Start a Chikki Making Business

   

Start a Chikki Making Business

INTRODUCTION
Chikki is a sweet product prepared by mixing various types of nuts and other ingredients
either with jaggery or sugar. These ingredients are mixed with thick syrup made of jaggery
or sugar. The mixture is cooled and then smaller pieces are made and packed. There are
many ingredients which are used like groundnut or cashewnut kernels, sesame seeds, pieces
of dried coconut, dry-fruits and so on. Chikki is popular all over the country amongst all age
groups but school going children and rural areas are the main targets. This product can be
manufactured anywhere on the country, but this note considers the North-Eastern States as
a preferred location, in view of growing market


PRODUCTS
Chikkies can be made from many dry ingredients as explained above. It is a dry and sweet
preparation. It can be made by using costly ingredients like dry fruits but market for such
costly chikkies is limited and demand is only during winter season. But chikkies made from
groundnut kernels, dry coconut and sesame seeds have vast market round the year. This note
deals with such low cost high volume products

TYPES OF CHIKKI

                  

Almond Cashew Nut  Chikki                                 Almond Chikki

   

                         Cashew Nut Chikki                                            Cashew Nut Crushed Chikki

                        

Cashew Nut –Dry Fruit –                                                   Chocolate Crushed

Sesame - Coconut Mix Chikki

      

               Coconut Chikki                                                         Rose Chikki

Availability of technology and compliances
DFRL, Mysore has successfully developed the technology. Compliance with the PFA Act is
compulsory.


MARKET POTENTIAL
Chikkies are not much popular in urban areas and are eaten in a very small quantity that
too during winter season. But they are very popular in semi-urban and rural areas especially
amongst school going children. Low priced chikkies packed individually in plastic sheets have
large market. Apart from sale through retailers located near the schools, bus stands, weekly
01markets, cinema halls, taxi stands, rural fairs etc. are the places where they are sold briskly.
Thus, the market is scattered.


Marketing Strategy:
Generally, the market is catered to by the local manufacturers and there are very few
dominant brands. Lonawala on Mumbai-Pune highway is famous for chikkies with more than
100 manufacturers. But on the whole, the market is controlled by the unorganised sector and
retailers play a critical role.


MANUFACTURING PROCESS
The process is very simple. Groundnut kernels are roasted to remove the outer red skin and
they are split in the splitting machine. In case of sesame seeds or dry coconut they are
roasted and small pieces of coconut are made manually. Simultaneously, jaggery is boiled in
water till thick syrup is formed and then filtered to remove unwanted particles. This hot
syrup is mixed with groundnut splits or roasted sesame seeds or pieces of roasted coconut
and then this mixture is poured in trays for drying. After about couple of hours, small square
sized pieces are cut and individual piece is packed in plastic wrappers. The Process Flow -

• Roasting of groundnuts, sesame seeds and pieces of coconuts
• Preparation of syrup of jaggery
• Mixing of ingredients in syrup of jaggery
• Cooling and cutting
• Packing

Land and Building

A plot of land of about 700 sq.mtrs. with built up area of 400 sq.mtrs. is adequate. The 

production area would have two major sections. One would have furnaces (bhattis) and the 

second one would accommodate trays for drying. A packing room of about 50 sq.mtrs. and 

raw materials storage of 50 sq.mtrs. is sufficient. Finished goods godown can be 

accommodated in 40-45 sq.mtrs. Price of land would vary according to location but it is taken 

at Rs. 300/- per sq.mtr. whereas average construction cost is considered @ Rs.2, 500/- per 

sq.mtr.

Machinery

Keeping in mind the size of the market, it is suggested to have rated capacity of 15 tonnes 

per month or 180 tonnes per year with two shift working and 300 working days every year. 

Increasing of capacity would not require huge capital investment or time and hence moderate 

capacity is suggested. Following equipments shall be required.

