct supply to juice bars and hotels
  • Distributors of beverages

Good to know

  • The DPR's average sale price is ₹100 a kg.

§4Raw material & machinery

ItemQtyCost
Fruit washer1₹2.50 lakh
Inspection belt conveyor1₹2.70 lakh
Flight elevator1₹3.00 lakh
Pulper1₹2.60 lakh
Pasteuriser1₹6.00 lakh
Packaging machinery1₹1.80 lakh

From: NIFTEM-Thanjavur (IIFPT) PMFME model DPR — Sapota Juice

  • Ripe sapota (chikoo)1,000 kg a day at ₹30 a kg
  • Preservatives₹5,000 a day in the DPR's working-capital table
  • Packaging material (1 litre)650 packs a day at ₹4 each

From: NIFTEM-Thanjavur (IIFPT) PMFME model DPR — Sapota Juice

§5Licences & registration

  1. Udyam registration
  2. GST registration
  3. FSSAI licence or registration
  4. Trade licence from the local body
  5. Legal Metrology registration for packed goods

We can do this registration for you

Start it in your state

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§6Schemes & subsidies

The DPR is written for the PMFME scheme and assumes its 35% credit-linked subsidy (up to ₹10 lakh) with a bank term loan. At this size the project is also within PMEGP's ₹50 lakh manufacturing ceiling; MUDRA and CGTMSE can support the loan.

§7Money

How the investment is worked out: Total project cost ₹28.96 L = land development and building ₹3.75 L + plant and machinery ₹18.60 L + other fixed assets ₹2.60 L (utilities ₹0.90 L, furniture and electrical fittings ₹0.80 L, pre-operative ₹0.90 L) + contingency ₹1.50 L + working capital margin ₹2.51 L.

Working capital: Working capital margin ₹2.51 L in the project cost; working capital requirement ₹6.01 L in year 2, ₹7.15 L in year 3 and ₹8.26 L in year 4.

Year not printed on the DPR (the PMFME scheme began in 2020) — check current machinery prices.

How to prepare a loan file

§8Export potential

Export council / board: APEDA

  • The DPR prints no HS code or export figure — confirm the ITC-HS code on the DGFT site before you quote to a foreign buyer.

§9Risks — where people fail

  • Fruit spoiling before processing
  • Juice fermenting if pasteurisation fails
  • Off-season with no fruit

§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 sapota (chikoo) juice 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 (Udyam registration, GST 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

§12Watch

There is no episode on this business yet. Shows are coming soon on the Podcast page.

Want to start Sapota (Chikoo) Juice Unit?

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

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Sources

  1. NIFTEM-Thanjavur (IIFPT) PMFME model DPR — Sapota Juice

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