§1What this business is

You buy powdered ingredients, grind any that are not available as powder, and mix them to set recipes in an automatic twin-drum seasoning machine. The finished seasoning is filled into food-grade HDPE or paper bags — small 25–50 g packs for restaurants and large bags for snack factories. Snack makers launch new flavours every year instead of new brands, which keeps demand for seasonings growing. The SIDBI profile plans 25,000 kg a month.

Capacity: 25,000 kg a month processing; sales of 280 MT a year in the profile.

§2Is it right for you?

Who it is for

A food technologist or food trader with contacts among chips, namkeen and popcorn makers.

Who it is not for

Someone without access to large working capital or snack-factory buyers.

Advantages

  • Snack makers keep adding flavours, so the same plant serves many buyers
  • Simple dry mixing and packing — no cooking
  • Restaurants also buy small packs
  • Low break-even of 25.62% in the profile

Drawbacks

  • Very large working capital — ₹75.75 L of the ₹111.57 L cost
  • Raw materials eat about 80% of sales
  • Big snack companies demand tight recipe consistency
  • Flavour development needs food-technology skill

Skills you need

  • Flavour formulation and recipe control
  • Food safety and labelling
  • Buying cheese, tomato and spice powders at good prices
  • Selling to snack factories and restaurant chains

Why difficulty 3/5: Simple process, but needs large working capital and food-technology skill.

§3Market

Who buys

  • Potato chips, namkeen and popcorn makers
  • Restaurants and pizza and pasta outlets
  • Nut and meat-snack makers

How it sells

  • Direct supply to snack factories in large bags
  • Small 25–50 g packs to restaurants
  • Food ingredient distributors

Good to know

  • The profile sees export scope as packaged snacks grow worldwide.
  • Seasoning lets one snack brand cover many tastes with new flavours.

§4Raw material & machinery

ItemQtyCost
Automatic online twin-drum seasoning machine1₹8.00 lakh
Pulveriser / grinder1₹1.50 lakh
Storage tanks for raw materials and finished goods10₹0.12 lakh each
Packing, filling and sealing machine2₹2.00 lakh each
Weighing scale2₹0.20 lakh (total)
Material handling equipmentlump sum₹0.80 lakh
Miscellaneous toolslump sum₹0.50 lakh

From: SIDBI Stand-Up Mitra project profile — Seasonings for Snacks (2018) — private guide — confirm locally

  • Salt and sugarthe base of every seasoning
  • Maltodextrin, dextrose, monosodium glutamate and yeast extractcarriers and flavour boosters
  • Onion, garlic, tomato, sour cream and cheese powders; spicesused as per the flavour recipe
  • Acids and flavours: citric, lactic, sodium diacetate, vinegar, tamarind, natural and artificial flavoursfor sour and tangy flavours
  • Food-grade HDPE and paper bagspacking

From: SIDBI Stand-Up Mitra project profile — Seasonings for Snacks (2018) — private guide — confirm locally

§5Licences & registration

  1. FSSAI manufacturing licence
  2. Udyam registration
  3. GST registration
  4. State Pollution Control Board consent (food units are usually green or orange category)
  5. Legal Metrology registration for packaged goods
  6. Factory licence if your worker count crosses the Factories Act limit

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; Stand-Up India (₹10 L–₹1 crore) for SC/ST and women founders; CGTMSE for a loan without collateral. The cost is above PMEGP's ₹50 L ceiling.

§7Money

How the investment is worked out: Land ₹10.00 L + building ₹7.50 L + plant and machinery ₹16.20 L + furniture ₹0.50 L + preliminary and pre-operative ₹1.62 L + margin for working capital ₹75.75 L = ₹111.57 L.

Working capital: Working capital ₹75.75 L (stocks ₹37.88 L, receivables ₹18.94 L, overheads ₹18.94 L), of which margin ₹33.14 L and bank ₹42.61 L as per the working-capital table. Finance: owner ₹27.89 L, bank ₹83.68 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

2103.90Sauces and preparations; mixed condiments and mixed seasonings — other

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

  • Price rises in cheese and spice powders
  • Caking or moisture spoiling stock
  • Loss of a big snack-company buyer
  • Food-safety failure on additives such as MSG

§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 snack seasoning blends 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 manufacturing licence, 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 Snack Seasoning Blends?

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

Get a DPR / loan file made

Sources

  1. SIDBI Stand-Up Mitra project profile — Seasonings for Snacks (2018)

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