Mineral Water Plant | What Does It Cost?

Every day, we get between 8-12 inquiries for setting up new mineral water plants. That's not a small number, and there are several reasons why this sector is heating up:

1. The Market Is Growing. New government regulations, the crackdown on local, illegal bottlers and poor quality of potable water combined with rising Indian incomes will grow the bottled water market at unimaginable speeds. Globally, this is already happening; bottled water is overtaking all soft drinks to become the world's most consumed non-alcoholic beverage.

2. It Is An Easy Market To Get Started in. The product doesn't expire, the science is not complicated, the equipment isn't particularly expensive and demand is on every corner.

There are two types of bottled water plants: consumer packs (0.2L-2L) and bulk packs (5L-20L). Some fundamental differences:

Consumer packs (0.2L-2L) are use and throw. That means you need to blow new bottled from preforms every time you turn the line on. In terms of equipment, you need

a blowing machine with molds, a rinser, a filler, a capper, a labeller and a carton packer. You also need a range of utilities - air compressors, heat plate exchangers etc. These lines are typically high speed (2,000 BPH to 84,000 BPH) and cost between 3 Cr. - 6 Cr. depending on the brand and specifications.

Bulk packs are reusable. That means you need to invest in jars once (by purchasing them from another factory, for example), and you use your equipment to de-cap, rinse, fill and cap. These lines are far slower (300 BPH to 2000 BPH), and cost between 50L to 1.5 Cr. to set up.

Other distinctions:

1. Water Treatment: For bulk packs, you require water for filling and rinsing. For consumer packs, the majority of water goes towards filling.This distinction is important, particularly if you will add minerals into the water.

2. Storage: For bulk packs, you require space to store empty jars (volumetrically large and space occupying vs. smaller preforms). For consumer packs, finished cartons can be neatly stacked one on top of another.

3. Space: For bulk packs, the rinsing/filling/capping line can fit in <300 sq. ft. For consumer packs, the space required (inc. utilities) is significantly larger and depends on the layout and capacity.

4. SKUs: For bulk packs, you can produce anything from 5L to 20L on the same line, provided they have the same neck (typically 55mm). For consumer packs, you can produce anything from 200ml to 2L on the same line, provided they have the same neck (typically 28mm). The larger the size, the slower the line speed.

Note: We currently offer 300 bottles/hour and 600 bottles/hour lines for 20L Jars. To learn more, please write to harsh.doshi@hatabevtech.com.