It’s observed in Kolkata

The 5 & 10 Ltr Bottles, and also for 20 Ltr at some places are on the rise. The consumers : You & Me, are worried about the poor quality of Tap Water, which makes them switch over to the Packaged Water. At the same time, the producers are seriously worried about their dropped profit margins.

Here's the Original Article

Lesson to a new entrant in this business

Obeserve carefully :

• The Prices have increased by 5 Ltr & 10 Ltr Jars. The Least consumed from the flock

• Very carefully they have done it. Fierce competition is the reason & survival.

• Even 20 Ltr Jars have also increased lightly.

• The face - the 1 Ltr/500 ml Bottles have still remained at the same prices.

Segmentizing your business is the Key

You should target Not Just the Distributor, but there are many other channels to whom, Price is not the barrier. You need to target those places.

Start Checking My Various Content Places

Take Pro Service if Short of Time

Tell me what do you think !

Low Profile Futuristic Business Models

Water ATM

You will find many Water ATMs run by the Govt, but in poor shape due to its govt funded nature.

This is it ..👆

1. It serves Filtered, safe Water at the lowest cost

2. Generates no waste

3. Can be run on auto-pilot

4. Win-Win ( Cost to Consumer can be as low as 0.50 Pise per Litre

5. Govt Authorised ( Approved by the FSSAI )

6. Start at Rs. 5-10 Lakh only

Reverse Vending Machines

This is it 👆

1. Helps PET Bottles get crushed in the machine itself

2. Collective crushed bottles can be sold to a recycling centre at cost

3. Helps reduce Carbon Foot-Print

4. Business Start Cost < 10 Lakhs

   ---

Want to Venture ?

Read something more about it through This Blog

Or take a Professional Consultancy

It’s Exciting; but with care !

Starting a Bottled Water Business is definitely exciting, interesting, and has a great future too. At the same time, it’s highly competitive due to great demand. And if you do not maintain a track of what is happening inside, you might fall.

Simply, beware of certain basics

• Never ignore the collection

• Check whether your business makes money

• Don’t be a dreamer while running business

• Empathy : Yes, towards you first, then all world

Numbers to Track

Weekly ( At Least )

• The Sales vs BEP ( Break Even Point )

• Expenses vs Sales

Monthly

• Recovery Days

• Sales

• Profit

Quarterly

• Profits

• Sales

Annually

• PnL

• Balance Sheet

• Cash Flow Statement

Don’t escape saying I need not know this

This is a common escape, don’t hide under that. You may be an Engineer, or a techy. You might fall into the I Get it Done trap. But these Key Things should be done by you.

This is Working Capital

But It is Market Decided, You can charge different price. Like Jio, you can go to Rs. 15, or think Ulta : Can charge Rs. 25 also.

Change the Belief

Reversal of the belief that I have to follow the leader might bring out the first step towards altering the price factor. Then whole thing will be designed.

Look at different experiments

The Nath-Jal Case Study. It’s not Reliance that started with Rs. 15 price; years back a local enterprice from Pune has done that. Take inspiration from it & introduce somewhat similar thing.

Cusbott works on a Ad Concept. Sells water bottles at almost negligible cost.

Think Different, But Validate Your Idea

If you have a different idea, it’s a great start. However, do get this validated by experts. We too offer Idea-Assesment Service. Check our different services.

I have seen, many business owners take this step very lightly, casually. If you are a 1st gen entrepreneur, it may happen. As you have never been exposed to the downside of this. But for God’s sake; do not skip it at all !

Usually you tend to skip it because you might not have the supplies with you : like those preforms, labels, water or even utilities.

But then what in the world…Getting Ready is ?

You might feel like achieving that deadline , but it is just an illusion. Many things might come up during the trials itself. Everything will be at test at the time of this “Pre Delivery Trials”.

It is an almost one production-day.

Do not skip at any cost.

Can also have a look at this Video

Never Thought of This ?

There may be many small/big things you might miss out. Please have a look at our Consultancy Page !

It's about declaring that your bottles, jars are safe enough that they don't transmute micro plastics beyond certain ( safe ) limit within the declared expiry period into the water inside the containers. Water companies carry out migration tests as per the fssai directives, fine. To prove that they're doing their job. But largely it's observed that bottled water is not transported in closed vehicles, without being exposed to sunlight.

