Papad Making Business in India

Papad is an Indian delicacy made from seasoned dough flour. The type of flour used in the preparation of papad depends on the region.

Different food base are used in the preparation of papad such as rice, potato and lentils. The flour based wafer like snack is common to many East Asian countries.

Major regions you find the delicious food are Sri-Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal and India. Usually served as an appetizer the snack is deep fried, heated, baked or cooked.

Papad is known by many names depending on the country or region. Some of the common alternate names are paoadum, appadum, papari, papad, popardum and papad. The varied names attests to the popularity of this snack.

Papad making businesses are usually small scaled outfits. Caterers contracted to provide snacks usually include the delicacy in the menu.

Startup cost of a papad making business is low and the equipment is basic and easily bought in the open market. Papad comes in an unusually large number of variety increasing the popularity and demand.

To start the enterprise you need to write a papad business plan and carry out a feasibility study.

Papad Making Business in India

Ways of Preparing Papad

The main ingredient in papad is black gram, potato, rice, chickpeas or lentis. Dough is made using one of the mentioned ingredients including oil and salt.

Some producers sometimes add baking soda to the dough. The flavor depends on the producer and region.

Common flavor found in papad are garlic, ginger, black pepper, spices and chili pepper. The common denominator of papad is it round flatbread like shape.

The dough is rolled and flattened into round flatbread and heat is applied. The heating method also differs based on the producer’s preference.

Papad is roasted, baked, deep fried, microwave, roasted in open flame or toasted. The versatility of the preparation method provides the producer much equipment options.

The preparation involves kneading the dough into round flatbread adding salt and pepper then heated. Traditional methods require no mechanized equipment and the papad is merely sun-dried.

Registering the Papad Business

The small business owner could register the business as a one man enterprise. Incorporate the business as a sole proprietorship and select a business name.

 You need to pass a standard health inspection test and product standardization test. Papad attracts value added tax and you need a trade license to sell commercially.

Financing the Papad Business

Running a papad business is low cost and does not require major funding. Try target savings in a commercial bank or borrow money from friends and family.

The capital is required for purchase of raw material and storage facility. The cost of equipment is also minimal depending on the heating methodology you prefer.

Approach a micro finance institution, merchant banks, producers associations for soft loans.

Raw Materials used in Making Papad

Make sure the main raw material is abundant and readily available in the market. Depending on your region and ingredient preferred by customers select easily obtained ingredients.

Good locations to source raw materials are farms, farmers markets and open market. Try to purchase the ingredients from wholesalers or retailers.

Common ingredients are garlic, salt, black pepper, flour and red chili powder. Others are peanut oil, sesame seeds, asafetida, cumin and baking soda.

Types of Papad

There are different types of papad based on the ingredient used to make the flatbread. We have the Rice papad, Potato papad, Roasted papad and the famous Uradal papad.

More types include Masala papad, Paparis, toasted papad and fire toasted papad.

Manufacturing Process for Papad

Papad is made through a manual process that required exertion or automatic or semi automatic process. We have the automatic papad making machine or hand press machine. Other equipment's are drier machine, weighing machine and packaging machine.

Final Word

Papad is generally sold in the open market and accounts for a huge billion dollar industry. There are a few major producers of papad in India however there is room for small and medium entrepreneurs.

There are also many import destinations such as the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Singapore and United States of America. How to Start a Potato Chips Business<