How to Start a Cold Pressed Oil Business in India: Cost, Licence & Profit

Key Takeaways

• The opportunity is in branding, not extraction. Anyone can buy a press; very few build a brand people repurchase from.
• Capacity, not turnover alone, decides your FSSAI licence category for vegetable oil units. Cross 2 MT per day and you need a Central licence.
• Oil cake is not a waste. It can contribute 10–20% of monthly revenue and often decides whether the unit is profitable.
• The PMFME scheme offers a 35% credit-linked capital subsidy capped at ₹10 lakh per unit, and cold-pressed oil has been one of its most-approved categories in Karnataka.
• A single-seed unit is easier to launch. A multi-seed unit is easier to keep running through the year.