How to start a supplement brand in India: cost, licences and steps

Two ways to start

You can go to a factory on your own, or you can use a private label platform such as Orvanes.

On your own, a factory asks for a full batch. That is 500 units or more of each product. You need about ₹1.6 to 2.6 lakh for each product before you sell one unit. You file the licences and arrange the lab testing yourself.

With Orvanes, you share a batch with other brands. Your order joins a shared production batch of a proven formula, and your label goes on your part of it. So your first order can be small: 50 tubs of whey protein, or 100 units of creatine, multivitamin or omega-3.

Our guide to private label and contract manufacturing compares the two.

What a first order costs

You pay for two things.

• The launch fee: ₹15,752, once. It covers the Brand studio, the label check, your licence filing, the Verify QR code and order tracking.
• Your stock. You pay only for the units you order.

Here is an example. You order 100 multivitamins. The stock is ₹30,800 and the launch fee is ₹15,752, so the total is ₹46,552. You pay ₹40,392 when you book: the launch fee and 80% of the stock. You pay the last ₹6,160 before dispatch.

Every price is in Indian rupees, before tax. Tax is added at checkout. See the full list on our pricing page.

Which licences are involved

Three parties are involved, and each one holds its own paperwork.

• The production facility holds an FSSAI licence for supplements and a GMP certificate.
• Orvanes holds its own FSSAI licence.
• You, the brand owner, need your own FSSAI registration.

We file your FSSAI registration for you. The filing is part of the launch fee, and we keep your documents in one place.

This guide does not list government fees, the limits that apply to a registration or how long a registration takes. Those facts must be current and must fit your business. Confirm them with a food-law consultant before you sell. Ask an accountant about company registration and tax.

Our guide to FSSAI registration explains this step.

What must be on the label

A supplement label has fixed parts.

• The words HEALTH SUPPLEMENT appear in bold capitals.
• The label carries the ingredients, the nutrition table, the quantity, the batch, the dates, the licence numbers and the price.
• The label makes no claim about curing or preventing a disease.

In the Brand studio these parts are locked. You change the name, the logo, the colours and a set of approved lines. Every label is checked against supplement rules before production starts.

The steps, week by week

1. Pick your products. Whey protein, creatine, multivitamin and omega-3 to start.
2. Design your label. Describe it to the Brand studio, or hand it to our designers.
3. Book and pay. You pay the launch fee and 80% of your stock.
4. Receive and sell. Your whole order arrives in one delivery to your address.

A first order takes about six weeks from booking to delivery.

• Day 1: you book, pay and approve your label.
• By the 25th: the batch closes.
• Weeks 2 to 4: production.
• Week 5: the lab test, then the last 20%.
• Week 6: one delivery to your address.

A reorder takes about four weeks. If a batch does not fill, we move your order to the next batch or refund you in full. You choose.

What to check before you pay

Ask these four questions of any company that makes supplements for you.

• Is production licensed? Ask to see the FSSAI licence and the GMP certificate.
• Is every batch lab tested? With Orvanes, each batch is tested twice: once at production and once by an independent lab.
• Who owns the brand? With Orvanes, you do. Your business is named on every pack as the marketer, and the artwork is yours.
• What is promised? We take care of production, testing and delivery. We do not promise that your stock will sell.

When you are ready, see how it works step by step.