Item                                                          Qty.                                                Price (Rs)

Oil-fired Furnaces                                      4                                                      60,000

Stainless Steel Utensils of Different Sizes    10                                                     40,000

Large Capacity Pans                                   6                                                      20,000

Platform-type Weighing Scale                     1                                                       15,000

Electronic Weighing Scale                            1                                                         7,000

Drying Trays                                             25                                                         50,000

Other Miscellaneous Equipments                --                                                         10,000

Total                                                                                                                   2,02,000

Miscellaneous Assets

A provision of Rs.50,000/- would be sufficient to take care of other assets like furniture and 

fixtures, exhaust fans, electricals, storage facilities, etc.

Utilities

The all important requirement will be furnace oil. It is also possible to use either coal or 

wood. Power requirement will be 7.5 HP whereas water requirement per day will be 800-1000 

ltrs. Total expenditure on utilities at 100% capacity level will be Rs.2.00 lacs.

Raw Material

The major raw material will be groundnut kernels, sesame seeds, dry coconut and jaggery. 

Groundnut chikki is very popular and hence 60% of the total production will be of groundnut 

chikkies. Very small quantity of essences shall be required. As regards packing materials, 

small sized wrappers, card-board boxes or plastic jars and second-hand corrugated cartons 

will be required

Some of the machinery suppliers are as under:

1. Sujata Enterprises, Laxmi Road Pune 400 030

2. Apurva Engg Works, Borivali, Mumbai 400 098

3. Guru Nanak Engg. & Foundry Works, 166,Focal Point, Mehta Road, Amritsar- 143039 

Tel No. 2583542-2587943, Fax: 2587944

4. Sadanand Approtech Pvt .  Ltd,  B-34,  Mini  Nagar ,  Dahi sar (E) ,  Mumbai -  400068 

Tel No. 28114536-28104143

5. Sahyog Steel Fabrication, 28, Bhojrajpara, Gondal- 360311. Tel No. 224075

Start a Business in Gift Packing

  

The gift packing business can be a profitable venture as long as you know some general business tips and demonstrate skill in gift packing. You can start this business with very little capital investment in India--even from your home. The only requirement is your skill in the art of packing and the proper raw materials. If you want to set up a full office or commercial establishment, then you need to follow the rules laid out in the Government Regulations Act for small-scale industries.
If you don’t have enough capital, you can begin with a home-based business. You can pick an empty room in your house and convert it into a home office or you can build an extension. Inside the home office, you put display racks for the wrappers and other supplies. You should have a sitting area for the customers and a table where you can wrap the gifts. Once you decide to expand, you can now look for a store space and add certain items that are suitable as gifts like stuffed toys, picture frames, and many others.

STARTING A GIFT WRAPPING BUSINESS – LOCATION

A large worktable is all you need for starting a gift wrapping business. Any corner of your home, such as space set aside in your living room, will do nicely.

You can also turn your garage or attic into a work area during peak holiday seasons.

If your home is too cramped, you can travel to your customers’ homes to do up their gifts there. You can even hire a van and set it up as a mobile work area. This way you can travel to the location and still have an organized work area for business.

Some enterprising gift wrappers get into an agreement with local gift stores and malls to set up their businesses there on a temporary basis. This way you will be getting a steady stream of customers who will be loaded with gifts of all kinds. They will only be too happy to have someone at the store wrap their gifts for them.

PROMOTING THE BUSINESS

While you can wrap gifts for occasions such as anniversaries and birthdays all year round, the peak season is during holidays and festival times. By promoting your business, you can ensure that you do not miss customers at these times of year. The gift wrapper should advertise well before the seasons start.

Use geo-based (i.e. local) internet advertising where available and stick handmade posters in shop windows to let people know that they can get their tedious wrapping done by your business for a small fee.

SUPPLIES

The nice part about gift packaging is that you can start out with little money – gift wrapping supplies are not too expensive. Obtain a variety of gift wrapping paper, as you will need to wrap gifts for people with different kinds of tastes.

Have children wrapping paper, a business gifts wrapper, wrappers with religious motifs, and wrappers with cute designs. Variety is key!

