When we talk about juices, nostalgia for the times of the USSR immediately wakes up. It was then that on the shelves of stores there was an affordable quality product poured into three-liter jars. Today, the shelves are full of packages with dubious contents made by restoring concentrated raw materials (it is good if it was of high quality, without dyes and flavors). Therefore, entering the market, you need to determine your niche. What juices do you want to produce - concentrated, reconstituted or natural, direct pressed? The choice of equipment for the production of juice will depend on this.
Natural product only
According to statistics, 98% of all juice produced is reconstituted concentrates. Needless to say, the amount of nutrients in them is not particularly large. Therefore, the demand for the product of direct extraction is great. Moreover, the choice of equipment for the production of juice does not depend on the variety of berries, vegetables and fruits that will be used. On one line, you can produce several types of juices, as well as their “mixes”, so popular on the market today. The use of vegetables reduces the cost of a fruit drink, which means it will help increase turnover.
Organization of the production of natural juice
The first problem that an entrepreneur will face is the purchase of basic raw materials, that is, fruits. At the same time, the absurdity of this situation cannot be noted. There are regions with a warm climate, where apple orchards grow on every household plot, and most of the crop rots safely. This is Kyrgyzstan, South Kazakhstan, Ukraine. Add to this cheap labor - and you get the perfect place to organize a business.
The choice of equipment for the production of juice will depend on the estimated volumes of processed raw materials. On average, the price of a line for a mini-workshop will cost 1,000,000 rubles. It consists of a loading hopper, a sink, a stone separation machine, a grinder, a hydraulic press, a filtration system and storage tanks, a pasteurizer and a tapping mechanism. Glass jars and bottles are recommended as containers. The juice press is the most expensive machine in the entire line. The output of the final product and the level of profitability of production depend on it.
Received fruits, vegetables or berries are thoroughly washed and separated from the seeds. Then they pass through the grinder and enter the press. The remaining extracts are mixed with water and a special enzyme extract, after which they are repeatedly pressed. This is necessary to reduce the amount of waste and increase the yield of juice.
Turbid juice with small pieces of pulp goes through a filtration system. It can be a multilayer gauze or a fine mesh. In addition, the juice is often mixed with special clay, which adsorbs natural turbidity, brightening it.
In order for the product to be stored for a long time, it is necessarily subjected to heat treatment (pasteurization). This allows you to kill all microorganisms. As a natural preservative, it is permissible to add only sugar to natural juice, and only if it lacks natural sweetness.
Concentrates for the manufacture of reconstituted juice
More advanced lines make it possible to produce concentrated juice by evaporation or freezing of a product of direct extraction.This is very useful with an excess of fresh vegetables and fruits, but it is advisable only in the immediate vicinity of fruit plantations, for example in Brazil, Turkey, China. The production of juice in Russia does not imply the production of concentrate, in any case fruit.
Making a profit without the hassle
Most manufacturers follow this path, and the technology itself resembles an old “just add water” ad. But since the competition is big enough, you need to come up with a bright logo to make your product stand out from the rest. The next step will be to conclude a contract with a large company that will supply you concentrates for the production of juices. It is worth giving preference to well-known brands that do not use chemical additives.
If you have a brand and raw materials for production, then it's time to take care of the workshop. You will need a spacious room that meets all sanitary and hygienic requirements. The size of the room, the planned volume of products and the choice of equipment for the production of juice are very interconnected. One follows from the other.
Since raw materials (water, sugar, concentrate), unlike fresh fruits, can be supplied in unlimited quantities, the volume of goods produced will depend on the capabilities of the line and the capacity of the room. When developing a business plan, pay special attention to this moment, count the purchasing opportunities of prospective customers, because modernizing a production is expensive.
Organization of the production of reconstituted juice
Despite the simplicity of its manufacture, the equipment will cost you from 2 to 6 million rubles. An automated line is capable of independently performing all types of work with a well-organized supply of necessary supplies. An important part of it is the water treatment (filtration) system.
In addition, there are always mixing tanks, a pump system, a homogenizer, a pasteurizer, a conveyor line, an apparatus for filling and packaging. The technology for the production of juice in accordance with GOST or TU may vary. If in the first case the composition should contain high-quality concentrated juice without additives (vitamins may be an exception), then TU gives more scope for variations, which is what manufacturers use.
To build a serious business, you need to gain the trust of a capricious and spoiled consumer. Therefore, genetically modified ingredients, artificial colors, flavors, flavor enhancers and preservatives should not be present in juices. Such a product is already more than enough on the market.
Next, you need to determine what proportion of the production will be occupied by juices, and which - nectars and juice drinks. It is very convenient that you need the same raw materials, but at the output you will get a whole line of goods. Their difference is in the percentage of concentrate and water.
Recovered juice can be completely identical to freshly squeezed, nectars contain up to 75% of water and other additives. Juice drinks are the cheapest and least quality product. Contains no more than 10% juice, everything else is water, dyes and flavors (natural at best).
To summarize
Whatever direction you choose (direct-pressed or reconstituted juices), it will still be a profitable and interesting business. There are many living examples on the market when a small workshop, the products of which are sold by the management’s own forces, grows into a huge giant.
