Besan Laddu Making

Introduction
Besan laddu is a popular Indian sweet dish made of besan (chickpea flour or gram flour), sugar, and
ghee. Besan is roasted in ghee till golden brown appearance with a nutty fragrance. Then sugar is
added to it. Pistachio pieces are also mixed in this mixture optionally. Sweet balls are then made
from this mixture. It has a long shelf life. It is often served at festivals, family events and religious
occasions in India. Besan is the Hindi word for gram flour. It is also sold as chickpea flour, garbanzo
bean flour, cece flour, chana flour, or (in Tamil markets) kadalai maavu.

Relevance
Besan Laddu business is relevant due to various reasons:

 Besan Laddus are in demand all around the year because it is one of the sweets in India
which is consumed routinely.
 Besan Laddu is one of the most important products used in Indian tradition. There is a
requirement of laddu in various religious and social events.
 Besan Laddu is in high demand during the wedding season. Considering the amount of
money spent at weddings in India, this season proves as a big boon to the sweet making
businesses.
 Besan Laddu is considered as a perfect ration because of their ease in transportation and
long storage life.

Benefits
Following are the benefits of Besan Laddu making business:

 Besan Laddu making is an easy process and doesn’t require any special skill set. It can be
mastered by continuous practice and work.
 This business can be easily kick-started without any big investment. It also gives you high
profitability if you can market your product well.
 This business is always in high demand in our country and the demand for sweets is in all
parts of the country and every season.
 Besan Laddu can be stored for many days before they go bad. According to FSSAI standards,
Besan Laddu has a very long shelf life and can be consumed within 30 days from the date of
manufacturing.
 Apart from the investment that can be made in selecting and renting a location for the shop,
the initial investment is gonna be very less. The inventory required consists of basic vessels
for cooking, so it’s not gonna cost much.
 With the same tools and investment, you can also expand your business by including items
like besan ki namkeen, chikki, etc.
Challenges
Following are the challenges in Besan Laddu making business:

 Hygiene and cleanliness are of the utmost importance in this business. There should be
proper quality and cleanliness checks in the laddu making process.
 If you are not able to sell all of your sweet on the same day (which will often be the case),
you need to maintain a proper storage place to keep laddus.
 Indian sweet market has a lot of competition and in some places it is believed to be
saturated. There will be many shops selling Besan Laddu in a particular area. You need to
keep the taste and branding of your product upto the mark.
 Nowadays, you need to obtain a proper license for any food manufacturing or processing or
packaging or distributing activity.
 Quality controls are needed throughout the production process. There should be a proper
check of all the raw materials and also of the finished product.

Activity 1
Guide the trainee about the procedure of obtaining FSSAI basic registration for annual turnover
below Rs. 12 Lakhs. Also, tell them about how to upgrade to the state license once their turnover
crosses the bar of 12 Lakh.

Success Factors
Following factors affect the Laddu making business:

 You need to work out on the location as it plays an important role in this business. Look for a
place in a crowded area, or near places like bus stand, railway station, college campus, etc.
 There should be proper marketing of your product by mentioning the name and logo (if
available) on each packet of the sweet box that you sell. Also, give a contact number for any
query.
 You must do a proper economic assessment of the business, so that you don’t miss out on
anything important. With a proper economic assessment, you would be able to deal with the
worst case scenarios of the business.
 You should never make a compromise on the quality of your product because that is what
matters the most. To achieve that, you must follow the proper quality control steps. From
the raw materials to the finished products, there must be a proper quality check for each
and every process.
 You should also pay attention to the craft of making the laddu. Proper round shape must be
given to the laddus to make them look presentable.

Management
Inputs required

Inventory
 Pans for heating and cooking besan
 Stirrer

Ingredients
 Besan
 Ghee
 Powdered sugar
 Packaging box
 Optional Ingredients can be Milk and Cardamom Powder.

Skills required

 The process of making the laddus is a simple one and the skills required can be mastered by
practicing the process.

Process

Step 1: Melt the ghee 

 Warm the ghee in a pan to melt it. Pour it into the besan, stirring constantly.
 Start with ghee. If there is still dry besan after the next step, or if you like extra-shiny, soft
laddus, add more at a time.
 Ghee is clarified butter that's been toasted for a nutty, caramelized flavor. You can substitute
plain unsalted butter, but it will have much less flavor.
Step 2: Roast the besan over medium-low heat 

 Stir constantly for about 10–12 minutes, watching the besan brown evenly. This is the most
important step. Too little cooking will leave an unpleasant raw taste, while too much can
burn the flour. Constant stirring will help prevent these problems.
 Use an Indian karahi (Kadai), a wok, or a deep saucepan. The size of the vessel depends on
the amount of laddus you want to make.

Optional Step: Add cardamom powder and Milk.  

 Add the cardamom powder (elaichi) at this point. If you are using milk for more flavor, add
those as well. Stir for just a few seconds, then turn off the heat.
 Milk adds a richer taste and fluffier texture but shortens the shelf life. You can skip the milk
if you like.
 When you drizzle milk over the besan ghee mix, it should sizzle and disappear into the
besan.

Step 3: Let it cool in a mixing bowl 

  Move the mixture to a large bowl. Keep stirring for a minute to avoid burning the besan. Set
it aside and let it cool for ten minutes. This will stop the sugar from melting, but not cool it
so much that the sugar can't blend in.