And who cares about the storage. You'll see they're very carelessly kept out of shops.

Recently I observed in pahar ganj area in Delhi, there was free water transport. Unlabelled jars selling at rs 20.

Do they care being complied ?

Same thing happens with Lab. Entrepreneurs can't have correct information whether a lab is needed to start a plant or not.They sometimes buy that in fear. Yes : They follow the advisor.

Need of accurate , correct Information Advice

Many people consult the AI, some of them proudly tell me, as to how smartly they use AI. Secretly they want to claim that they are very smart & know what others do not know. But they may be totally wrong & might take totally wrong decisions and loose a lot of money. They don’t just need information, but an advice as well.

What to Do ?

For Packaged Drinking Water Business, definitely come to us, as we belong to this field for last 28+ years. I personally visit almost every concerned event in the country, meet various people, attend conferences to keep myself updated.

How You can take help ?

1. For 1 Time Consultation take an Assesment.

2. For Repeat, Ongoing Support, take Mentoring

3. To Learn yourself take our Recorded Courses

For the 1,2 options, use This Link

For 3, check this link

The FSSAI is that way not new to the Bottled Water Industry in India. However, it was a secondary regulator till 2024 End. After that, it was given the sole authority, by removing its big bro - the BIS.

But many in the industry, still are not taking FSSAI that seriously. But very recently, there was a major raid on the “Black Water” Manufacturer in Savli, Vadodara, Gujarat India by the FSSAI team, and they seized stock worth Rs. 31 + Lakhs.

What was the reason ?

It was reported to them through consumer portal that Black Water contains certain non-allowed additive & they were not properly taking care of the Packaged Drinking Water Category. You can read more through this Blog-Post.

A Resource

There may be many FSSAI consultants around your city. However, to understand FSSAI with ref to a Business Owner’s perspective, Access this Recorded Course with 1 month support at nominal pricing.

Are You still complaining ?

We conduct Assesments for Bottled Water Plants. Recently did one with a plant which hasn’t been in operation since last 6 months, January ‘26. The machinery was installed & plant was comissioned in September ‘25. 3 months, they could just ship some 10 odd consignments, and that’s it.

Their Reasoning

Some guy convinced them about this ( bottled water ) business, and somehow this guy impressed them, supplied them machines, over and above the mineral water machines, he also made them buy the alkaline water machine worth 9-10 Lakh Rs. And today, the sad story is mentioned above.

They were consistently complaining about the guy who gave them this idea. It’s you, who is facing the heat. First, stop complaining & accept own fault. After assesment we usually ask them to send us some documents, which they didn’t send at all. Are you making such mistakes too ? If your plant/business is not making money, it is the time NOW to stop further losses.

Check this blog-post if you find helpful & approach us for help immediately to stop further ( bad ) consequences

Exhibition at Coimbatore

FDP Expo is taking place on 1-2-3 July, as usual, there is a special FSSAI workshop too. It might not be “Excellent” but ok to gain initial knowledge about compliances.

We have paused our Zoom Live Sessions

Due to very low attendance, we have stopped the trainings. But have started the Recorded Sessions :-

1. Full Foundation Course with 1 month Support Access

2. Intro Hindi Course

3. Intro English Course

4. FSSAI Basic Intro for Bottled Water Course

Since 2018, a company from Gujarat, India, was very successfully producing & selling Black Water ( Alkaline ) in India, as well as in New Zealand & some other countries. All was well, till the FSSAI - Which has got prominence from 2014 Oct - raided their unit and found non-complying factors. I am not going to repeat here, as to what happened exactly, as you can find that on the Web very easily. If you are curious to know what it matters to the Bottled Water Business then you can refer this HINDI Video also

However, my point is different. We, small business owners in particular, might forget to be updated & stay informed with changing things. Same happened with the Black Water . They were managing it well, during the BIS Era, when FSSAI was playing secondary role. Now, it has become Primary, and targetting big businesses, there they got this BIG Fish.

What ‘Wrong’ did Black Water Do ?

It’s my opinion, not a judgement. You always can research further & please prove me wrong. The small thing they neglected, was to have applied and taken this under Proprietory category, under Packaged Drinking Water. This would have automatically asked them about the not allowed Fulvic Acid. This is , to me, the mistake. Which has costed them Brand Loyalty besides operating loss.

