Awareness of Quality LeadsConsumers to PremiumProducts: Ujjwala Patil
Retailing, Trading and Manufacturing at Guru Acharya Sugandhalay
If customers are made aware of the features and benefits of premium quality products,most of them will always choose tobuy only high-quality items. This has beendemonstrated by Ms. Ujjwala Prashant Patil, head of Guru Acharya Sugandhalay,Nashik. In a conversation with Sugandh India, she shared that in their retail shop, they have trained customers to preferpremium products. They explained why slightly higher-pricedproducts are better in quality and what advantages they offer.Within a few years, the situation changed completely — now, customers visit their shop specifically to buy the best-qualityproducts. Nobody asks for cheaper brands anymore.
Apart fromretail, GuruAcharyaSugandhalayalso manufacturesincense sticks,wet dhoop, dry sticks, andsambrani cups under thebrand name Sai Dhuni.Additionally, they handletrading and distribution ofbranded companies acrossNashik and other districts ofMaharashtra.
Ms. Ujjwala told SugandhIndia that manufacturingunder the Sai Dhuni brandstarted in 2016. Their productsare supplied not onlyin Nashik but also acrossMaharashtra, Bengaluru,Delhi, and Gujarat. They offerdistributors and dealerscustomized pricing. Theyalso handle distribution forbrands like Haria, Rajpal,Acharya, Pioneer, Parnami,and Amrutha. Ms. Ujjwalapersonally manages retail
“Their agency has astrong distributionnetwork in Nashikand also suppliesto Mumbai,Kolhapur, andAurangabad.”
operations under GuruAcharya Sugandhalay, whileher husband, Prashant Patil,oversees distribution in Nashikand other districts. Theagency has a strong networkthroughout Nashik, withproduct distribution extendingto Mumbai, Kolhapur,and Aurangabad as well.
At Guru Acharya Sugandhalay,they also retail sandalwoodtilak, camphor, andall puja materials. On beingasked, she mentioned thatunder Sai Dhuni brand, theymanufacture dhoop, sambranicups, guggal, and drysticks in jar and box packaging.Sambrani cups are availableat ₹225 in jar packs, andbox packs of 12 cups have anMRP of ₹100. They also produceincense sticks. Dhoopand cups are mainly soldlocally. Their agency has astrong distribution networkin Nashik and also suppliesto Mumbai, Kolhapur, andAurangabad. Pioneer andParnami’s distribution coversall of Maharashtra, whileAmrutha’s is limited to Nashik.Similarly, Sudarshanfrom Indore is also distributedonly in Nashik. Theyhave one or two distributorsin each district.
Ms. Ujjwala revealed thatthe name Guru AcharyaSugandhalay was given byher father-in-law. Nashik hasa very good market for incenseand dhoop products.At their counter, productspriced between ₹100–200sell the most, with regulardemand for packs worth₹100 and ₹80. Zipper packsare popular, and customersprefer mogra and sandalwoodfragrances. Among thetop-selling brands at theirshop are Parnami, Pioneer,and Sudarshan, althoughlocal products are also ingreat demand in Nashik. Forwet and dry dhoop, Pioneeris most preferred at theirstore. Wet dhoop is mostlypurchased by hotels andfood shop owners, whilecups have very high sales.
In response to SugandhIndia’s query, she explainedthat incense sticks anddhoop both have equaldemand(50-50%). Withindhoop, dry dhoop accountsfor 75% of sales, while wetdhoop accounts for 25%.Among wet dhoop, Pioneer’s₹50 and ₹80 packsare the best sellers. Besidesthis, they also sell their ownSai Dhuni sambrani cupsand wet dhoop. In camphor,Rajpal dominates sales.They only sell premium andbranded products. In sandalwoodtilak, Krishna Muraribrand is popular, whilein perfumes and roll-ons,Madani and Sagar Fragrancesare in demand. Sagar hasa strong market, with packspriced at ₹200–330 and ₹500selling the most. She furthershared that on average, acustomer purchases productsworth ₹1,000–2,000per month from their store.Only premium products aresold at their shop, whichmeans those looking forlow-priced products generallydo not come. Interestingly,7 out of 10 customersbuy products only by brandname.
