Farmer's Son Builds $400M Perfume Empire From Mumbai Street

What began with a farmer noticing fragrant wood in his Assam backyard became one of the world's largest perfume empires, proving that the biggest dreams can start in the smallest places.

Ajmal Ali was farming in Hojai, a village 165 kilometers from Guwahati, when someone told him Arabs would pay good money for the oud wood growing wild around him. Instead of selling to middlemen, he asked himself a simple question: why not go directly to the buyers?

In the 1960s, Ajmal packed up his entire family and moved to Mumbai, setting up shop in a first-floor apartment on Nagdevi Street near Mohammad Ali Road. Half the space was home, half was store. Customers still call that original number to place orders today.

The business grew from Indian attars like saffron oil and sandalwood to serving royal families across the Middle East. Ajmal traveled to open majlises hosted by Sheikh Rashid of Dubai, listening to his vision of tall buildings and massive ports. He believed in that future.

In 1976, Ajmal sent one of his five sons to open their first Dubai store in Murshid Bazaar. A factory followed in 1987, then another in 2004. The bet on Dubai's future paid off spectacularly.

The Ripple Effect

Today, grandson Abdulla Ajmal runs an empire of over 400 stores worldwide, available in 65 duty-free shops and on 14 airlines. The brand offers 300+ exclusive fragrances and recently signed Bollywood star Ranveer Singh as their face.

But the company hasn't forgotten its roots in traditional attars. Abdulla predicted five years ago that young people would rediscover these pure oil-based perfumes, and he was right. Major brands like Dior now release oil-format perfumes, but as Abdulla notes, "oil is not their specialty. It is ours."

Gen Z shoppers are driving the attar revival, drawn to what they see as purer, more natural products. Their bestselling attar, Misk-Rijali, sells for just 999 rupees and offers the soft musky scent that's been popular for generations.

The vision now? Positioning Ajmal alongside luxury brands like Amouage. New stores are opening in Jakarta and London this June, with Paris and New York next on the list. The company that once operated from a single room in Mumbai now competes with the world's most prestigious perfume houses.

From farmer to global luxury brand in 75 years, all because one man decided to cut out the middleman and follow opportunity wherever it led.