Source supplies from a crafts store or gift corner, as you will find a good range of packaging at these places. Also be sure to have a stick of glue, a pair of sharp scissors, and plenty of tape handy. Gift boxes are also necessary, because many people will hand you an item that needs to be boxed before you can wrap it. Don’t forget the name tags!

If you want to stand out from your competition, use special supplies to stand out above other gift-wrapping services. You can consider using some of the following:

• Place card holders
• Handmade paper
• Fancy ribbons and textiles
• Handmade gift bags
• Acrylic papers
• Handmade tags
• Embossed papers
• 
  
• 

Starting a gift wrapping business is fairly easy. Creativity and hard work during the peak seasons will see your business booming in no time at all.

Whenever an object is given in the form of a gift, it is usually presented with the finest presentation which not only glorifies the values of present but also the true emotions of the sender.

In many cultures, gifts are traditionally packed. They not only represent one’s love but also the local culture. It is therefore vital to wrap the object in such a manner that it portraits clearly the image of sender’s sentiments. People who are short of time or want professional touch to their gift wrapping can leave their items for wrapping.

If you are looking to start a small business with little investment, Gift wrapping business can be rewarding. To get started, all you need is to put your ideas and crafting skills into good use. These ideas of yours can provide you with a lot of earnings especially during gift-giving seasons and special occasions. This is a golden business opportunity, with little money and effort you can get your business running and can make hundreds as a professional gift wrapper.

To get started with running this business you need to have a good business plan. Even running a small business requires a business plan. After making a rough sketch of plan, get hold of little investment and get along with grabbing the material you require for wrapping. Since most of the things required for wrapping can be fetched from a single shop only, try to get hold of a vendor who can provide you all these. By this you not only save your time but also your money as you can easily get good concessions from a single vendor rather than multiple.

The interesting part about gift wrapping business is that you can start out with little money as the gift wrapping suppliers are not too expensive. Obtain a variety of gift wrapping paper which should be used on all the occasions like, a business gift wrapper, gift wrapper for birthdays, anniversaries, religious motifs.

The key to success in this is VARIETY. If you can cater for all the occasions, you will definitely end up having a big list of customers. Beside simple wrappings, you can also add add-ons to your packing, like ribbons, flowers, cards, or other handmade items including stuff toys. These items can either be handmade or are available on cheap rates. This not only adds beauty but also glorifies your presentation skills, thus making the gift more presentable.

LOCATION

The next factor that comes into consideration is the location of your setup. Generally this business does not require any large workspace. It can be easily be setup in homes. You can even turn your garage into a work area during peak holiday seasons. Another option is that you can travel to customer’s home to do up with gift wrapping. You can even hire a van and set it up as mobile work area. In this way you not only can travel to location but also provide good customer support at the comfort of their homes.

It is sometimes advantageous if you get into agreement with local gift stores or malls to setup your business there on a temporary basis. This way you will get steady stream of customers who will be loaded with gifts of all kinds. On the other hand they will only be too happy to have someone at the store to wrap their gifts for them. You should contain a list of all these customers and vendors whom you are willing to purchase the material from.

BUSINESS TATICS

Wrapping gifts for occasions is all year round work, the peak season of it can be during holidays and cultural festivals. By availing these events you can not only promote your business but can also ensure that you do not miss any customers. The advertisement for your business should be done well before the season starts.

The mode of the advertisement can be through newspaper, posters, or through internet. On internet you can take advantage of social websites and blogs for spreading your advertisements. Likewise shopping malls, gift stores and public places should be targeted as these places have more customers for gift wrappings.

Another factor that should also be considered is the pricing. Adjust your pricing scale according to the location and time. Like in urban or big shopping malls you can aim for higher prices as the customers can easily afford expensive gifts and their packing. Similarly at the time of events or festivals prices should be introduced that should be little higher than usual, as lots of people will want their presents wrapped at the time of event. Many customers will come at the last minute for gift wrapping; this time can be easily cashed in the form of higher charges or urgent services charges.

In the end the key to success in this business is how to study the sentiments which customer wants to express and how can you make it more beautiful enough that speaks the heart out of the sender.