In many towns and villages of rural india bread and biscuits are part of our daily life. Children eat bread with milk before school, people have tea with biscuits in the evening and cakes are bought for birthdays or small gatherings. A bakery business can be started even in a small town or village with very low investment. It gives daily income and regular customers.
Popular Bakery Items for Villages
Here is a list of bakery products that can be made easily and sold in villages.
- Bread (Pav / Loaf) – White bread or brown bread. People eat it with tea, butter, or curry. Very common and in demand every morning.
- Buns – Small round bread, sometimes with sugar or raisins. Easy for school children to eat.
- Biscuits – Simple butter biscuits, jeera biscuits, coconut biscuits. They can be baked in bulk and packed in small plastic packets.
- Rusk (Toast Biscuit) – Twice-baked bread, crunchy and long lasting. Very popular with morning tea.
- Cakes – Small sponge cakes, vanilla or chocolate. Big cakes for birthdays can be made if demand is there.
- Puffs (Vegetable/Egg) – Pastry with stuffing, sold hot in evenings. Good profit, but needs regular fresh making.
- Cookies – Slightly better biscuits, like chocolate chip or nut cookies. In villages, simple versions can be made.
- Muffins or cupcakes – Small cakes in cups, especially loved by children.
- Namkeen biscuits – Salty and spiced biscuits good for tea time.
These items are easy to make with a small oven or bakery machine. Some can be made at home too, if ovens are available.
Investment Needed
For a small bakery or bread supply business, the investment is not too high.
- Oven and bakery Machine – Rs40000 to Rs1lakh depending on size.
- mixing Equipment & Utensils – Rs15 to 30K
- Raw Materials – Flour, sugar, oil, eggs, yeast, milk, butter. Around Rs10000 to Rs20000 to start.
- Shop or Room – Can be rented or made at home, needs clean area.
- Packing materials – Plastic packets, paper boxes, labels etc.
Total initial investment may be around Rs80000 to Rs1.5 lakh for a small setup.
Licenses and Permission
Food items need some permissions:
- FSSAI Registration – Compulsory for food business. Easy to apply online, costs around ₹100–₹500 for small unit.
- Trade License – From local panchayat or municipality.
- GST – Only if turnover is high, not needed for very small units in beginning.
How to Learn Baking
Many women and young people do not know baking at first. But learning is easy.
- Short Courses – Many cities like Guwahati, Silchar, and Kolkata have baking classes. They teach bread, biscuits, and cake making.
- YouTube & Online Videos – Free and simple to follow.
- Work in a Local Bakery – Spend 6–12 months helping in an existing bakery. This gives real training in mixing, baking, and selling.
How to Procure Raw Materials
- Flour, sugar, oil and yeast etc : Can be bought from local wholesalers in main bazaars like fancy Bazaar (Guwahati) or Burrabazar ( Kolkata).
- Eggs and milk – Buy fresh from local farms.
- Butter and chocolate – From bigger city distributors.
- Packing material : From local plastic suppliers or wholesale markets.
Selling and Distribution
Bakery products sell fast if they are fresh.
- Direct Shop Sales – A small shop in the market or near school.
- Supplying to Tea Stalls – Morning bread and evening biscuits are always in demand.
- Supplying to Grocery Shops – Daily delivery of bread packets to kirana stores.
- Events – Cakes for birthdays, small functions, or school events.
- Doorstep Delivery – In small towns, morning bread delivery is very popular.
Common Problems and Struggles
Like any food business, bakery also has some problems:
- Bread and cakes get spoiled quickly, so they must be sold within 1–2 days.
- Quality must be the same every day, otherwise customers will stop buying.
- Electricity issues in rural areas can disturb baking process.
- If packing is not good, biscuits lose crispness.
But with practice, these problems can be solved.
Government Help and Loans
For bakery setup, women or young entrepreneurs can take help from:
- PMEGP (Prime Minister Employment Generation Programme) – loan subsidy for small food businesses.
- MUDRA Loan – up to ₹10 lakhs for small units without collateral.
- State Rural Livelihood Missions (NRLM / Assam SRLM) – support for SHGs to start food processing units.
These loans can help in buying oven, machines, and raw materials.
A Sweet Future with Fresh Bread
A bakery business in rural or semi-urban India is not only about profit, it is also about serving daily needs. Every home needs bread and biscuits, and children love cakes. If a woman or youth starts this business with dedication, it can give steady income for years.
With small steps, like Rina Devi making her first loaf of bread in a small oven in Hailakandi, a family can create a new future. Slowly, that small bread supply can grow into a bakery brand in the district.