Packaged Flour(Atta) Mill Business in India – Complete Guide

We all know the present situation in the world as everyone is experiencing lockdown heat. From small business to large businesses, all are worried about what is next? But have you ever wondered people who thought of starting up a new business are also insignificant trouble and confused?

Hence DesignerPeople have come up with one such small business ideaflour which is lucrative and comparatively easy to start, and that is a flour mill or also called as an atta chakki.

Flour is the essential ingredients in the Indian diet, irrespective of lockdown and economy sliding down this industry will never face any recession in a country like India where rotis, parathas, phulkas are part of the daily staple diet. Famous brands in India are Aashirvaad, Laxshmi Bhog, Patanjali Atta, 24 Mantra, Nature Fresh and Annapurna Fram Fresh.

Whole wheat, maida, bajri, multigrain, jowar, ragi are all used as flour to make parathas, puri and rotis. Flour is used to make various other food industry such as bakery and different food cuisines—flour as a commodity which is always in need of household use and restaurants.

Therefore starting a flour mill is an excellent business idea in upcoming days.

Type of Flour Milling Business

There are two different types of flour mill businesses which are considered while planning to start a business. The first one is a primary mill where customers get their grains and have them ground and milled.

The second type of flour mill is where you purchase the raw materials, which is the grains and then grounds them at the mill to sell them post packaging. Hence this packaged flour is subsequently sold to retailers or directly to customers.

How To Start Flour(Atta) Mill Business in India

1.Packaged Flour Mill Business Opportunity

As flour is the part of a daily staple in India, the requirement is continuous; people are now becoming health conscious hence adopting the usage of multigrain atta, low carb and high on nutritional value flours. Health awareness, many families avoid ready flour and prefer to get it milled. Thus the demand for flour mills is high always.

Demand is always high, and low investment makes it an ideal business plan, and even banks provide easy and quick loans for flour mill business. A packing of flour is a business which does not require a heavy capital investment. The estimated cost of the milling machine is approximately Rs 2 lakhs can also be rented. Thus, ROI is high at minimal investment.

2.Cost

The cost for a packed flour mill factory depends on the different production capacity. If it is a small scale factory, the cost will be a much cheaper than medium scale or large scale flour mill plant.

Mini packed flour mill machine will cost 150000INR ~ 200000INR

Mini packaged flour mill factory will cost 250000 INR ~ 350000 INR

Large scale packaging flour mill plant along with automatic wheat mill machinery will cost 10 lacs~ 10 crore. 

But, this pricing is just for references, the exact costing will depend upon the type of flour mill plant, exact conditions and equipment selections

3.Packaged Flour Mill License India

• Registration of business entity
• FSSAI registration
• Trade license
• GST registration
• Udyog Aadhar registration

4.Location For Packaged Flour Mill Plant

A minimum area of 3000 sq ft is needed for setting up a small scale unit with the entire product range. However, for a primary smaller area will also suffice

The effective factory location should have convenient transportation that is easy for the access of raw materials, delivery and shipping of final packed flour.

A complete flour mill plant layout should include the area for storage of raw materials, area for flour milling machines, area for flour packaging.

5.Raw Material For Packaged Flour Production

The plan should be near to farms which will provide fresh and pure grains. Also purchasing in bulk will help you to reduce cost.

6.Packed Flour Mill Machines required 

• Bucket elevator
• Rotary separator with aspiration channel
• Intensive dampener
• V-Groove, Pulleys, Couplings, V-Belts
• Rotameter
• Indent cylinder
• Screw conveyor
• Weighing scale
• De-Stoner
• L.P fan for cleaning
• Magnate
• Silogate
• Roller Mill body
• Purifier

7.Modern Packaged Flour Milling Process

Step 1 Cleaning

The grains are transferred into a flour mill and cleaned of unwanted foreign particles.

The first device used in the cleaning process called as separator here the wheat goes from a different metal screen of various sizes, leaving behind big rocks and stones.

The aspirator is like a vacuum cleaner, which sucks out all the particles lighter than wheat grain.