What They Must be Doing Now

They must be doing the category changes at the moment. However, had they done this, in past; it would have saved them from a brand drop. The Lesson for us :- Be updated with regulations.

How can you do that ?

• Stay Subscribed to this newsletter, but more important is our YOUTUBE Channel.

• There is also a niche Bottled Water Community on Whatsapp where you may get updates

• In our Monthly Training Batches, we talk about them in depth

While discussing, they mentioned about the business was loan-free, meaning there were no debts anymore, which is a formidable achievement. Another thing I had noticed while taking around in their factory was that they definitely needed to modernise the equipment, vehicles, and overall many assets contributing to their operations. They also mentioned that they were in talks with the Bankers about the same, mainly about increasing the Bottling Line Speed.

However, as a phase-I, I suggested them to go for Solar Power option, through which they would get an immdiate effect on the Operating Expense. Later or simultaneously they can go for higher capacity bottling line/s. The immediate saving ( From Day-1 ) by insalling Solar Power system will take care of added EMI’s for the new Machines, while new, more efficient machines will bring down their cost of produce. And installing a Solar Power system is way simpler compared to installing a new bottling line.

Still, I am sure, they have not installed it. Are they not aware of it ? Can’t say so. As they have withstood many seasons ( including the Covid ), they have that perserverence, to hold & stay. But it doesn’t guarantee that they would have a re-look at their existing business. If they know it, why don’t they do it ?

How do we have a New Look ?

• Reconnect with the Business Value: While old setups can be frustrating, you must remind yourself that you are in the Water Business—a sector with permanent demand and essential value. Refocusing on the strength of the industry can provide the motivation needed to incorporate modern Solar and RWH systems into an aging layout.

• Take a Strategic Break: Fresh thoughts rarely emerge in a state of burnout; taking a short break from the factory floor is often necessary to see the bigger picture. This mental distance allows you to stop seeing your plant as it “is” and start seeing the profit-making machine it “could be” through modernization.

• Allocate “Free from Operations” Time: You cannot engineer a better EBITDA while managing daily bottle counts; you must set aside dedicated time for creative thinking. Protecting this time allows you to analyze your energy and water data without the distractions of the production line.

• The Obstacle is the Way: Instead of viewing a high electricity bill or an old excessive energy-centric blowing machine as a setback, treat these obstacles as the map to your next upgrade. Every technical pain point in your current setup is an indicator of where Solar or RWH can provide the highest return on investment.

• Practice Slow, Deliberate Thinking: Success in re-designing an existing plant comes from slow, methodical thinking rather than aggressive, impulsive decisions. A calculated approach ensures that new technologies are integrated seamlessly with old machinery, avoiding costly errors during the retrofitting process.

You can also approach us to have a look at your existing plant or business model, and we can suggest you the solution/s.

However, if you are starting afresh,

1. Take the Layout Step First. And before that, attend our Packaged Drinking Water Training as the First Step.

2. And if you are not interested in training, try our consultancies

It was at Pragati Maidan 22-24 April 2026

( It completely failed to offer “Technology” solutions )

I accidentally came to know about this “Delhi” version of the Drink Tek. I booked my Flight Ticlets only after confirming 3-4 times , as there was simply no promotion from the organisers. And the result also tells us likewise. Here is a review for a Bottled Water Industry Pro

Water Treatment

• There was just 1 stall demonstrating proper Water Treatment Sections, through displays ( not actual machines ). The stall was decorated nicely, however, the stall holders wer very hostile to explain, talk with people.

• There was another stall which was about alternate media to Sand Filter. The highlight was that it doesn’t need to get replaced, like sand, but is 8 times costlier. It also has other good properties.

• That’s it. No stalls from RO,UV, Ozonation, Lab Equipment, Govt Agencies like the FSSAI, ISI, CGWB, which I had expected as all are in DELHI

PET Blowing

• Just a couple of stalls from the PET Preforms.

• Nothing from PET Blowing Machines

• Nothing from R-PET

• No-Obne from Dies, Moulds

Primary Packaging

• Just 2-3 Stalls from RFC

• Nothing from Labelling Machines

• Labels- 3-4 Stalls

Secondary/Tertiary Packaging

• Not a single machinery stall

• Nothing from Packaging Materials too

• Just 1 Stall of Batch Coding

• Nothing from Tertiary Packaging

Notables

• Bottle Inspection

• Self Check Hygiene Booth

• The Gable-Top Packaging Stall

• N2 Dosing Machines

• AI based Tracking Software

• NMW Brand displayed Water

Conferences

• Majorly on Circular Economy

• Nothing Major in Drink Technology as such

Was it a Failure ?

