Despite being the world’s third-largest tomato producer, India sells 90% of its fresh tomato production at a very low-profit margin. The value-added (processed) tomato food sector (specifically sauces, ketchup, and puree) offers a significant market opportunity and is slowly growing. If you have ever considered making your own tomato sauce in India, this guide offers an in-depth primer on market potential, equipment, compliance, suppliers, and profitability. By the end of this guide, you will understand exactly what you would need to start your unit and where you can find trusted equipment!
Why Tomato Sauce Demand in India Is Growing Every Year
The processed tomato products market in India is on an upswing:
- In 2023, the Indian tomato ketchup and sauces market was a touch above ₹1,200 crore, growing approximately 5-6% CAGR.
- The increase in consumption of fast food, snacks, and semi-prepared food is driving demand for tomato-based condiments, including sauces and ketchup.
- While Indian tomato paste and sauces have already gained traction in the Middle East and Europe, opportunities are also available in Africa.
- Tomatoes are grown throughout India, and the over 21 million tonnes of tomatoes produced each year guarantee growth in the supply chain for processors.
Why this is important for you: There is an increasing demand for tomato sauces in urban and semi-urban India. Therefore, investing in tomato sauces is one of the simplest and best opportunities for food processing entrepreneurship.
Choosing the Right Tomato Sauce Machine for Your Business
In a market, there are two types of tomato sauce machines: semi-automatic tomato sauce machines and fully automatic tomato sauce machines.
Semi-Automatic Plants
- These plants are specifically designed for regional brands or processors who are expanding their production capacity and seeking some automation. These include pitting, heating, cooking, mixing, and semi-automatic packing machines.
- Most of those steps still require human labour, such as moving the food and dosing the ingredients, but the essential processes of heating and homogenising are automated. The cost of the machine is in the mid-range, and it utilises less energy and provides a more consistent texture and taste than a small machine that does all those steps.
Fully Automated Industrial Line
- Designed for larger factories, co-packers, and exporters who need to output tonnes of produce. Fully integrated lines automate the peeling of tomatoes, cutting, cooking, homogenising, mixing, packing, and sealing.
- Does all of this by mostly controlled logic controls (PLC) for accurate and efficient temp, time of batches, and dosing of ingredients. Can do this with little or no human assistance, which also improves hygiene and consistency and helps companies quickly ramp up production.
Top Features to Look for in a Tomato Sauce Machine
Food-Grade Stainless Steel
- Every contact surface and every component in contact with food must be made out of SS304 and SS316, which offer hygiene, chemical, and rust protection and are easy to clean. Stainless steel meets not only construction standards and safety standards, but also reduces the risk of contamination.
Uniform Heating and Homogenising
- Machines should have controllable heating options (electric or vapour) that have mixing/homogenising capabilities to provide automated blending of the product and provide a universally blended, lump-free consistency. The importance of uniform consistency is especially important for raw ingredients like tomato sauce and ketchup.
Energy Efficiency
- Machines should utilise insulated tank heating vessels and motors and processes that are energy efficient. Any reduction in energy consumption will lead to a reduction in operating cost and thus improve the operating profit for the producer.
Automatic Filling and Sealing
- Automatic filling and sealing units are necessary to lower the labour costs of the plant workforce and also increase the speed of output. Increased speed is an absolute must with semi-automatic and fully automatic plants. A machine offering the option to fill needs the capacity to dose accurately and also be adjustable, seal cleanly, and seal to a standard to eliminate, to the highest degree possible, pack integrity concerns.
Licenses and Food Safety Rules for Starting a Tomato Sauce Business
If you are looking to sell tomato sauce in the Indian market commercially, you will require an FSSAI licence (either Registration, State, or Central), depending on the capacity of your plant, to ensure compliance for food safety purposes. You will also require a food safety label on the packaging for your product, which will require adding to the label the ingredients, nutrition information, batch number, expiry date, and food safety and standards information.
Wholesaler or retailer sales will also require GST registration. The processes will ensure you are compliant to trade your product legally and safely, and produce products where you can be confident your consumers & other buyers will trust.
Choosing the Right Supplier for Tomato Sauce Machines
- Quality Assurance: It is important to prevent impurities, ensure long machine life, ensure food safety, and ensure product quality.
- After-Sales Support: A Trustworthy supplier gives after-sales support, which will reduce break time of the machine, servicing, available service parts, and trained operators.
- Scalability: Scalability allows for the supplier to have upgrades and modular solutions for growth and minimise the costs of new equipment.
Working with a supplier who has these advantages, a company can conserve operating costs, extend long-term capital investment, and assure consistent product quality.
Conclusion
Starting your own tomato sauce business can be simplified with a little help. At Foodsure Machines, we manufacture reliable food-grade machines, everything from small-scale to larger-scale production. Our machines will always provide a consistent quality, ensure food safety regulations are adhered to, and allow you to expand your business with reassurance. Please contact us for your free quote.
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FAQ
Q1: Is it a good idea to purchase a tomato sauce machine?
Ans: Yes, it is an excellent investment for efficiency and profits; small to medium businesses are practical with a tomato sauce machine.
Q2: What are the advantages of a tomato sauce machine?
Ans: The sauce machine emphasises consistency, decreased labour, reduced time to produce tomato paste, and food safety.
Q3: What is the first thing to do when starting a tomato sauce business in a tomato sauce machine?
Ans: Purchase a tomato sauce machine that will suit your needs; obtain raw material; comply with FSSAI or the Food Safety and Standards Authority regulations; look into the methods of packaging and selling the product.
Q4: How to start a tomato sauce business in India through tomato sauce machines?
Ans: Purchase a tomato sauce machine, apply for FSSAI and GST registration, start a small tomato sauce manufacturing unit, and sell locally or online.
