§1What this business is
Milk and ice-cream powder (4 litres of milk to 1 kg of powder) are blended, poured into the machine's hopper, frozen and served in cones on the spot. The report uses one table-top machine (25 litres an hour), plans for a 6-month selling season and prices a cone at ₹10.
Capacity: 25 litres an hour; 4,80,000 cones a year at full use over a 6-month season; the plan sells 1,20,000 cones in year 1 (25%).
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
Someone with a busy spot — near a school, market, fair or bus stand.
Who it is not for
Someone without a high-footfall location.
Advantages
- Very low investment (₹1.16 L)
- Little skill needed to run the machine
- Quick to start — about a month
- Gross margin 30–38% in the report
Drawbacks
- Seasonal — the report counts only 6 selling months
- Location decides almost everything
- Milk spoils; hygiene must be strict
- Easy for others to copy next door
Skills you need
- Hygiene and daily machine cleaning
- Picking the right location
- Milk stock control
- Customer service
Why difficulty 1/5: Tiny investment and simple work; success depends on the spot.
§3Market
Who buys
- Children and families
- Students
- Visitors at fairs, parks and markets
How it sells
- Own counter or kiosk
- Fairs and events
- Tie-ups with restaurants
Good to know
- The report sells a cone at ₹10.
- 4 litres of milk with 1 kg of powder gives about 80 cones (report).
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Table-top softy ice cream machine, 25 litres/hour, 1.8 kW | 1 | ₹90,000 |
| Floor-model softy machine, 30 litres/hour, 2.5 kW (alternative) | 1 | ₹1,20,000 |
From: PMEGP sample project report — Soft Ice Cream (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)
- Milk₹45–50 a litre; 24,000 litres a season at full use (report)
- Ice-cream powder₹130 a kg; 1 kg per 4 litres of milk
- Cones, flavours and other consumables₹1.44 L in year 1 (report)
From: PMEGP sample project report — Soft Ice Cream (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)
§5Licences & registration
- FSSAI licence or registration (by turnover)
- GST registration
- Shop or vending licence from the local body
- Trademark for your brand (optional)
§6Schemes & subsidies
- PMEGPCentralActive15–35% subsidy
- MudraCentralActiveLoan up to ₹20 lakh, no collateral
- CM YUVAUPActiveUp to ₹5 lakh, interest-free
MUDRA Shishu fits a ₹1.16 L project; CM-YUVA (UP, project up to ₹5 lakh) and PMEGP can also fund it.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: Samadhan report: table-top machinery ₹1.06 L + furniture ₹0.10 L = ₹1.16 L, all own money; counter of 150–200 sq ft rented at about ₹3,000 a month.
Working capital: No working capital loan; milk (₹45–50 a litre) and powder (₹130 a kg) are bought as you sell.
Year not printed on the report — check current machinery and material prices.
§8Export potential
Not an export business — soft serve is made and eaten on the spot.
§9Risks — where people fail
- Bad weather or off-season
- Machine breakdown in peak season
- Food-safety complaints
- Rent hikes at a good spot
§1030 / 60 / 90-day plan
A general plan that applies to any business. A plan for this business will be added after research.
- Days 1–30: Visit a working softy ice cream counter unit, ask 10 buyers about price and quantity, and get quotations from 3 suppliers.
- Days 31–60: Udyam and the licences you need (FSSAI licence or registration (by turnover), GST registration), a project report (DPR), and the scheme or loan file.
- Days 61–90: Space and machines, trial production, and first deliveries to 10 customers.
§11Who to connect with
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 Softy Ice Cream Counter?
DPR, loan file or registration — ask us on WhatsApp.
¶Sources
Data review: 6 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Report it. For information only — not legal or financial advice.