For an exhibitor, I don’t know. Many were complaining as there was not much foot-fall at all. As exhibition is a major “Mass” Niche activity, they may have suffered.

For a Visitor, if you have visited to see any latest technology, it was a complete failure

For someone like me, who visits these events for knowledge gaining purpose, in this department also it was not at all upto the mark. However, I still keep on visiting These kind of events. You can ready my personal philosophy of visiting events

So, don’t feel sorry if you missed it out. However, do watch for Anuga & Drinktek ( Mumbai ) as they are solid shows in comparison.

How to stay informed ?

1. Subscribe to my Youtube Channel, it’s a 100% sure way.

2. Next sure way is to subscribe to this Newsletter ( sometimes I miss out 😄being a human )

3. If you don’t hate whatsapp, and belong to the industry, stay connectd on our special whatsapp community

Training Alert : 4 th May 2026

The Packaged Drinking Water LIVE on Zoom Class starts fromMonday, 4 th May 2026. You can clic the text or link or request details through a Whatsapp essage on : 91-9822478111 ( Note it’s NOT a calling Number )

The “Confidence” can be costly !

Recently, I witnessed yet another bottled water entrepreneur building his factory shed himself. Nothing wrong in doing this himself. However, the Shed size was fairly smaller compared to what is needed. A Bottled Water Factory is not a mechanical workshop, I will fit machines anywhere type; and hence very difficult to re-adjust. So, Do It Yourself, but the right way.

I have tried to analyze as to what must be going on in the entrepreneur’s mind….

Read this blog-post :-

DIY, the right way

While Appointing Machinery Suppliers

Comfort becomes Curse

A week back, I tried to contact a Bottled Water Factory owner, whom I knew from years. I wanted to talk about if he has spare capacity to bottle for others, as a “Co-Packer”. Surprisingly ( not really ) I found out that he closed his business. This is a typical story of many ( most ) entrepreneurs venturing into bottled water. He too had given a “Turn-Key” contract. Not every entrepreneur fails, who gives a turn-key contract; however, giving all work to single agency is a 1-time comfort & permanent discomfort.

Why an entrepreneur falls into this “Turn-Key” trap ?

Read this small blog-post

Take the Hard Step Today

Exhibition Alert :- Drink Technology 2026 ( Delhi )

22-24th April Pragati Maidan Delhi

It can be a replica of October Drink Tek, Mumbai. I am visiting for all 3 days, attending conferences too. And I think it is organised alongwith IFAT. Please Google if interested.

And if you think we should meet, just drop a Whatsapp at 9822478111, with name & purpose of course

Anyway, shall cover it soon. Regards

A young, 1st-generation entrepreneur—someone with a lot of fire but not a huge bank balance—wants to start a bottled water business. The first thing they ask me is: “Sir, which machine should I buy? What is the subsidy for a plant?” No wonder - Loan for a Mineral Water Plant is the highest ranking query for my website.

I understand. Opening a factory feels Sexy. You get a big title, a photo in front of a PET blowing machine, and you feel like a “Big Industrialist.” It looks great on WhatsApp status.

But as someone who has seen this industry for 30 years, I’m telling you: Machines don’t pay your EMI. Sales do.

Why an “Attractive" Factory might become a Dangerous First Step

If you jump straight into a manufacturing plant because of “attractive schemes,” you are building a temple before you have any devotees.

A factory is a Hungry Beast. Even if you don’t sell a single bottle today, you still have to pay for:

• Bank EMIs (the biggest killer)

• Electricity minimum charges

• Labor salaries

• Maintenance

If your machine is sitting idle, you aren’t a “Plant Owner.” You are just a person with a very expensive, noisy hobby.

Just watch a specific video created to explain this 👇

The "Not-So-Attractive" Path to Real Profit

My advice to my mentees is always the same: Start Low Profile. Instead of being a “Manufacturer” on day one, be a Distributor. It’s dusty, it’s tiring, and you have to haggle with shopkeepers over 50 paise. There is no “Big Boss” feeling here.

