Big Safari Wins – Hearts with ‘Zyada Sugandh, Zyada Batti’
Bajrang Soni Shares the Scented Journey of Soni Trading Co., Latur
In the heart of Latur, Maharashtra, stands a company built not just on commerce, buton values, trust, and a vision rooted in tradition—Soni Trading Co. For over threedecades, the company has served as a key distributor for agarbatti and FMCG productsin the Marathwada region. At the helm is Mr. Bajrang Soni, who has carried forwardthe legacy started by his father and uncle, adding new dimensions while stayinggrounded in ethics and service. In an engaging conversation with Sugandh India, Mr.Soni reflected on his journey, shared insights into the incense trade, and revealed theprinciples that have kept his business growing.
Mr. Bajrang Soni sharedwith Sugandh India thatSoni Trading Co. wasfounded in 1989, initiallyfocused on trading coconuts. However,the perishable nature of the productled the family to reconsider. “Werealized coconut stock couldn’t bestored for long, which made it a riskybusiness,” Mr. Soni told SugandhIndia. “That’s when we shifted to thematchbox business and startedsourcing directly from South India.”He further shared that theirjourney into the incense segmentbegan in 1992, when they got anopportunity to distribute Nashik basedbrand Nandini Mogra agarbatti. Thebrand quickly gained popularity inLatur, Osmanabad, Beed, and Bidar.
Mr. Soni mentioned that the fragrance andpackaging were appealing, and their efforts tobuild retailer relationships helped the brandgain strong traction in the region. In 1994–95,we were approached by the Thakral Group fortheir then-new launch, Big Safari. Mr. Soni toldSugandh India, “The tagline ‘Zyada Sugandh,Zyada Batti’ and the product’s value-for-moneyproposition struck a chord with the market.”He added that though it took effort to initiallyintroduce it to retailers, the quality eventuallywon them over, making Big Safari aflagshipproduct for the company.
Mr. Soni mentioned that over the years,Soni Trading Co. took on the distributionof many well-known brands, includingReal Fragrances (Pune), Shri jai brand, ARIndustries, AR Incense, Abhimaan, MangalamCamphor, Parimal Mandir, Oswal, S OSWAL,Mahalakshmi Dhoop (Chennai), Utsav (Rajkot),Vijay Agarbatti (Ahmedabad), Shastri and Delta.Among them, the long-standing association withthe Thakral Group remains close to Mr. Soni’sheart. “Thakral group is clear in communication,quick in decision-making, and strong on ethics,”he told Sugandh India. “They understand thechallenges of distributors and always supportus.”
Mr. Soni mentioned that over the years,Soni Trading Co. took on the distributionof many well-known brands, includingReal Fragrances (Pune), Shri jai brand,AR Industries, AR Incense, Abhimaan,Mangalam Camphor, Parimal Mandir,Oswal, S OSWAL, Mahalakshmi Dhoop(Chennai), Utsav (Rajkot), Vijay Agarbatti(Ahmedabad), Shastri and Delta. Amongthem, the long-standing associationwith the Thakral Group remains close toMr. Soni’s heart. “Thakral group is clearin communication, quick in decisionmaking,and strong on ethics,” he toldSugandh India.
A pivotal shift occurred under the spiritualguidance of Saint Haribappa, Mr. Soni shared.“We were in the tobacco and gutkha business,but gave it up completely,” he told SugandhIndia. “We then entered the rice business, whichran well till the COVID-19 pandemic. Afterthelockdown, we chose to focus entirely on incenseand FMCG distribution.”
Today, Soni Trading Co. operates across fourdistricts—Latur, Osmanabad, Beed, and Bidarsupported by 10–12 sub-stockists and over 800to 1,000 retail counters. Mr. Soni shared withSugandh India that around 60% of the incensemarket is of Rs 10 packs, 25% is of Rs. 50 packs,and just 5–8% is of premium segment. He notedthat “value-for-money” continues to be the toppriority for customers, even though demand forgood fragrance and packaging is increasing.
On current market dynamics, Mr. Soni toldSugandh India that Big Safari still dominatesincense sales in the region, followed byBalaji, Z Black and local brands. Cycle, Ullas,Forest, Peshwa and BIC are also present inthe market. Agarbatti has 80% market share,while dhoop products are 20%. In wet dhoop,Sri jai, Haridarshan and Manthan are leadingperformers, Utsav and a lot of other agarbatticompanies are also present in the marketwhich are producing wet dhoop. Mahalaxmileads in Sambrani stick market. In cup dhoop,Delta, Nakshatra, and Real are popular. Mr.Soni mentioned that the camphor segmenthas also evolved. “Earlier people used to buycamphor in loose form,” he said. “Now, brandslike Mangalam, OK Kapoor, and 333 are wellestablished.”Hari Darshan and Manohardominate the Chandan Tika Ashtagandh Market.
Mr. Soni informed that a typical retailcustomer spends around Rs200 per monthon Incense and Pooja items and out of 10, 6customers are loyal to brands.Mr. Soni emphasized that for a brandto succeed, it must offer consistent quality,attractive packaging, and strong dealer support.“You can’t expect a retailer topush your product just because it looks good,” heexplained. “Retailers need solid reasons—goodmargins, marketing support, and reliability.” Healso added with conviction, “A product is likeyour own child. You must present it well, takecare of it, and nurture it for the market to respectit.” Mr. Soni told Sugandh India that buildingand maintaining relationships with both brandsand retailers has been the key to their sustainedsuccess.
As Soni Trading Co. looks toward the future,its foundation in honesty, service, and spiritualvalues continues to guide every decision. “Weare not just selling agarbatti,” Mr. Soni saidwith pride. “We are building trust, one stick at atime.”