Step 2 Tempering And Conditioning

The purified wheat grains are washed in warm water and dried in a centrifugal pump. With Conditioning the moisture content of the wheat grains must be controlled to peel away the bran effectively during grinding.

Step 3 Grinding 

Grains of different moisture and grades are blended to make the kind of flour they are manufacturing. They spun against metal pins in a device called entoleter in which the cracks are considered unsuitable for flour manufacturing and are separated.

Step 4 Separating

Next, the middling purifier moves the middlings through a vibrator and air is blown from the top to separate the bran particles from the middlings. Their fineness separates the flour passing through sieves. By sifting and regrinding, different grades of wheat flour later, these different grades are combined to manufacture the desired product.

Step 5 Processing and milling  

Few amounts of additives added since the nutrients lost during commercial flour milling. Bleaching and oxidizing agents give good baking properties. Vitamins and minerals added to make the flour more enriched. It goes through sifters from which the meal obtained starts out course.

With the repeated process of grinding and sifting, the meal becomes fine flour, wheat germ and wheat bran.

Step 6 Weight

Quantity is weighted, and accordingly, to packaging requirement, it is separated.

Step 7 Flour Packaging Design

Post sifting and obtaining the endosperm flour, it needs to be packaged in airtight packets with care and precision and then transported to retailers or sold to customers directly.

8.Packed Flour Marketing Strategy

Packaging, promotions, place, pricing, point of purchase, sales contest, and various social media platform strategy included in the marketing strategy.

Also Read: Packaged Food Business in India – Complete Guide

Below are 6 most Profitable Small Scale Flour Mill Business Ideas

1.Bran flour Packaging Design

Brand flour is high in fibre, but it also contains anti-nutrients called phytic acid.

2.Cornflour Packaging Design

The besan, or chickpea flour, is a pulse flour obtained from a variety of ground chickpeas also known as Bengal gram.

3.Gram Flour Packaging Design

Gram flour, besan, or chickpea flour, is a pulse flour made from a variety of ground chickpeas known as Bengal gram

4.Sooji Packaging Design

The purified wheat middlings of durum wheat mainly used in making upma, pasta, and couscous

5.Wheat Flour (Atta) Packaging Design

The wheat flour is a powder made from the grinding of wheat used for human consumption.

6.All-Purpose Flour (Maida) Packaging Design

All–purpose flour, also known as refined flour or simply flour, is made from wheat grains after removing the brown covering. It is then milled, refined and bleached.

Flour Business Branding

1.Brand Identity 

The packaged flour brand name, logo, colour, packaging design, stationary identities which should be consistent through all family of identities will include in the brand identity of any flour.

2.Brand Image

It is a kind of impression the customers develop about your brand in their mind and hence associate with it.

3.Brand Positioning

The USP of the brand will decide its positioning; there is flour for health-conscious people, there is packed flour for people who are into a vegan diet, keto diet, weight loss and organic each feature will decide its positioning statement.

4.Brand Personality

If the brand is of urban, affordable, premium or for a certain type of customer category on that basis, the flour personality is decided.

5.Packaging Design

Based on positioning and target audience the design, illustrations, colour, font, the brand story will render on packaging design of flour.

6.Marketing Collaterals

From brochure, poster, e-catalogue, pamphlets and every touch-point of the customer will include in marketing collaterals.

7.Digital Marketing

SEO, Social media platforms such as Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter are major players when it comes about digital marketing. Influencer marketing and PPC are also an important part.

PLAN YOUR PACKAGED FLOUR MILL BUSINESS TODAY!

So, have you settled upon a type of product in flour! If no, then connect us to get assistance in setting up your brand.

Just remember that before starting a small manufacturing business, you need to know about its mandate practices.

Better brands start with meaningful conversations

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Author: Anush Malik

Being a strategist’s head and a long term visionary personality aims to achieve excellence in branding, packaging and digital marketing field. My 15 years of design experience and masters degree ais my strength which keeps me motivated and keep me going positively. I have participated in extensive branding design conquests in India, USA, Australia and New Zealand with winning zeal. My objective is to encourage start-ups and hence involves actively in the articles which will act as a productive intake of knowledge for them. Do connect me personally via my LinkedIn and I love to share my expertise with you.