But here is why it is smarter:

1. Zero Risk: You only buy what you can sell.

2. Market Intelligence: You learn which areas pay cash and which ones give trouble.

3. Build “Critical Quantity”: You build a group of 200–500 retailers who trust you.

Once you have these retailers, you have Muscle. Now, when you put on the Armor (the Factory), you have the strength to carry it.

2,500 Cases Daily Business from Nothing ….

The 3-Step Success Ladder for 1st Gen Entrepreneurs

If you want to build a business which can sustain for at least 20 years, not just 20 months, follow this ladder:

• Step 1: Distribution. Master the street. Build your network.

• Step 2: Co-Packing. Launch your brand name, but let another plant make the water. Test if people like your brand. Refer to a special playlist on Copacking

• Step 3: Own Plant. Only when your sales are so high that your supplier cannot keep up. Now the factory is a necessity, not an ego-trip.

My Final Advice

Don’t be fooled by “turnkey” offers or easy loans. A 25% subsidy is useless if you lose 100% of your peace of mind.

In this business, money in the bank is much sexier than a machine in the shed.

Are you planning to buy a machine soon? Stop. Before you sign that contract, let’s calculate your “Critical Quantity.” Check our Water Business Focused Trainings exactly for this—to help you reach a near-accurate Capex and Opex before you risk your life savings.

Reply to this email or comment below—are you building a Market, or just buying a Trophy?

What is the “Start-Up” culture today ?

• Get your Degree

• Then MBA ( IIT, IIMs is more sexy )

• Then to those funding rounds

• Get someone else’s money into your business

• Assure hefty returns to them

• Secure your monthly outgo.

• Wait for success for years, without much worry, as your all is not at all at stake

They say “Exit” … XXXXshit

Why Exit ? Are you building the company ( starting business-simpler ) to EXIT from it ? And why one will think of exiting ? I say : Start Small, Thoughfully, take baby steps.

For the First Gen Bottled Water Business Owners :-

Year 1 :

• Assign Some Money like 3-5 Lakh ( Risk Capital )

• Keep Max out of it Liquid Fund ( withdraw only when required )

• Get a Distributorship for a brand

• Build Customer Base ( At least 300 )

• Build a list of YOUR customers ( Buying from YOU, not the brand )

• You should be selling at least 200 cases/day ( 12*200 ) 2400 Bottles at the end of this year

Year 2 :

• Look for Co-Packing Opportunity, read a full post

• Sell to the same group + new institutional sell

• Try selling to cafes

• Build your BEP.

• At the end of this Fin Year, you should have made 20% NP

Year 3 :

Start Your Own Manufacturing Unit

Purposefully creating crowd pulling titles can create garbage

As usual, Youtube starts showing me all that “garbage” content, when I open it. Today I was presented a video ( And I will keep on getting many - thanks to the foolish AI ), which claims one can start his Bottled Water Production Activity in just Rs. 40,000. Just as a curiosity I went through the same, and I have also summarised the same. If someone is curious, just write to me at mineralwaterpune at the rate gmail dot com.

Needless to say that it’s all buxxxxit. But more sad is that the factory, where it’s ( the video ) is shot, is a machinery manufacturer. It would have been better, had he created a simple explainer video about the machinery he makes & its features. It also does its job.

But it doesn’t PULL crowd

Yes. This may happen. When you don’t look at them, and what they want, and what they consume; you are likely to end up doing things which may be NOT popular. That’s the catch. We are hammered to create what people like.

It will reach to those who respect, want it

And they are not many. Sometimes it may take serious amount of time. But if there are people watching videos, it will reach to them. Have full trust. And I have a personal valid experience with this. I think, I have already said about it in an other article on substack itself.

The Flip side of creating content with misleading titles

I watched the comments on the video. Not to disrespect anyone, however, the type of people commenting are NOT the type which I would look for, had I been a machinery manufacturer. Another thing is the youtube AI will deliver more “this” kinda audience to you.

Sure way of creating garbage in life !

Don’t Get sold to quick-commerce

Is your brand not on zomato/swiggy ? No worries at all, you don’t need to. I have heard that they eat-up almost 25-35 % of the MRP. Besides that there is a lot of activity you need to carry out to retain your position. It’s another set of specialized segment, you need to cater to. I don’t rule out the usefulness of that, but it’s not just the thing.

