The demand for packaged drinking water does not fluctuate much. It is normally high during summer months and steady during winter or rains. Though there is not much in this product it takes a complete manufacturing setup for its processing, bottling and packaging. Drinking water plant is a complete industry as it requires investment in form of land and machineries. Though most of the processes of water purification and bottling are automated there is requirement for human resources also.
Unlike other manufactured food products the raw material for packaged water is available readily and at negligible cost. The cost involved in drinking water industry is mainly incurred for its purification, bottling, and packaging. Raw water may be sourced from spring, well, river and even from municipal sources. Water purification is necessary when it is sourced from municipal authorities, rivers, and wells. Spring water is usually contamination free and has beneficial dissolved mineral constituents like sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, bicarbonates and silica.
Water from other sources is made to go through a purification process involving mechanical filtration, followed by reverse-osmosis treatment and exposure to ultra-violet rays. Thereafter the bottling and packaging is totally automated.
Fruit juice industry
Fruit juice is one item whose demand soars during summer time. Apart from water it contains essential minerals, and vitamins that are vital for human body. This beverage is processed in a fruit juice plant through a mechanized and automated process. High standards of hygiene are maintained in these juice processing plants as even the slightest contamination could lead to spoiling of an entire batch of processed juice.
Unlike water, the sourcing of fruits is tougher and it’s manufacturing more time consuming and exhaustive. The entire process of juice manufacturing involves selection and sourcing of fruits, extraction of juice, straining and filtration, pasteurization, blending, filling, and packing. Fruit juice processing is an organized industry and even involves multinational corporations.