Kannauj becoming a raw agarbatti manufacturing-hub:Shakir Ali
Kannauj in U.P. is considered the traditional capital of perfumery in India. Attar curated from flowers in Kannauj has been known the World over for centuries! Today this historical town is moving towards becoming a manufacturing hub of dhoop and agarbatti. Those into ethnic perfumery tried making dhoop and agarbatti in Kannauj; somehow this couldn’t materialise. Years of experimentation, research and logistical studies made by the stakeholders of the local perfumery bodies, developed ways to make incense sticks with available natural resources. Yes! Kannauj today is becoming an added attraction and a business hub for incense making.
Shakir Ali in conversation with Sugandh India said that manufacturing of raw agarbatti has started in full flow. Agarbatti is curated from rose petals and natural oils are sold in the local market. This is a product of Shah Fragrance & Flavor owned by Shakir Ali of Kannauj. Agarbatti made from the flowers of; Jasmine, Mogra and Marigold is in the pipeline. Mr Shakir said that he is also working on a very special incense called ‘Firdaus’.
Talking about his manufacturing, Shakir Ali told Sugandh India “, We have eight manufacturing units where raw agarbatti is made. Around 125 workmen are engaged in producing 8–12 Tons of raw agarbatti stock.” Adding further he said “, The USP of our agarbatti is, the afterburn fragrance of agarbatti stays for months!” Agarbatti made by Shah Fragrance & Flavor is; 8, 9 and 12 inches long.
“The critical part of agarbatti making is to ensure the agarbatti once-lighted should not extinguish before; all of the incense material is consumed. Also that the raw batti consumes adequate amount of perfume, not more and not less. I personally supervise each-and-every batch of agarbattis before supply,” informed Shakir Ali. His company supplies ready stock to a big incense company.
Availability of flowers, herbs and spices:
Shakir Ali informed us that raw materials for making agarbattis are sufficiently available in Kannauj and the coal required for the mix comes from their factory. Sawdust made from the poplar tree is used by them. Other companies also use sawdust from plywood chips which is cheap and lowers the quality and is not recommended.Informing further he said “, We have sent product samples to four countries and I’m hopeful I’ll get export orders soon.”
Five grams of Henna does the magic!
Shakir Ali talked about the importance of Henna in agarbatti making. He said “, We use, Henna for compounding in the process. Just five grams of Henna mixed in one kilo of DEP oil and left for two or three hours changes the fragrance completely. Henna strengthens the base of DEP there by enhancing the tone of the perfume. This mix has a long-lasting effect on the perfume.” Adding further he said “, The demand for using Henna has increased with the demand of curating newer fragrances.” Talking about Bakhoor, a form of aromatic woodchip used as an incense material he said “, In the middle-east, they burn Bakhoor mixed with Henna. I thought, why not do the same and try something new! After some research and experiments, it was successful. Now I’m able to use Bakhoor in my agarbattis.” Shakir Ali lauded government efforts in banning Chinese imports and also developing the incense industry. Post-ban, the business has really grown.
Rose, Marigold and Firdaus spiced agarbattis:
Speaking on his new marvel Raw Rose agarbatti Shakir Ali remarked “, Although people have liked the rose-based agarbatti that we distributed as samples— it costs a lot! We are researching further to bring down the making cost without harming international standards.” Briefing a little about how it is made, he said “, The rose agarbatti is made from rose petals and other natural ingredients. with 1 kilo premix powder; 25 kilos of rose petals, fragrance and water are mixed thoroughly. There’s no place for any chemicals.” He also informed us that work is on to supply a large stock by April. Apart from the rose— incense products made from; marigold, sandalwood and herbs like; clove, cardamom, mace and nutmeg etc. are under process. Firdaus: a fragrance of exceptional body and tone is also under process to be supplied in coming months.