Online algorythms may kill your business

I have really not understood how they behave; but have had several worse experiences. I will list here a few ( as I was thinking Digital is the only thing ) :-

1. Website SEO

   In 2017, I was enjoying top position on Google-Search and was flying high. What made it : creating content the searchers needed, smartly. In that , I also created lot many distantly related word phrases and one day, I saw fully chinese-japanese characters on my website name. Cutting the story short : I realized that the searchers on account of this, were never the true customers for my business, and it was never safe. Website SEO doesn’t work well.

2. Youtube Ads

   Very recently, in order to increase attendees to my trainings, we ( team ) decided to go for Paid youtube ads. My major crowd puller is my content. Hence we decided to focus on increasing subscribers. Continued campaign for 3 months, subscribers increased by double. But it’s not a great news at all, as once we stopped youtube paid ads, we saw drop in admissions, still to recover from that. Don’t depend upon Video Marketing.

3. Quora

   I enjoyed “most read author” and very careful while posting evrything. No spam, no useless links. Still, recently they banned my account. I appealed & got it recovered, but with my answers cut down, I have lost my status, because of no reason. This has happened 2nd time.

And there are many incidences I can tell you as to how unreliable this way is.

Thanks to these experiences, which have prompted me to focus on my local ( whom I can offer my service easily ) network, build stronger, more sustainable partnerships.

For Water Bottlers

Focus on building diversified partnerships, not just “Distributors”. We talk about this, alongwith importance of keeping close eye on the “Financials”.

Join the next Monthly training

All of what we do falls in this space !

Irrespective whether you are a politician, an industrialist or a dacoit, your activities fall in this empty space. Still, we have emotions. They get triggered by incidents happening in the world. If they are not managed properly, the energy, which gets charged by them, might get disturbed. The most wise way is to follow the social protocols, by following certain customs and DO the activities so that these enegies are well under control. Obviously we should observe some good deeds. This is “Swa-Dharma”

Where comes this comparison bet Branding & Swadharma ?

That way, it’s not an Apple to Apple comparison. Because Branding is actually a hub of various activities through which the organization’s name is made to remember to the general consumers. Its the “ing” thing, doing something. So, it definitely matters exactly what one does to make their name rememberrable by masses. Is the overall process wrong ? NO.

This looks good. Also a Swa-Dharma. Then what’s the conflict ?

As I said, what do you do inside these umbrella of activities, matters. Let’s take example of “Reviews”. Recently I visited a couple of places, and posted reviews. ( I sincerely do not choose places based on reviews though ) Case by Case. let’s check them. 3 hotels where I stayed.

Out of the 3 hotels, just the 1st one truly cared what was reviewed and reported. The 2nd one didn’t take effort to even reply the reviewer. And such was their attitude during the stay. It was booked through a travel planner. I reported her. She apologised in a typical no value smile, and sorry. I don’t know if she really learns from this. Treebo, the aggregators did call me twice. Both times when I was truly busy, and never called back when I informed my free timings.

This affects brand image of :-

1. The Hotel where I stayed. ( Saileela, Ritika & Opal )

2. The Aggregator ( Treebo )

3. The Travel Agent ( She’s member of my business networking club )

What’s the use of those blah-blah words Hotel Opal is unnecessarily writing ( with chat GPT or Gemini ) ?

One more funny thing I noticed :-

Usually I book my own stays. This time I thought I might get a better hotel thru the agent lady. I also requested her to book a hotel near the venues where I wanted to go. She just did smart things ( for herself ) and booked the nearest TREEBO rooms, as she has a tie-up with them. Funny thing is Hotel Treebo Ritika Inn is almost 3-4 Kms away from Chennai Trade Centre. They have unnecessarily done the bullshit SEO by inserting key-phrases ( these are not allowed by Google Business Profile as well ). Look at their Listing on Google :-

So, plain “Branding” without looking at the Swa-Dharma is completely useless. Tell me what do you say.

You are killing a prospect in fact

There are several reasons you should widen up your mind & take it more rationally, sensibly.

• Educate him, support him, build a new segment

• Multiply with more co-packers

I have explained in a detailed Blog-Post Take it as great opportnity. If you understand HINDI, I also have a Video on this.

The history goes back to as many as 2500 years ago, when the great “Chanakya” created a book with social protocalls, called the Chanakya Neeti, in which he has mentioned to dig wells & even mentioned the distance between two as a manual. It tells you that Dug Wells was an established way of sourcing water in the Indus Culture.

