Forest Fragrances Providing Quality Over Profits
High inflation adds a heartless glamour to everything it touches. The incense industry is no exception. It is almost impossible to run an agarbatti business in a high-cost environment. Needless to say, the quality and packaging customers demand today at the lowest possible MRP. This requires business acumen and the ability to take risks. Bangalore-based Forest Fragrance Agarbatti Company is one of the few that does it. Abdul Khader, head of Forest Fragrances that was established back in 2004, in an exclusive tête a tête with Sugandh India revealed, “Ours is a family business. All in the family contribute wholeheartedly towards delivering the best. We don’t outsource anything to anybody. Research & Curation of perfumery, processing raw materials, manufacturing, maintenance, marketing and distribution: We do it all. That’s the reason we sell at the most competitive rates without negotiating on quantity and quality.” He added “, We have decided to provide ‘value for money’ over profits. We are happy to play on minimum profit with increased availability of our products. Our aim is to make our brand grow bigger and stronger that lasts from generation to generation. As we progress, we want our associates to progress along with us as well”
Forest Fragrances was established in 2004 but Abdul Khader’s father Mr, Ahmed used to supply raw materials to manufacturers all across the country. This he did for 20-25 years. He has a large network of manufacturers, dealers, distributors, retailers and of course friends and well-wishers. Many of his close friends and associates urged him to start his own agarbatti business. Mr. Khader shares, “My father over the years developed complete know-how about making agarbattis and trade secrets. He knew how this industry works.” Adding further “Interestingly, the idea behind our business name came from my father. He said raw incense materials come from the forest. That’s how we got our company name registered as ‘Forest Fragrances’.”
Explaining the price-quality defect, Mr Khader said “, Agarbatti making is not a straightforward business. One has to face a lot of competition from national-level brands and locally manufactured products. Moreover, consumer behaviour keeps on changing. Manufacturers either reduce quality and weight or increase the price to sustain their business. Value for money to customers ain’t a ‘fair trade practice’ anymore. I’m not blaming anybody. The industry is unstructured and doused in high inflation. I don’t want that. I cannot negotiate quantity and price over ‘value for money’. It’s a challenge. I’m happy that I have a supportive family. This reflects in our brand name. Customers know this well.”
Briefing about his family he informed that his father looks after perfumery research, his mother takes care of production and he (Mr Khader) takes care of Sales and Marketing.
Commenting on Zeenat and Santoor; his most sought-after agarbatti brands he said, ” It was very unfortunate for us and our customers, discontinuing Zeenat and Santoor. As raw materials, manufacturing and other costs kept on increasing, we sacrificed profits against maintaining strict quality. Alas! We found it impossible to continue any further. Customers still talk about our beloved Zeenat and Santoor.”
Forest Fragrance has over fifty incense products and around 200 hundred other products. Some of the most popular names are; Black Agarbatti, White, Handmade Flora Agarbatti, Premium Hand Roll, Base Premium, Raw Agarbatti, Base Incense, Premium Incense, Dhoop Cones and Sambrani Cups. Talking about Flagship products; Black Forest, White Forest, Pineapple, Aroma and Kasturi top sales chart. Next in line are; Amber Oudh and Sandal. They are way better than competing brands in the same segment. “Any one of these when lit, their fragrance haunts for the next two days,” remarked Mr Khader with a sense of pride.
Besides delivering across all states; Maharashtra, West Bengal, Assam and Karnataka are their principal markets. Commenting on exports he informed that they export mainly to the Middle East besides other countries like Mauritius and Singapore and some countries in Africa. “We still aren’t that export-oriented as most of our products get sold in the domestic markets. Supply doesn’t match demands. In such a situation, export is not a necessity,” remarked Mr Khader.
Raising the curtain on plans he said “, Apart from bringing newer fragrances in agarbattis, we are entering the roll-on market soon. Mohammad Jalal, my brother and a chemical engineer is going to join the family business soon. He is pursuing a Master’s in Perfumery from France. New ideas and projects have been brainstormed and some are in the pipeline. Once my younger brother joins… the business will witness next-level changes.”
He informed me that— Maharashtra, Gujarat, Bengal and Karnataka are the best markets for their premium and luxury segment brands. We have a wide pricing range starting from 5₹ to 1100₹ a packet. Our luxury segment touches 3000₹ a kilo.
Talking about business vistas Mr Khader remarked “, We don’t have a specific roadmap for expansion. For us, delivering the best to our customers is more important. Putting cash in marketing and publicity— ‘ye sab karte hain’.” Talking further he said “, We shall stock up the retail end with new products in the next two to three months. All this covers everything from the economy to the high-premium range.” Continuing with his statement he said “, We shall be launching premium flora agarbatti in zipper pack in near future. Fragrances are being researched for a signature blend. It’ll take some time. Once these fragrances are ready, we’ll get onto sampling in various cities and markets. Feedback shall be drawn based on the sampling survey. It is a long-drawn process and patience is a virtue!”
Remarking on the business he said “, Our industry keeps on changing like any other. Market forces are fluid. One needs to be mindful to take the right decisions and gel in with the dynamic nature of the incense business. Take for example Nokia. It ruled the World for decades but didn’t comply with changes. Nokia was out once Google Android set in. It was too late by then.”
Talking about packaging he said “, Dhoop and agarbattis come in both zipper and box packing. Box packing runs well in local and surrounding markets. Unfortunately, the logistical cost of transporting boxes increases manifolds when shipped to long distances.”
Talking about perfumery Mr Khader said “, No two fragrances from the same flower are the same. Jasmine can have over a thousand variants. We ensure our fragrances have a signature tone and body.” Talking further he said “, Oudh, is in trend. Oriental fragrances too are gaining acceptance. However, Oudh is something in great demand. The source of Oud is in the Middle East.”
Bamboo-less agarbatti is in demand but not in every state. It is a matter of discussion and controversy. To this, he replied “, just like different regions have different eating habits and living cultures; so is the use of bamboo in incense sticks. Bamboo-less agarbattis are growing in demand in the north. Down south in Maharashtra and Karnataka it is not. The reason isn’t simply related to religious beliefs. The demand for bamboo less is growing because customers want change. There are varieties of bamboo less by the way.”
