Roasted & flavoured cashew kernels
1. Raw materials / commodities
NF availability: Availability: High. Source districts: Srikakulam, Parvathipuram Manyam, Vizianagaram, Anakapalli, East Godavari, Bapatla and Prakasam. ODOP: Srikakulam – cashewnut-based products. Manufacturing decision: Strong choice in or near Srikakulam for shelling, grading, roasting and value-added kernels. Confirm raw-nut season, storage, shell disposal and kernel recovery before investment.
NF availability: Availability: Very high. Source districts: Guntur, Palnadu, Bapatla, NTR, Krishna, Prakasam, Kurnool, Anantapur and YSR Kadapa. ODOP: Guntur and Bapatla – spices including chilli and turmeric. Manufacturing decision: Strong ODOP-aligned choice for powder, flakes, paste, sauces and oleoresin-linked supply. Match variety to pungency/colour and budget for residue, moisture and aflatoxin testing.
NF availability: Availability: Moderate and specialised. Source districts: Alluri Sitharama Raju and Parvathipuram Manyam, often within coffee/forest-produce systems. ODOP: No black-pepper ODOP in AP; ASR ODOP is coffee and Parvathipuram Manyam is minor forest produce. Manufacturing decision: Consider only as part of a multi-spice/coffee-belt unit unless annual pepper volume is verified. Drying, grading and mould control are essential.
2. NFIC machines required
Use: Drum Roaster/Coating pan
Use: Rotary Drum Mixer; Blender
Use: Fill/ Seal machine
Use: Vacuum and gas filling heat sealer
Use: Destoner
Use: Air compressor
Use: SS –Inspection Tables
3. How the product is made
Parameters: Record lot, incoming moisture and rejection weight; keep food grain separate from treated seed.
Parameters: Kernel size, load, time/temperature and roast colour; validate microbial reduction.
Parameters: Uniform coating and allergen control; additional wet coating requires a drying step.
Parameters: Avoid moisture pickup and condensation.
Parameters: No condensation; check seal continuity, pack weight and moisture/water activity against the product release specification.
4. Financials and Unit economics
1. What will I produce and sell?
Assumption: All saleable production is sold at the indicated selling price.
2. How much does one batch cost?
Variable costs — these increase when you produce more
3. NFIC Facility Cost
The fixed/shared cost of using NFIC
- use of NFIC machinery / shared facility
- electricity, fuel and water
- machine-operator cost
You do not need to separately add electricity or machine-operator cost.
4. Will I make a profit?
5. How many batches do I need to sell?
You should produce and sell at least 4 batches per month to cover your costs.
Every additional batch sold after this adds approximately ₹7,400 before any other unforeseen expenses.
6. What happens if I produce more?
More batches sold → the fixed/shared NFIC cost gets spread over more production → monthly profit improves.
7. How much money do I need before starting?
Why is ₹10.92 lakh needed for day-to-day business?
Raw material, ingredients, packaging and other expenses have to be paid before all the money from customers comes back.
Working-capital cycle: approximately 51 days
5. Branding, packaging & labelling
Packaging & labelling guidance
| Pack size | Retail: 100 g / 200 g / 500 g; B2B kernels: 5 kg / 10 kg. |
|---|---|
| Label copy status | Ready |
Recommended packaging
- Oxygen/moisture-barrier heat-sealed pouch; nitrogen flushing or vacuum may be suitable after trials (avoid crushing). Bulk kernels: sealed barrier liner in a protective carton.
Economical / sustainable option
- trial a recyclable PE- or PP-based mono-material pack only if its barrier and seals pass the same shelf-life test; confirm local collection. Plain paper alone is unsuitable.
Retail label essentials
- Before printing, check the applicable rules/exemptions for: true food name; ingredients in descending order; additives; prescribed nutrition panel; veg/non-veg symbol; allergen statement; manufacturer/packer/brand-owner details and applicable FSSAI logo/licence number; net quantity; MRP inclusive of taxes and consumer-care details; batch/lot; manufacture/packing date and expiry/use-by as applicable; storage and preparation instructions.
- Check Legal Metrology declarations, type size and unit-sale-price applicability for the final pack.
- Mandatory information must be in English or Hindi; add clear Telugu for rural AP buyers.
Product name, origin & marketing claims
- Put a simple descriptive food name beside the brand, with the actual variant and net quantity prominent.
- Use honest local-origin/FPO statements backed by records.
- Technology titles in column C are not approved marketing claims.
- Do not imply CFTRI or FSSAI endorses the brand.
- A QR recipe/traceability link is optional and cannot replace mandatory on-pack information.
Ingredients, allergens & cross-contact
- Review every ingredient and processing aid/carrier, including compound seasonings and shared machinery.
- Use the prescribed separate allergen statement when applicable; exemptions exist, including where the product itself is the allergen.
- “May contain” follows a genuine cross-contact assessment and is not a substitute for segregation.
- Milk is an allergen even in a vegetarian food; egg changes veg/non-veg status.
- Do not assume millet/buckwheat foods are gluten-free.
- Make cashew identity clear and declare seasoning allergens.
- Give the buyer ingredient/allergen/additive specifications and a batch Certificate of Analysis (COA) where relevant.
- FSSAI Labelling and Display Regulations, 2020; Version VIII, 09-Sep-2025. Primary regulatory baseline for retail/non-retail labels, allergens and ingredient-specific declarations.
Nutrition & claims
- Nutrition values and claims must match the final recipe, legal calculation/testing basis and serving instructions.
- Check permitted exemptions rather than printing invented values.
Shelf life, storage & after-opening
- Best-before alone is not a universal substitute for expiry/use-by.
- Establish shelf life on the real product/package using safety, sensory and relevant moisture/rancidity/culture tests under intended distribution conditions.
- No expiry duration is supplied in this workbook.
- Print a validated after-opening period where needed, not “consume soon” as the only control.
- Apply current non-retail requirements for identity, quantity, lot/date, manufacturer/packer, applicable FSSAI details, storage and required non-retail identification; supply permitted accompanying documentation for other required information.
FSSAI licence, certifications & marks
- Obtain the applicable FSSAI registration/licence and product-category permissions before food manufacture/sale; it is not a product-quality endorsement.
- Ordinary food rows do not establish a separate mandatory certification merely because they use millet or local produce.
- ISO 22000/HACCP certification, retail barcodes and trademark registration are not universal food-label prerequisites, though a buyer may require them.
- Never display BIS/AGMARK/organic/vegan/+F/other marks without qualifying and obtaining the relevant authorisation where required.
- Special-category rows explicitly need further review.
Regulatory references
- FSSAI Packaging Regulations, 2018; Version V, 02-Apr-2025. Food-contact compliance and Schedule IV indicative package families. Specific pack sizes and sustainability trade-offs in D/E are recommendations, not prescribed by this source.
Other important guidance
- Name cashew kernels; specify roasted/salted or raw testa-removed form accurately.
- IR testa removal is not a general roasting or sterilisation claim.
- Bulk processors should also follow these B2B/non-retail requirements: B2B is not unlabelled.
- Do not use the retail checklist alone for food colours, enzymes, extracts or bulk ingredients.
- Roasted/salted recipes need seasoning/oil declarations; nuts may need oxygen protection even if the pouch looks dry.