§1What this business is
Ripe tomatoes are washed, steamed, crushed and heated, then passed through a pulper to get juice. Juice is bottled with 1% salt and sugar; puree is the juice concentrated to 9–12% solids; ketchup is concentrated with spices, sugar, salt and vinegar to 28–30% solids and preserved with sodium benzoate. Bottles are crown-corked and sterilised in boiling water.
Capacity: 1,08,000 kg of tomato juice, puree and ketchup a year.
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
A farmer group, FPO or food entrepreneur in a tomato belt that wants to use surplus tomatoes.
Who it is not for
Someone far from tomato-growing areas.
Advantages
- Three products from one line — juice, puree and ketchup
- Uses cheap tomatoes in the glut season
- Small investment (₹10.96 lakh)
- Hotels and households buy puree as a cooking shortcut
Drawbacks
- Seasonal raw material — the line may sit idle
- Glass bottles add cost and breakage
- Old profile; prices need updating
- Big brands in ketchup and puree
Skills you need
- Fruit and vegetable processing
- Sterilisation and bottling
- Buying tomatoes at harvest
- Selling to hotels and shops
Why difficulty 3/5: Simple equipment, but seasonal supply and safe processing need planning.
§3Market
Who buys
- Households
- Hotels and restaurants
- Caterers and canteens
How it sells
- Local shops and supermarkets
- Direct supply to hotels
- Fairs and institutional buyers
Good to know
- The profile notes Indian tomato yields of 9.6 tonnes a hectare against a world average of 23.
- Puree is sold as a substitute for fresh tomato in cooking.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Steam boiler, 150 kg/hr | 1 | — |
| Washing machine | 1 | — |
| SS tilting steam-jacketed kettles (one with 10 HP motor, one of 100 gallons) | 2 | — |
| SS steam-jacketed vacuum kettle, 100 gallons | 1 | — |
| Pulper, ½ tonne/hr with 3 HP motor | 1 | — |
| Exhaust and processing tank, pasteuriser tank, bottle washing | — | — |
| All equipment together | — | ₹6,50,000 |
From: KVIC Project Profile — Tomato Products (PMEGP)
- Ripe tomatoesthe profile names special varieties such as Scarlet Globe, Bonny Best and Marglobe for processing
- Sugar, salt, spices, vinegar and sodium benzoate (750 ppm)raw material total ₹10,05,000 a year
- Bottles, crown corks, labels and packing₹4,00,000 a year
From: KVIC Project Profile — Tomato Products (PMEGP)
In our raw material database
§5Licences & registration
- FSSAI licence
- Udyam registration
- GST registration
- Legal Metrology registration for packaged goods
- Boiler registration under the Boilers Act if your boiler is covered
§6Schemes & subsidies
- PMEGPCentralActive15–35% subsidy
- PMFMECentralUnclear35% subsidy, up to ₹10 lakh
- MudraCentralActiveLoan up to ₹20 lakh, no collateral
- CGTMSECentralActiveNo collateral, up to ₹10 crore
PMEGP fits this ₹10.96 lakh unit; PMFME's 35% subsidy suits micro food units and FPOs; MUDRA and CGTMSE also fit.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: KVIC profile total ₹10,96,000: work shed 150 sq m on rent ₹36,000; equipment ₹6,50,000 (steam boiler 150 kg/hr, washing machine, steam-jacketed kettles, vacuum kettle, pulper ½ tonne/hr, exhaust and processing tank, pasteuriser tank, bottle washing); working capital ₹4,10,000. Land own.
Working capital: Working capital ₹4,10,000 (requirement per cycle ₹4,09,890).
Year not printed on the KVIC profile — check current machinery prices.
§8Export potential
Confirm the HS code in the DGFT ITC(HS) lookup before you export
Export council / board: APEDA
- Get an IEC and register with APEDA (RCMC) before exporting processed foods.
§9Risks — where people fail
- Spoilage from poor sterilisation
- Tomato price spikes
- Idle capacity off-season
- FSSAI 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.
- Days 1–30: Visit a working tomato products (juice, puree, ketchup) 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, Udyam 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 Tomato Products (Juice, Puree, Ketchup)?
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.