Sachet Water Production Business- Easy Way to Get Started

Its history is modest but sachet water production and sales has become a big industry in Nigeria.

Before one smart entrepreneur started packaging water in sachets in Lagos in early 1990’s; market women and children hawked iced water in small bottles.  The water was largely untreated.  All you had to do was filled a couple of bottles with water from the tap in your compound.  Refrigerate, and arrange them in a Cooler.

Then hawk them on the streets and in busy marketplaces.

No wonder that entrepreneur called his product Pure Water to differentiate it  from the crowd of iced water sold in bottles.

Then packaged water was an exclusive preserve of the wealthy class.  Ragolis water which was the leading brand then could only be seen on the tables of very wealthy individuals and high society events.

Today, the production and sales of sachet water has become a big industry with an annual turnover estimated to be in excess of NGN20 billion and still growing.  In Lagos alone, it is estimated that there are more than 100 water production facilities.  Some of these facilities gross an average of NGN10 million in annual profit.

Future of Sachet Water Business

The business of pure water/sachet water production and sales is very lucrative and will remain so for a very long time.  The reason is very clear.

Nigeria is located within the tropical region and experiences sun for most part of the year.  This means that people always need water while on the road, at work and market places due to the effect of hot weather.

Over 200 million people live in Nigeria.  And this population grows at the rate of 3 percent annually.  This large number of human beings will continue to need clean drinking water.

Unfortunately  water is in short supply due to poor public water supply system.

For most of the population, sachet water remains their major source of clean drinking water.  This is because, bottled water is still relatively expensive.   Private sector investment is therefore badly required to support the efforts of public water works.

The demand for clean drinking water far exceeds supply.  Currently, it is estimated that over 450 billion liters of water are consumed daily, excluding those for other domestic uses.  Obviously government cannot sufficiently meet this need.  There is insufficient public investment in water supply.  And the situation is not improving anytime soon due to competing need for resources at government disposal.

This is what has created a profitable opportunity for private sector initiative in the sachet water business.

A modest investment in a pure water production facility will yield you a good return within a short period of time.  It is also a kind of investment that will qualify you to access development finance funds from institutions like the Bank of Industry and the Central Bank of Nigeria.

What You Will Need to Set Up a Sachet Water Production Plant.

Setting up a sachet water production plant require a good amount of investment.    But the good thing here is that it is scalable which means that you can still start small and grow big later.

However, the following are the standard things you will need to put in place irrespective of the scale you want to operate.

#1. Factory Premises

An essential statutory requirement is that the building must not be residential. Hence nobody is expected to live in the building or any other house within the same premises.

The factory must be fenced round with good gate and must be designed to enhance work flow.  The design of your factory must have..

• Production Area – this is where you install your machines
• Raw material store
• Finished Goods store
• Administrative Area
• Convenience Area (This will have the cloak room and rest rooms)

The factory must not near a cemetery, abattoir, quarry, sewage treatment plant, saw mill, or oil depot. Or any such activity that could be a source of contamination for the production of portable and safe water.

It must also meet general safety standard as prescribed by the Factory Act.  In this regards, you must install fire extinguishers, fire blankets and sand buckets.

#2. Source of Water

The source of water can either be from the public mains or a borehole.  However, we know the challenges of relying on public source for water, hence people who do sachet water business depends on borehole.

It is very important to note that use the of dug out well is not allowed as a source of water for your pure water factory. Depending on the topography, your borehole must have a minimum depth of between 100ft and 150ft and must be 30 – 50 meters away from the nearest septic tank which may or may not be within the premises.

#3. Reservoir

This is required for the storage of water and it can either be an over head tank made of PVC or stainless steel or an underground reservoir made of concrete walls and completely tiled.

#4. Diesel Generator

You will need a good generator to power your machines.  Installing a good generator is of utmost importance because of the epileptic nature of public power supply system in Nigeria.  The capacity of the generator you will install will depend on the size of your factory and the number of equipment available.

For a small scale facility a 20 – 30 kva diesel generator will serve.

#5. Business Registration

You will need to register your business or incorporate it. There are many advantages that you get by registering your business.   The regulatory authorities, particularly NAFDAC in the case of water production will not listen to you if your business is not registered.

#6. Trade Mark

You must register the name of your water under the trade mark laws.  The Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment handles trade mark registration.

Registering the name of your water is essential to protect it from  your competitors.  In addition to this, you must also register your logo.  These trademarks are what gives you your brand identity and you must do all that is necessary to protect your identity.

Consult your lawyer to help and guide you on this.

#7. Procure and Install Your Equipment

Here are the essential equipment you need to start your sachet water factory:

1. water treatment plant,
2. water sterilizer or micro filters and
3. automatic sealing machine.
4.  submersible water pump,
5. surface pump,
6. plumbing fittings and aeration faucets.

There are both located fabricated machines and imported ones. The choice is yours depending on your financial capacity.

From experience, many entrepreneurs in this sector began with locally made machines, build capacity and thereafter upgrade to imported machines, mostly from China.

If you have the capital you could have a laboratory or quality control department as part of organic function in your business to test finished products for quality.

Otherwise, use third party labs for this.

#8. Get NAFDAC Registration

This is very important.

The law requires that any organization engaged in the production and sale of food and drugs must have the product registered by NAFDAC.

NAFDAC will give you an approved number for your water on satisfactory inspection of your factory and payment of necessary fees.

The NAFDAC number is a testimony that your water is good enough to drink.   I must add here that NAFDAC is stepping up on its regulatory role because of the activities of dubious business people.  There unscrupulous business men who take advantage of the boom in sachet water to produce unclean, untreated water that is injurious to health.

If you are to do this business, you must endeavor to play by the rule.

#9. Distribution System

You can get a delivery van and employ sales and marketing staff to distribute the water or use contract sales people.  Acquiring a delivery van gives you control of sale process.

I have also seen pure water producers who rent trucks to distribute their water.  However the problem with renting is that it adds to your running cost.

Cost of setting a Sachet Water Factory

How much will you need to start a sachet water factory?

It all depends on the scale you want to operate.  With about N5 million or less, you can start a small scale water production factory with a capacity of say 400 bags a day.

The profit potential in this business is huge. Our estimate is that a factory of this scale will give you a profit of about  N2 million annually after taking care of all  expenses.

The first step to starting any business really is to conduct a feasibility studies.  It is not different with setting up a sachet water factory. A feasibility study will help you to understand all the intricacies as well as assess the viability before you commence.

Conclusion

Investment in sachet water (pure water) factory is a lucrative one if you get you act right.

Getting your act right means  you  have all the necessary approvals, particularly, NAFDAC registration. It also means that you implement a strong marketing strategy.  This is because the market has become competitive in view of the many brands available today.

Focus on quality to differentiate your brand from the crowd.

If you require help with the ground work including factory layout, sourcing of machinery and raw material as well as registration/incorporation of your business, patent and NAFDAC approvals, and/or with the development of a bankable business plan, feel free to contact us.

Good luck.

Buchi

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Buchi creates content and leads the Team at Kobotalk Management Services; a business development and investment consultancy firm. He provides strategic advisory to help SME's, small business owners and HNI's grow profitable business and make informed investing decisions.

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