IN MUMBAI, ROLL PACKS LEAD THE WAYKirti Thakkar, Jalaram Trading Co.
Once upon a time in severalstates, roll pack (muththa)incense sticks were the mostpopular form of packaging.Later, boxes, zipper packs,and pouches took their place.However, in Mumbai andcertain parts of Maharashtra,the muththa (roll) packing continues todominate even today. Not only that—premium-quality incense sticks arealso preferred in roll packs in Mumbaiand Konkan regions. Jalaram TradingCompany has been engaged in the incensetrading business for the past 45 years. Thefirm has a retail shop and warehouse inMulund.
Speaking to Sugandh India, Mr. KirtiThakkar, head of Jalaram Trading Company,shared that the business was started 45years ago by his elder brother with asmall retail shop. Gradually, they begantrading for brands such as HEM, Jalaram(Nagpur), Hari Darshan, and several others.Currently, they are the super stockist forDarshan International and handle retailingand distribution for the majorcompanies including Jahagirdar, Gayatri,HEM, Zed Black, Shah, Nirali, Kamdhenu,Delta, and nearly 80% of Bengalurubasedcompanies including Oriental,Anubhav Incense, and BIC. They alsoown a few in-house brands. In the attars(perfume oils) segment, they sell productsfrom Arochem, Oriental, and Kelkar.
Mr. Thakkar told Sugandh India thattheir warehouse in Mulund supplies incenseacross Mumbai. As a super stockist, theirsupply network covers Mumbai, Mulund,Vikhroli, Kalyan, Dombivli, and MasjidBunder, reaching over 800 retail counters.
In his view, the incense market isperforming very well. The 250g rollpack (muththa) in premium quality isthe top-selling format. At their retailshop, Oriental and Jayant are the bestsellingbrands. According to him, Mumbai’stop 10 incense brands include Zed Black,HEM, Darshan, Flourish, Forest, Cycle,Moksh, BIC, Shalimar, Parimal Mandir, andShah. Apart from these, several Nagpur- andMumbai-based companies also performwell in the market.He added that premiumqualitybrands from Bengaluru, Indore,and Ahmedabad also enjoy strong demandin Mumbai. The most popular regular rollpack is the 250g pack priced between ₹80to ₹100, while premium masala incense sellsmainly in 50g, 100g, and 150g roll packs.
According to Mr. Thakkar, zipperpacks are not very popular in Mumbai;the roll (muththa) pack dominates. Inthe dhoop segment, demand for bamboolessproducts like dry sticks, cones, andsambrani cups is growing rapidly, while wetdhoop has limited demand. About 75% ofthe market is for incense sticks and 25% fordhoop products.
Among dry dhoop brands, Balaji,Shah, Nikhil, Anubhav, and DhoopChhaav are popular. These are soldin 50–100g packs, priced between ₹50–60to ₹100–125. Jar packaging is less common.In sambrani cups, both branded and localproducers perform well. Among brandedones, Naivedya, Delta, and Kamdhenu areleading. The dry dhoop and sambranimarket is roughly 50–50, whereas wetdhoop sells only to street vendors orsmall food stall owners. Popular brandsinclude Zed Black’s Manthan, Hari Darshan,and Dev Darshan, while TPRG alsoholds a decent market share. He addedthat premium dhoop products fromBengaluru companies are especially indemand.
Mr. Thakkar also shared with SugandhIndia that in chandan tika (sandalwoodpaste), brands such as Hari Darshan,Manohar, and Pandit Ji sell the most attheir store, with Manohar’s powder beingparticularly popular. Customers generallyprefer light yellow-colored tika.
In attars and roll-ons, Ehsan, Kelkar,Arochem, Oriental, and Al Nuaim are indemand. He noted that the attars androll-on market is growing rapidly, witha particular rise in demand for Oud andArabic fragrance notes. On average,a premium customer spends ₹500–₹1000per month, which increases during festiveseasons, while regular customers spendaround ₹200.
He said that 6 out of 10 customerspurchase incense products based on brandnames. Demand for pooja oil is also risingin Mumbai, with branded products fromGuinea, Deepam, Cycle, and SouthIndian companies performing well. Localpooja oils sell for around ₹80–90 per bottle.
In camphor, both bhimseni and tablettypes sell well. Among brands, Mangalam, 3Pine, 333, Om, and 888 are the top sellers.
