Nandini Brand At The Peak Of Popularity In Maharashtra: Lalit Suchde
QUALITY AND INNOVATION ARE THE NEED OF THE HOUR IN THE INCENSE INDUSTRY: NEERAJ SUCHDE
Nandini Agarbatti Company Private Limited has established a strong market presence across Maharashtra and several other states. The rise to prominence reflects the relentless hard work, commitment, courage, and integrity of three generations of the founding family.
The fourth generation has now joined the enterprise, contributing fresh ideas and modern business practices to take the legacy forward. Headquartered in Nashik, the Nandini brand has gained widespread popularity in Maharashtra for its agarbattis, dhoop, camphor, pooja essentials, and religious literature. Talking to Sugandh India—the Managing Director, Shri Lalit Suchde, shared insights into the group’s journey. He noted that his grandfather, Maganlal Suchde, laid the foundation of the business in 1952, starting as an agarbatti trader. After migrating from Karachi during the 1947 India–Pakistan Partition, Maganlal Suchde eventually settled in Nashik, Maharashtra, where he began operations at a modest scale. The business started with the trading of Darbar Agarbatti, a hand-rolled product, which was the norm at that time across the incense industry. In the subsequent years, Lalit’s father, Bhavanji Bhai, took charge of the business and expanded it through sheer perseverance.
Today, all five brothers, including Lalit, are actively involved—two elder and two younger—ensuring the continuity and growth of the family-owned enterprise.
When asked about theshift from trading tomanufacturing, Mr Suchdeshared that the companyformally entered production on 2 September1989 under the name Suchde Perfumery, withthe launch of the Nandini Agarbatti brand.
The initial setup was modest—a small factorywith just eight workers and a single retailoutlet. “Today, we operate two manufacturingunits employing over 150 workers, and we alsorun a prominent showroom in the market,”he said. Following the success of the flagshipbrand, the company launched its Mogravariant, which went on to gain popularityacross India.
“Mogra became our top-sellingproduct, and its appeal was such that evenin Bengaluru and Mysuru—traditional hubsfor premium agarbattis—manufacturers keptour Mogra variant on their tables,” he added.
Mogra is a high-quality incense product witha maximum retail price (MRP) of ₹100. Thecompany’s best-selling products today are PremRas, Action and Panchamrit. These productshave achieved wide market acceptance andconsistent demand. Lalit Suchde credited thecompany’s success in large part to the effortsof his wife, Usha Suchde. “It was because ofher hard work and determination that we wereable to open our first factory and shop,” hesaid. In [year] 2000, the company expanded byestablishing a larger factory on Agra Road. Hefurther acknowledged the critical role playedby their suppliers, customers, and friends, whosupported the business at every stage.
Recallingtheir early days, Lalit said, “My wife and Iused to reach the factory early in the morningto handle the blending work ourselves. Thechildren would go to school, and as a result,we could only open the shop after 1 PM—butcustomers would already be waiting outside.”
He emphasised that Usha Suchde’s tirelesscommitment and dedication were instrumentalin building the foundation of the business. Responding to a question from SugandhIndia, Mr Suchde revealed that his wife hasalways overseen the blending process, whichhas ensured consistent product quality overthe years. “We have always prioritised superiorcustomer service,” he added. He noted that thecompany owns six delivery trucks, enabling itto maintain on-time delivery. Only for longdistanceor out-of-state shipments do theyrely on external transport services.
NandiniAgarbatti currently operates with a strongdistribution network of 1,300 wholesalersand distributors, supported by 35 superstockists. The salesforce includes nine inhousesalesmen, while a dedicated 20-membermanagement team handles operations. Suchde shared that the company has recentlyacquired land to construct a state-of-the-artmanufacturing facility, which is expected tobecome operational by Ganpati Puja.
The new factory will house high-techmachinery for perfume formulation, blending,and full-scale production. As part of itsexpansion, the company is also setting upa dedicated unit for camphor production,driven by rising demand in that segment.
Highlighting one of the key contributors totheir sustained success, he said, “More thana dozen employees have been with us forover 30 to 35 years. Their commitment hasplayed a major role in building the company.”
The next generation is now taking the reins.Neeraj, Lalit’s son, joined the family businessafter finishing school. He has digitised severalfunctions, including sales and procurement,which has brought a structured, systematicapproach to operations. “We now meet ourtargets on time,” he affirmed. Our blendingteam is the heart of the company, composed ofa dynamic quartet: my wife, Neeraj & Dimple[spouse], and myself. Together, we form apowerful unit dedicated to driving our visionforward. “Through this collaborative effort,we can introduce new trends and consistentlydeliver high-quality products to the market,” Suchde concluded.When asked why the company transitionedfrom trading to manufacturing, Mr Suchdeexplained “, We had no prior experience inmanufacturing,” he admitted, “but surelyhad a firm resolve and a passion to grow andsucceed in this business.”