You will find Step-Wells across India

Besides these, there are many “Step-Wells” across India. Step-wells are nothing but dug wells, however, with beautification & with architectural & structurally well-designed construction. The most famous is the “Raani ki Baaw” in Gujarat.

There are many in Maharashtra, as well

Yes, however, compared to Gujarat & other parts, Step Wells in Maharashtra are shallower, mainly due to the type of soil. Maharashtra has Basault Rock, more hard & cracky. These Step-Wells are called as “Baarav” in Maharashtra. There are many, and as an enthusiast in Water I visited one of the Baaravs near Pune, some 80-odd Kms, on the Pune-Baramati Road. You may search Google to explore more on this.

The Loni-Bhapkar Stepwell

ar Step Well is a dug-well with steps to enter into it

It is not much different from the “Pools” from our times

Not much of a difference, besides the real construction. The Step-well is made from Rock. Cut, and carved into even sized steps, even 1300 years back. The purpose of the step well was very clear : Storing water for difficult times.

What way does this contributes to our “Bottled Water Business” ?

As you maybe aware, the CGWA : The ground water Authority is getting more & more critical about the extraction norms. The knowledge of groundwater through areas of wisdom enriches us, and this helps us to understand more about soil,rock & system of how we can best utilize available resourxces.

It literally emerges from within. From…. heart, mind…? Don’t know. It appears on the surface of mind. And it appears as a dire need of oneself. There must be a scientific explaination to all whatever I am talking, however, one thing seems more logical, for humans like you and me :-

It is the urge to do something with a non-satisfied want.

In scientific, engineering language it can be called as a “Prime-Mover”. The starting point. The “Call”. I have been watching many employees in process of turning to be employers, mostly in the Bottled Water Business. Let me decode their initial process of action, which actually determines the chances of their success.

Once the entrepreneur ( the unstaisfied true human ) decides to do something of her/his own, she/he somehow lands at Bottled Water out of many other choices.

1. Starts Collecting Information ( Online/Offline )

2. Decides or understands How Much will it cost ( Budget for a plant )

3. Starts checking Machinery, other resources to Run the business

4. Finally decides business model & creates project report

5. Gets Funding & starts the enterprise.

Is the process so straight-forward ? Does it assure success ?

I don’t know. Rather it definitely will assure failure, if the RISK involved is overlooked. And, it IS overlooked. Many times, supressed by the gut-feeling. Generally people love inspiration. The flipside of inspiration is , it can’t do anything with numbers. You just need performance. Performance requires consistent numbers in high as well as low times.

Calculation/ Knowing Risk, is absolutely phenomenal

There are tools to calculate or at least, pre-think about the risk involved. Rather, after step no.3 in the above para, next step should be RISK ASSESMENT. Read this blog-post in case you wish to learn 1 step little further.

“Production Cost reduces with 60 BPM instead of 30 BPM”

This is a typical argument a Bottled Water Entrepreneur makes, when I ask him as to what is the rationale behind choosing 60 BPM. Yes, it is a correct, however, as a decision, it is proven right, only if you have such production.

Otherwise, it works as a boomerang ! Entrepreneurs love inspiring doses of optimism, and might commit mistakes. This is not a different case. In fact, before choosing the set of machinery, one needs to understand :-

• Which are the true Best Days in a year

• Which are the worst days in a year

• Calculate & arrive at average production per day

• Look at his business for the next 3 years

• Also look at the threats, not just opportunities

This asks to understand about the basic knowledge of Break-Even-Point. We already have a Video on our channel. And now, also uploaded on our App. On the App, we have some Videos, and certain documents as well. Suggest you to go through them, before making any decision.

You DO NOT require an In-House Testing Lab

Many entrepreneurs include the cost of a lab ( 3-5 Lakh ) in their Capital Budgets. This not only adds the cost of capital, but also increases the operational costs, and which is truely unnecessary, unless you are committed to conduct the tests as per the BIS schedule, and with the BIS license. And Fssai ( which is the only authority in India ) hasn’t said that you need a lab. They just need reports with Outside Labs. Kindly check newly setup testing norms. You will get these under the “Documents” tab, under the “FssaI” folder, inside the Free Content Tab on our App.

Follow the instructions on this page to get our App :-

Link