GITE PERFUMERY WORKS – A Big Name in Nashik’s Agarbatti & Fragrance Industry for Decades

In an exclusive conversation with SugandhIndia, Mr. Rajesh Vasant Gite shared that hisgrandfather started this agency in 1965. Atthat time, he was working in a bank in Mumbai,but he was very fond of perfumes and had goodknowledge about them. Alongside his bankingjob, he began working with perfumes. Eventually,he founded Gite Agency in 1965. Later, the entirefamily moved to Nashik and set up their businessthere. Since his grandfather had good contacts withSatya Company, they sourced products from them,starting with Satya’s Nag Champa. After learningthe business, they started manufacturing under thebrand name Gite Perfumery. In this way, their operations expanded into trading, manufacturing, andretailing through these three firms.

In Nashik, one of the major districts of Western Maharashtra, Gite Perfumery Workshas been a well-known name in the incense trade for decades. Today, the family runsits business under the names Gite Perfumery Works, Gite Agarbatti, and Gite Agency.

In response to a question from Sugandh India, Mr.Rajesh said that under the Gite Perfumery brand, theyhave around 110 varieties of products, priced between₹120 per kg to ₹380 per kg. For example, they have 6products in the ₹120 range, 8–10 in the ₹180 range, and8–10 in the ₹200 range. All products are supplied in rollmuttha packing. Gite brand products are supplied notonly in Nashik city and surrounding rural areas butalso across the Konkan region.

Regarding Gite Agency, he mentioned that theyhandle several well-known companies such as Balaji,Real, Nishan, Utsav, Manohar, Good Luck, Oswal,Forest, Utsav, and Alaukik. Apart from wholesalesupply in Nashik, they are also active in retail.At their counter, along with their own products,branded items from all major companies are sold.Some customers demand lower-priced products,while in terms of fragrance, all types of notes sellin the market. From time to time, the agency alsointroduces schemes and targeted offers.

Rajesh Gite stated that Nashik is an excellentmarket for the agarbatti industry. Here, box, zipper,and muttha packing all sell well. Zipper pack demandis rising, with ₹50 packs in demand, thoughin jumbo packs, the 250-gram muttha pack is themost popular. Nashik is a medium-range market.In premium quality, brands like Balaji, Real, Forest,and Moksh are popular, but in the medium range,the local brand Nandini dominates. Besides this,Cycle and Zed Black’s Manthan have a strong presence.The incense market in Nashik is about 70%agarbatti and 30% dhoop, with wet dhoop makingup 70% and dry sticks about 30%. Both smokeand fragrance are equally important for consumershere. Hotels, street vendors, and food outlets especiallyprefer wet dhoop. Popular brands in thissegment include Manthan, Dev Darshan, Nishan,Forest, Real, and God Gift. The wet dhoop marketis balanced 50–50 between economy and premiumproducts.

He further told Sugandh India that earlier Bangaloreproducts dominated the Nashik market,but now Gujarat-based companies are also gainingground, and Mumbai products have started sellingas well. Zipper packs priced at ₹20–25 and boxpacks at ₹70 are popular. At their counter, ₹75 packsof Forest, Balaji, and Real sell very well. Balaji’s drysticks priced above ₹100 also move well. Dry stickswith an MRP of ₹70 sell for around ₹40. Recently,jar packing has also started appearing in the market,with jars from Balaji, Nishan, and Real.

On sambrani sticks, he said that while they initiallyhad good demand, sales have now declined.Currently, Good Luck’s Chintan sells, but overallsambrani cups are gaining popularity, reducingthe demand for sambranisticks. In sambrani cups,Good Luck, Nishan, and Delta are popular.

Speaking about challenges in the incense market,he explained that some customers demand

“Rajesh Gite stated that Nashikis an excellent market for theagarbatti industry. Here, box,zipper, and muttha packing allsell well. Zipper pack demand isrising, with ₹50 packs in demand,though in jumbo packs, the250-gram muttha pack is the mostpopular. Nashik is a medium-rangemarket.”

cheaper products. They want the same quality as abranded company’s product priced at ₹100, but expectit at ₹80 or even less. Balancing price and qualityunder such demands is very challenging.

Rajesh Gite also mentioned that the camphormarket in Nashik is very strong from the month ofShravan until Diwali. Local packs of 20g, 40g, and250g sell well. In camphor, brands like Nandini,Mangalam, and OK are popular. In chandan tika(sandal paste), Manohar and Hari Darshan are inhigh demand. People here prefer dry sandalwood,and Kashi sandal paste is also used. In perfumesand roll-ons, Ratlam’s Aero Chem and Kelkar’s AlNuaim are popular, with demand growing for personaluse as well. Balaji’s sandalwood and Santoshialso sell well.

On customer buying patterns, he said that anaverage customer purchases incense worth around₹150 per month from their counter, though somecustomers spend as much as ₹1000–₹2000 on incense,dhoop, and puja items. About 6–7 out of 10customers specifically ask for branded products,while others like to try new products every time.