Indian grocery stores in the Gulf want Kerala snacks, spice powders, pickles and flours, but most small makers cannot handle export paperwork. A Kochi-based export house can buy from them, group small lots and ship through Kochi's port and airport.
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This business buys packed foods from small makers across Kerala, such as banana chips, spice powders, pickles, rice flour and snack mixes, checks and labels them for the buyer's country, and ships mixed loads to Indian grocery stores and supermarkets in the Gulf. You earn the gap between your buying and selling price.
Kochi is Kerala's main trade gateway, with Cochin Port, the Vallarpadam container terminal and an international airport with many flights to the Gulf. The Gulf has a large Malayali population that buys familiar home foods. Many small food units in Kerala make good products but lack the licences, label knowledge and cargo contacts to ship a few cartons at a time. NABARD's credit plan for Ernakulam puts export credit potential at ₹110.88 crore.
You need an Importer-Exporter Code, GST and FSSAI registration, a small dry store for sorting and packing, and a customs agent you trust. The hard parts are meeting each country's label and food-safety rules, since one rejected shipment can wipe out months of profit, and getting paid on time by buyers abroad. Start with a few buyers and makers you can visit in person.
Find buyers through food trade fairs and Malayali business groups in the Gulf.
Why this opportunity, here
What the district has
See everything the district has, and loses, on the Ernakulam district page.
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