During their tradingdays, Lalit and his team actively engaged withdistributors and retailers in the market for28 days each month, gaining deep insightinto sales and customer behaviour. “Thatground-level marketing experience helpedus immensely. When we finally launchedour product, the market responded withstrong support,” he said. The launch also sawsignificant encouragement from friends andfamily, further propelling their entry intomanufacturing. The success of the Mograbrand stands as a testament to this journey.
While Nandini remains one of their mostrecognised brands, the company today offers89 products across multiple brands, all ofwhich have performed successfully in themarket. “It would not be accurate to say thatonly one brand leads in sales. Each brand hasfound its space and consumer base,” Suchdenoted. He recalled that when their productsfirst entered the market and began gainingtraction, it was the Mogra variant that gavethe Nandini name its initial prominence.
This success, he emphasised, was the resultof the company’s policy to improve productquality continuously and provide consistentcustomer service. “For this reason, ourproducts have earned lasting trust andpreference in the market,” he said.
Neeraj, son of Lalit Suchde, joined thefamily business after completing his MBAfrom Mumbai. Speaking to Sugandh India,Neeraj said, “I grew up observing the incensebusiness at home, and after completingmy education, I made a conscious decisionto apply my academic knowledge andvision to grow our family enterprise.” Toprofessionalise operations, Neeraj assembleda structured team and introduced rules andregulations for each department. “Everyoneadhered to the defined protocols, and thisled to significantly improved outcomes,benefiting all stakeholders associated withthe company,” he said. He credited thestaff’s dedication and the guidance of hisparents as key drivers behind the company’sgrowing popularity and brand recognition.
In response to a question on product pricing,Neeraj shared that Nandini’s basic qualityproducts are priced between ₹125 and ₹150,with the premium range extending up to₹3,000. The product portfolio includesmasala agarbatti, scented agarbatti, bamboolessincense products, dhoop sticks, dhoop,camphor, and Bheem Saini camphor, amongothers.
In response to a question from SugandhIndia on the key challenges facing theindustry, Shri Neeraj Suchde stated thatcompetition in the trade has intensifiedsignificantly, and success now hinges oneffectively navigating this challenge—a taskthe company has actively undertaken. “Weclosely follow market trends and evolvingcustomer preferences. Based on this, we offerproducts with superior quality and attractivepackaging,” he said. Since the blendingprocess is handled entirely in-house, thecompany retains full control over productquality.
“When customers purchase our wellpackaged,high-quality products at affordableprices, they genuinely feel they have receivedfull value for their money,” he added. Neerajalso observed a new surge in manufacturersentering the agarbatti industry, which heconsiders a positive development.
However,he pointed out that while creating a goodproduct once may be easy, establishing itin the market and maintaining consistentquality over time is far more challenging. “We have overcome this hurdle,” heasserted. “We are constantly improvingquality, and that positions us well tomeet future industry challenges withconfidence.” Speaking about his plans, NeerajSuchde expressed optimism about thefragrance industry, stating that it is acontinuously evolving sector with noforeseeable saturation. “The key tosustained success lies in consistentlyintroducing new products and maintainingsuperior quality,” he said. When askedabout market trends in Maharashtra, heobserved that the region has a strongpreference for intense fragrances,particularly in Mumbai, which is a hubfor high-premium incense products.He added that masala agarbattis enjoyrobust demand in this segment.
Onthe other hand, in the northern partsof Maharashtra, such as Jalgaon andBhusawal, medium-range productstend to perform better. Discussingmarketing strategies, Neeraj emphasisedthe importance of maintaining regularengagement with the market. “We remainin constant touch with our dealers anddistributors, offering them target-basedincentive schemes, which encourageloyalty and sustain long-term partnerships.
This has helped us foster a family-likenetwork across our distribution chain,”he explained. Highlighting their latestinitiative, he shared that the companyis organising a trip to the Andamanand Nicobar Islands for its performingdealers and distributors. “Those whomeet their targets are rewarded throughthese schemes,” he said. So far, thecompany has successfully conducted 15domestic and international tours as partof its incentive programme, coveringdestinations such as Kerala, Kashmir,Darjeeling, Delhi, and abroad—Singapore,Dubai, and Hong Kong. From the brandvisibility perspective, the company activelyparticipates in industry expos acrossIndia and has maintained a strong digitalpresence on platforms like Facebook andInstagram. “These efforts ensure thatpeople continue to recognise Nandinias Maharashtra’s number one agarbattibrand,” he concluded.
