The most dangerous number in the Indian beverage industry is 150,000.
That is the standard Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ) for printed aluminium cans from the giants like Ball India or CanPack. For a startup in Bangalore or Delhi, that number is a death sentence. It requires you to lock up over ₹15 Lakhs - ₹20 Lakhs ($16,500 - $22,000) in empty cans before you have sold a single drop.
If you are launching a D2C beverage brand in 2025, you should not be trying to be Pepsi on Day 1. You need a "Pilot Run" strategy.
Here is the economic blueprint for producing a "Pilot Batch" (3,000 – 10,000 units) in India using the "Blank Can" method.
1. The Packaging Math: Sticker vs. Sleeve vs. Print
In the West, startups use "Digital Printing." In India, we use Jugaad (smart improvisation).
Your biggest cost isn't the liquid; it's the container strategy. Here are your three real options in the Indian market:
The Tech: A transparent plastic body with a metal seamed lid. You see these everywhere for mocktails and local juices.
MOQ: 500 – 1,000 units (widely available on IndiaMART).
Cost: Low ₹6 – ₹9 ($0.07 - $0.10) per unit.
It screams "Local Juice Shop." It has poor carbonation retention and shelf life. Only use this for fresh, same-day consumption drinks.
This is how 90% of successful Indian startups launch today.
The Tech: You buy "Brite" (silver/blank) aluminium cans from a trader, not the factory. You then apply a label.
- Method 1: Pressure Sensitive Label (Sticker) - A high-quality plastic sticker. Cheap, easy to apply by hand or semi-auto machine.
- Method 2: Shrink Sleeve - A plastic sleeve heated to fit the can. Looks like a printed can but costs more per unit.
MOQ: 2,000 – 5,000 units (Sourced from traders/resellers).
Cost:
- Can: ~₹10 - ₹14 ($0.11 - $0.15) (Trader markup included).
- Label: ~₹1.5 - ₹3 ($0.02 - $0.03) (depending on gold foil/texture).
- Total Packaging Cost: ₹12 - ₹17 ($0.13 - $0.19) per can.
It allows you to launch 3 flavors (2,000 cans each) for a fraction of the cost of a printed run.
The Tech: Lithographic printing directly on metal.
MOQ: ~150,000 cans (Full Truckload).
Cost: Low per unit ₹9 - ₹11 ($0.10 - $0.12), but massive upfront capital of ₹15 Lakh+ ($16,500+).
If you change your logo or FSSAI number, you have to scrap the entire inventory.
2. The "Line Loss" Tax (India Specifics)
New founders often calculate their profits like this:
"My liquid costs ₹15 ($0.17) per liter. I have 1,000 liters. Therefore, I will get 3,000 cans."
Wrong.
In India, small-scale co-packers often use older, semi-automatic filling lines. These machines are not precise.
Line Loss: The liquid wasted to "prime" the pumps, fill the long pipes, and calibrate the filler levels.
Pilot Run Loss: Expect 10% - 15% wastage.
The Reality: If you send 1,000 liters to a co-packer in Pune or Nashik, plan to bottle only 850 liters. The rest will go down the drain during setup. You must budget for this in your COGS.
3. Where to Manufacture: The "Coman" Reality
You cannot call the big factories that bottle for Coke or Red Bull. They won't reply.
You need Tier-2 Co-packers or "Lab Scale" Units.
The Setup: These facilities often use manual or semi-auto seamers (10–30 cans per minute).
The Cost Model: They don't charge just "per unit." They often charge a "Shift Charge" or "Minimum Conversion Fee" (e.g., ₹25,000 - ₹50,000 ($280 - $560) per day) + material costs.
The "Brite" Can Source: Many of these co-packers hold stock of blank cans. Ask them: "Do you have unprinted inventory I can buy?" This saves you from finding a separate can trader.
4. The "Changeover" Hidden Fee
If you want to launch "Masala Soda," "Orange," and "Lemon" in your first run, be careful.
Every time you switch flavors, the line must stop for CIP (Cleaning In Place).
In a small Indian facility, this can take 2-4 hours.
The Cost: You lose half a day of production time, which you are paying for in the "Shift Charge."
The Fix: For your very first pilot run, pick ONE Hero Flavor. Validate the brand, then expand.
Conclusion: Cash Flow vs. Unit Cost
Your first 5,000 cans will be expensive.
You might pay ₹35 - ₹40 ($0.39 - $0.45) COGS per can (fully packed) instead of the ₹20 ($0.22) that big brands pay.
This is fine.
You are paying a premium to avoid the ₹15 Lakh ($16,500) risk of printed cans. You are buying the ability to pivot. If the market hates your "Jeera Cola," you can peel the sticker off the unsold cans and try again. You can't do that with printed cans.
Ready to crunch the numbers?
Use our interactive calculator below to compare the costs of a "Sticker Run" vs. a "Printed Run" (including GST impacts).
TPL Beverage Launch Calculator
Model your 2025 Pilot Run economics. Compare India vs. USA costs.
Detailed Cost Breakdown
Commercial Viability Analysis© 2025 TPL Beverages. Estimates only. Actual quotes will vary based on specific formula and region.