For Anuri Shah, founder of The Uchi Store, building a scent-forward homegrown brand was her calling. It all started when she moved from Los Angeles (LA) to Mumbai and struggled to find premium home fragrances and local brands. “When in LA and pursuing my PhD in Neuropharmacology, my go-to, sacred ritual every day after returning home was lighting scented candles. After spending hours in the lab and returning to an empty home, it felt like a grounding, cozy end to my day,” says Shah.
Anuri Shah
Having spent so much of her life abroad, be it LA, Hong Kong, or London, finding good home fragrance brands was never tough. However, her move back to Mumbai got her thinking and inspired her to build The Uchi Store. “I realised a huge gap in the market for home fragrance ventures focused on innovative scents and natural ingredients. This idea festered in my mind for almost two years until 2022, when I finally decided to quit my job in EdTech, take the plunge, and create a scent-forward homegrown label focused on quality,” she says. Here, we get her to tell us about her journey, what inspired her, and what to expect from The Uchi Store.
Carving A Niche
“One of our initial aims at The Uchi Store was to create niche products that showcase local talent and bypass run-of-the-mill production. Our ceramic candle jars are handmade by a studio in Kolkata, and it took them almost a year to perfect the matte glazes we had in mind. The candle jars also come with a lid, which is painstaking for ceramicists who work by hand.
Our home sprays have been extensively tested on all types of fabric, as we want these to be used in all aspects of your home, such as sheets, rugs, and pillows, and not just as room fresheners. We also use the highest-quality essential oils in our blends, all sourced from different parts of the country. At Uchi, attention to detail should be truly the backbone of our homegrown brand.”
Syncing Scents & Souls
“No matter which scent we create, it has to reflect a specific mood and purpose. We want our consumers to sync with the scents—that’s how you truly find fragrances that work for you. This is how we came about our four significant mood collections: Celebrate, Uplift, Unwind, and Indulge. Each of these moods has scents curated for specific settings.
While creating these scents, I first started with a mood board for when I envisioned each scent being used. I then moved on to notes that would best capture this, mindfully including underutilized notes—such as black pepper and chamomile—to create diverse blends. We worked through multiple iterations of each of our scent blends until they matched my exact vision. Of course, validating the scents and getting feedback early on was a key element.”
Scented Candles
The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
“One of my biggest challenges as a founder has been delegation (as cliche as it sounds) and perfectionism—waiting until a product is near perfect to launch. However, I have a strong support system that helped me identify these shortcomings before I reached a stage of major burnout. Getting help when required and letting some things go has been a game-changer. Most learning and scope for improvement come after a product is in the market.
The most rewarding aspect of creating The Uchi Store has been seeing my ‘baby’ grow to what it is today (from the tiny seed sown in my mind back in 2020). My doctoral training played a huge role in shaping me to problem-solve and run projects independently, which I get to do every day. While owning a small business involves curveballs, decision-making, and risks almost daily, the rewards outweigh it all.”
A Mindful Approach
“For us, product reusability is of prime importance. Even before we had a rough business plan, we wanted to create products that consumers would never want to throw away. Thus came the idea of ceramic jar candles—these handmade pieces are elegant and timely and can be repurposed in various ways.
We also have a Refill Program, so if a consumer just wants a new candle instead, we clean out the used jars and refill them with any scented candle of their choice for a 15% discount. Our ingredients, such as the soy and beeswax blend and essential oils, are also sourced after extensive testing for quality.”
Redefining Luxury
“At its core, The Uchi Store is a ‘home care’ brand. We aim to combine scent and home decor, help consumers elevate their homes, and learn to appreciate the effect tiny things like scent can have on their surroundings.
That being said, our products are here to make luxury accessible to all homes, help you appreciate the finer things in life, and create small everyday rituals like lighting a candle or spraying your sheets before bed.”
Trust The Process
“My honest advice is to be original and never be afraid to innovate when it comes to your product. Falling into the trap of ‘copycat’ products can be very appealing in the short term, but no one can replicate your vision and ideas, which will take you far ahead in the long term.
*The Uchi Store has many products in the pipeline that are being tested. Being a ‘home care’ brand, they want to bring scent into every aspect of your space in multiple formulations. One of their most demanded products is just a few weeks from launch.
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