Ganesh Gangwar: From salesman to leading agency in Solapur
The owner of Shri Datta Enterprises in Solapur, Shri Ganesh Gangwar, has been in the incense business for several decades. He initially started his career in the sales of agarbattis and dhoop products. In 2007, he established his firm, and through relentless effort, strategic acumen, and strong market presence, he now holds agency rights for over 21 branded companies based in Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Rajkot, Chennai, Mumbai, and Pune—regions that have become hubs for the incense and fragrance industry. He supplies products to over 350 counters in Solapur and owns a retail counter. During a discussion with Sugandh India, Mr Gangawar articulated that the market for agarbattis, dhoop, and fragrance products in Solapur presents a promising opportunity for growth and development. Agarbattis comprise 70% of sales, while the remaining 30% constitutes dhoop. Among dhoop products, 80% of customers prefer wet dhoop, while 20% opt for dry dhoop.
Shri Ganesh Gangwar shared with Sugandh India that when he founded Shri Datta Enterprises in 2007, the first agency he secured was Padmini. Later, he secured the Ullas [brand], which he now sells the most among various brands. Presently—Mr. Gangawar handles products from AK, Misbah, Jain Incense, and companies like Shah from Ahmedabad and Bengaluru. Additionally, he manages brands such as Satya, Gayatri, Srinivas Sugandhalaya, Rohan Fragrance, Anubhav, Elite Essence, Saba Fragrance, Tej Products, Naupanch Sales, Vidhan, Nikhil, and Utsav, all of which perform well in the Solapur market. He is also associated with Live Touch, Jai Bhavani, and Shri Trading. He mentioned that he would take on the business of Siddhi Fragrance and New Oriental. In the Solapur market, pouch products with an MRP ranging from ₹10 to ₹50 are the best sellers, while jumbo packs with 400 grams in zipper packaging are also in high demand. Responding to a query, he stated that premium products are popular in box packaging. While zipper packaging accounts for 70% of the incense market—10-15% of premium segment products are sold in box packaging. The remaining market consists of products priced at ₹10 MRP. He supplies products to over 350 counters across Solapur and operates his retail counter.
Shri Ganesh Gangwar told Sugandh India that the best-selling products in his business include brands like Utsav, Misbah, Gayatri, AK, and Utsav. Among all categories, wet dhoop is the most popular. In this segment, the zipper pack with an MRP of ₹20 has the highest demand. Other popular wet dhoop brands include Zed Black, Aromatica, and Vidhan. Devdarshan is popular in box packaging, while Hari Darshan also has a significant market presence. Packs with MRPs ranging from ₹15 to ₹25 are the most widely sold. He mentioned that AR [brand] Shridhan is a premium product, available in dry and wet dhoop. Among wet dhoop products, Misbah is a premium seller priced at ₹75, featuring three colours. In the dry dhoop segment, both Gayatri and Misbah are popular choices. Other well-performing Dhoop products include All Time Dhoop 003, Aero, Tej, Dark Tree, and Sandal Tree. Additionally, Satya’s small dhoop packs, priced between ₹10 and ₹15 MRP, are available in multiple fragrance variants in box packaging, which customers prefer. He further explained that 90% of the dry dhoop market consists of products priced between ₹10 and ₹60, while premium products, priced at ₹100 or more, account for the remaining 10%.
Shri Ganesh Gangwar told Sugandh India that Manohar [brand] Ashtagandh is the best-selling premium product in the Chandan tika segment. Kashi from Banaras is heavier in weight and more affordable. Additionally, Hari Darshan’s wet sandalwood paste is also in demand. He noted significant demand for Chandan Tika in orange, red, and kumkum variants. Popular brands in the camphor market include Orkay, Samarth (from Pune), Mangalam, Three Point International, and Labh Ganga. However, unbranded camphor has a higher demand since it is available at ₹200 per kg, whereas branded camphor is more expensive. He mentioned that Samarth’s camphor is the best seller in his business. Almask from Mumbai and Nikhil [brand] Chandan are popular products in the attar and roll-on fragrance segment. He runs an agency for the Nikhil [brand] that offers attar and incense products with a strong market demand. Additionally—Damaru, Kasturi Zipper, and All Magnet are well-selling products. Discussing the Solapur market, he explained that most customers purchase one or two packets at a time. However, the larger market consists of buyers spending between ₹100 and ₹1,000. Premium product buyers make purchases up to ₹2,500, but on average, a customer spends between ₹200 and ₹250 per month. While only two out of ten customers specifically ask for branded products—the rest rely on their trust in his recommendations.
