(Annual production of 2400 tons of PET ready to drink tea, total investment ≤ 1.5 million US dollars, turnkey within 10 months)

1、 Market positioning
-Sri Lanka's tourism is recovering, with 2.3 million tourists in 2024. The retail price of 500 mL ready to drink tea at the airport/scenic area is 0.8 USD, and the channel gross profit is 40%.
-Export to short haul island countries such as Maldives and Seychelles, with a 3-day sea freight delivery and free tariffs (Commonwealth preference).

2、 Capacity and Products
-Main products: PET sugar free ready to drink tea (500 mL) 4.8 million bottles/year (2400 tons), Ceylon black tea+lemon/jasmine dual flavors.
-Accessory: Concentrated tea syrup at 55 ° Brix 120 tons/year, diluted 1:6 to make smoothie base for local coffee shops.

3、 Minimalist craftsmanship and equipment configuration (all made in China FOB price)

|Section | Equipment | Parameters | Estimated Price (USD)|
|① Raw material transportation | 0.5 ton forklift+manual unpacking platform | shift processing of 2 tons of tea chips | 8 k|
|② Hot water extraction | 2 × 500 L electric heating insulation tank | 85 ℃/20 min, batch type, two shifts of 8 t tea soup/day | 25 k|
|③ Coarse filtration cooling | Plate frame filtration 40 m ²+Plate cooler | Reduced to 30 ℃, turbidity ≤ 60 NTU | 18 k|
|④ Clarification | Disc centrifuge 3000 rpm 1 m ³ h ⁻¹ | Remove sediment, obtain clear tea soup | 22 k|
|⑤ Mixing sterilization | 500 L shear tank+tube pasteurization at 85 ℃/30 s | Online sugar/acid addition, 5-log sterilization | 28 k|
|⑥ Hot filling | Semi automatic PET hot filling line 1 500 bph@500 ML | Electric Heating Tunnel 72 ℃ → Cooling, Nitrogen Hand Twisted Cap | 35 K|
|⑦ Rear section | Manual labeling+date coding+film charter machine | 4 people/shift, daily production of 30000 bottles | 12k|
|⑧ Water treatment | 0.5 m ³ h ⁻¹ RO+UV | Conductivity ≤ 5 μ S | 8 k|
|⑨ CIP | 200 L acid-base tank+pump | shared by three shifts, water consumption 1.5 m ³ t ⁻¹ | 5 k|
|⑩ Power generation/rooftop | 30 kW grid connected photovoltaic | Annual power supply of 40000 kWh, offsetting 30% of electricity bills | 25 kWh|
The total FOB price of the equipment is approximately 186KUSD

Adding sea freight of 12k, insurance/customs clearance of 8k, on-site installation of 20k, civil engineering (renting a factory building for 2000 m ² renovation) of 35k, working capital of 35k, and reserve of 12k
Total capital expenditure of 1.5 million US dollars (including 10% unforeseeable).

4、 Civil Engineering and Public Works (Light Asset Model)
-Rent a ready-made food factory (Kandy Export Processing Zone) for 3 USD · m ⁻ ² · month;
-Ground epoxy+drainage ditch, set up a 100 square meter clean area (100000 level) for filling;
-Photovoltaic 30 kW self use, surplus electricity connected to the grid, saving $18000 in annual electricity bills.

5、 Automation level
-The core temperature control point adopts domestic PLC+touch screen, and key data SMS alarm;
-The remaining sections are manually connected, with a total of 28 employees (two shift system) and a labor productivity of 86 tons per person per year.

6、 Financial Calculation (USD)
-Annual sales revenue: 4.8 million bottles x 0.45 USD (factory price)=2.16 million
-Annual total cost: raw tea 480000+packaging materials 620000+labor 180000+energy 90000+other 120000=1.49 million
-Annual operating profit: ≈ 670000
-Investment payback period: 1.5 million ÷ 670000 ≈ * * 2.2 years * * (excluding a construction period of 10 months)

7、 Implement milestones
-T0: The contract takes effect and the equipment is scheduled for production;
-T+4 months: Factory renovation completed and equipment arrived at the port;
-T+July: installation, debugging, trial production;
-T+October: Passed SLSLS organic tea processing certification and officially exported.

8、 Risks and Countermeasures
1. Tea chips increase by 20% → profit decreases by 5%, sign a one-year fixed price contract in advance;
2. Exchange rate fluctuations → USD quotation+forward exchange locking;
3. Peak season power shortage → photovoltaic+100 kW diesel backup engine (CAPEX already includes 50000).

Conclusion: By replacing full automation with "small batch+hot filling+manual assistance", a tea beverage factory with an annual sales of 2400 tons can be established in Sri Lanka for $1.5 million, with a two-year return on investment, leaving interfaces and cash flow for the subsequent addition of MVR concentration lines.