Grah Shantiestablishing a strong brand presence Govinda’s star power taking the brand to new heights- Bhushan Kakkar
The popularity of the ‘Grah Shanti’ brand in the incense industry has been on the rise. Delhi based Bhushan Enterprises Company’s Grah Shanti Agarbatti and Dhoop products have been making waves in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Punjab, and Jammu. Bhushan Enterprises has been producing raw dhoop since 1995. In 2016, Bhushan Enterprises acquired the Graha Shanti brand after the previous proprietors were not interested in running it. The brand however was present in the market since 2012 with a range of agarbatti and dhoop products. According to the owner of the company, Mr Bhushan Kakkar, reviving the brand was a significant challenge for them, as their experience was primarily in the production of and supply of raw dhoop to other companies. After taking over the brand in 2016, it was relaunched in 2017. In 2020, the world came to a halt with Covid and but they spent this time brainstorming ways to improve the brand. Post covid and after three years of taking hold of the brand we launched the brand in a much better and positive approach. It has been four years now and Grah Shanti products have finally made their mark in several states.
Mr Bhushan Kakkar in conversation with Sugandh India said that the company has about 200 products and these products are available in the market in different ranges. He said that there are 4 types of products in the ₹10 segment, namely Black, Match Box, Extraordinary and Sanju. These are as per the trends and preferences in different states. Apart from this, another product is 3-in-1 agarbatti which is supplied with a 12 + 3 scheme in which 3 items are free on purchase of 12 items. This product is very popular in the market. The sellers ask for similar schemes on other products as well but we have limited this scheme to 3 in 1. Additionally, we have dhoop in pouch packing, in several evergreen fragrances such as rose, mogra, sandalwood and guggal. Along with this we also have pardesh and royal touch in dhoop. And lastly our top selling products 3 in 1 and Ram Lalla are also available in dhoop. Ram Lalla comes in both incense sticks and dhoop. It is available in MRP of Rs 10, 20, and 50. He said that dhoop sticks are available across all ranges. The one dozen 6 in 1 pack contains 6 fragrances. He further informed that the company has also come up with a Sambrani Cup product with the name Thakur Ji. It is made from cow dung and has the fragrance of sandalwood. People like it for spiritual purification. He said that the company’s focus is also on premium products. In the premium segment we have Gold Dhoop which is in fragrances of Rose, Chandan, Guggal and Mogra etc. These are offered in 65 grams for ₹20 and 180 grams for ₹50 whose MRP is ₹75. Whereas other companies are giving only 100 grams. In camphor also we are bringing products in 4-5 range, in 10 sticks, 20 grams, 50 grams. The company also plans to bring Bhimseni Camphor.
In response to the question regarding industry’s challenges, Mr Kakkar stated that credit remains the most significant obstacle. Our products get sold out in a month but the distributors take around 3-4 months to make payments. Timely payments enable the company to work on new products and schemes, but late payments cause market disruptions.
When asked about the central government’s decision to mandate payment within 45 days for MSMEs, he welcomed the move as a positive step for the industry. He also informed that most of their clients will be clearing the payments and have asked us to mention “payment to be made within 45 days” on the invoice. Mr Kakkar added that when we make purchases we anyway make payments within 45 days as we need the material regularly. This rule is great if it is getting us the payments early and on time. He further added that 45 days is more than enough to clear payments. The producers if they can should only purchase the material that is to be used within 15-20 days.
In response to the question regarding brand’s identity in the industry, Mr Kakkar said that the industry since our inception in 1995 knows us as a raw dhoop supplier but with the growing popularity of Grah Shanti brand, we are getting recognized as makers of quality agarbatti products. It is also our expertise in producing dhoop that reflects in the quality and growth of Grah Shanti brand.
On the constant growth of the agarbatti industry, he commented that the industry is growing rapidly. People’s faith in God is increasing. The market of dhoop and dry sticks is growing more than that of incense sticks.
Sharing his views about the market, he said that nowadays the brand which offers the best product at the lowest price is the one that becomes successful. Also, companies want to give maximum margin to the retailer.
The company has recently appointed film actress Mahima Chaudhary and star Govinda as brand ambassadors. The company’s vision behind appointing Govinda, the brand ambassador is that Govinda has a face value, everyone knows him. Besides, he is also a religious person. Govinda has been selected for the premium product Three in One, Ramlalla and Gold Dhoop and Mahima Choudhary has been selected for Pardesh, Matchbox Dhoop and Agarbatti and Pouch Dhoop products.