Step 4: Mix in powdered sugar 

 Add sugar to the besan mixture. Stir until combined. Do not add the sugar while the besan is
still hot, or it may burn. Leave the mixture to cool to room temperature.
 If you only have granulated sugar, turn it into powdered sugar with a food processor, coffee
grinder, or spice grinder.

Step 5: Shape into balls 

 Wash and dry your hands. Shape the mixture into balls with your hands. Store in an airtight
container. If you want to decorate them, see below for optional instructions.
 If it is too dry to form balls, mix in ghee and try again. Keep adding ghee until the balls stick
together.
 They will also be easier to form if you put the mix in the fridge for 20–30 minutes.
Step 6: Pack into boxes
 Finally pack the laddus in boxes. Boxes can either be ordered or can be hand made.

Quality control

 The raw materials should be tested before the process.

 The quality of the raw materials and the finished products should be tested for smell and taste.
 Samples should be taken from every batch during the production process and tested for quality.
 The quality of besan and ghee should be good.

Precautions

1. Roast the besan properly

 The most crucial thing to keep in mind while making besan laddu is to make sure the besan is
roasted well.

 It will take time and you will need to have a lot of patience.
  Do not rush this step! If you don’t roast the besan properly, the laddus will taste bitter and
raw.

 And how would you know that besan is roasted? You will be able to tell from the aroma and
also the color of the besan will change to a golden-ish hue.

 Also, the besan turns into a smooth paste once it’s cooked (see pictures below in the recipe
steps).

 But don’t over roast it either else you will burn it.

2. Keep the heat on low at all times 

 It is equally important is to keep the heat to low at all times. If the heat is high, the besan
will turn brown and even burn while still being raw.

3. Keep stirring continuously 

 This recipe is a good hand workout. You need to stir continuously as you roast, which will be
around 20 to 25 minutes! But the end result will be worth it.

4. Let the roasted besan cool down before adding sugar 

 Once the besan has roasted, let it cool down for at least 15 minutes before adding the sugar.
 If you add the sugar while besan is still warm, the sugar will melt and loosen up the mixture
and you won’t be able to bind the ladoos.

Activity 2
Guide the trainees about the process and the precautions to make good laddus. Clear any of their
doubts regarding the process and the precautions.

Activity 3
Give a step by step demonstration of the preparation of 1-2 kgs of besan laddu. The trainees should
be encouraged to ask questions in between, if they have any.

Marketing and branding

Branding will make your sweet recognizable among the locals. With proper name and logo on every
box you sell, you have to make your brand a household name. Keeping a contact number for any
query will help the customer reach you. The box should contain the following information:

 Logo of your shop.

 Name and address of the shop
 Contact number of the shop
Activity 4
Help the trainess in makin the hand-made packaging box and tell them how to put their logo, name,
address and the contact number.

Economic Assessment
We are considering the cost of the process and not of setting up the place.

Fixed cost
The vessel used in rural areas is Kadai.

S. No. Item Description Rate (in INR) Quantity Amount (in INR)

1 Kadai Volume of 4 to 4.5 litres 500 2 1000

2 Stirrer According to the size of Kadai 200 2 400

    Total Amount     1400

Variable cost
We will make two types of Laddus. Besan Laddu and Special Besan Laddu (with Milk and Cardamom
Powder)

For 100 kg of Besan Laddu:

S. No. Item Description Rate (in INR) Quantity Amount (in INR)
1 Besan 7.5 kg @ INR 80 per kg 80 per kg 7.5 kg 600
2 Powdered Sugar 25 kg @ INR 40 per kg 40 per kg 25 kg 1000
3 Ghee 20 kg @ INR 625 per kg 625 per kg 20 kg 12500
    Total Amount     14100

For 100 kg of Special Besan Laddu:

S. No. Item Description Rate (in INR) Quantity Amount (in INR)
1 Besan 7.5 kg @ INR 80 per kg 80 per kg 7.5 kg 600
2 Powdered Sugar 25 kg @ INR 40 per kg 40 per kg 25 kg 1000
3 Ghee 20 kg @ INR 625 per kg 625 per kg 20 kg 12500
4 Cardamom Powder 1 kg @ INR 2000 per kg 2000 per kg 1 kg 2000
5 Milk 3 Litres @ INR 40 per Litre 40 per Litre 3 Litres 120
    Total Amount     16220

Additional Costs:

 Cost of Gas (for 100 kgs) = INR 500

 Other costs like water and electricity = INR 200

Expected revenue
 In the case of Besan Laddu: Selling Price is Rs 240/kg
Expected Revenue (for 100 kgs) = Rs 24000
 In the case of Special Besan Laddu: Selling Price is 360/kg
 Excpected Revenue (for 100 kgs) = Rs 36000

Profit
 In the case of Besan Laddu:
Profit (for 100 kgs) = Rs 9200
 In the case of Special Besan Laddu:
Profit (for 100 kgs) = Rs 19080
Conclusion
 The business is profitable and doesn’t require much initial investment in case if you have a
place of your own.
 If you are thinking about renting a place, with the amount of profit generated per 100 kg,
you can easily manage the cost and can also generate profit.