To recall her own words, “Madurai Malli Fragrance is my three-year-old baby, which completely came out of pure passion and my husband’s support.” For Uma, it did not begin as a business plan. Even before the book, she was working closely with local communities, conducting workshops in her front yard, training women in garland-making and experimenting with designs that later helped her build a factory. The fragrance market is very vast and globally valued at over USD 11 billion in 2025 and projected to reach 19.1 billion by 2033. Madurai, sitting on one of the world’s most prized jasmine belts, is already at the centre of it.
Two tonnes of flowers a day
The process of making an absolute and concrete is delicate and scientific. After sourcing the jasmines from local farmers, the lorry reaches the factory in Nilakottai (about 50 kilometres from Madurai) around 8 pm. The extraction process begins immediately as timing is key. “If the bud is tight, it won’t release its aroma. If it is fully bloomed, it loses its volatile oil,” highlights Uma. Currently, the unit handles up to two tonnes of flowers a day! Jasmine varieties such as Sambac and Grandiflorum are used along with other aromatic flowers like Tuberose, to get this liquid gold. “Nearly 1000 kilograms of flowers are required to produce just one kilogram of absolute,” points out Uma. Depending on origin and quality, the price of jasmine absolute can range between Rs 2.5 lakh and Rs 5 lakh per kilogram. After the process, the absolute and concrete are exported to different countries for use in the perfume production process.
The Unique Edge
Madurai Malli Fragrance leans into differentiation deliberately. In the chain of their process, farmers are treated as partners. Their payments are made on time, along with education, healthcare and infrastructure support. “We don’t cut corners. Yes, profit is important, but the real purpose is the people,” stresses Uma. The company brings a perfumer’s perspective to raw material production and this is guided by their understanding of how the final fragrance varies based on supply.
Now Madural Malli fragnance focuses now on expanding its capacity and scaling its offerings. To support this, the company plans to invest in in-house research and development. What began as a deeply personal passion has steadily taken shape as a purposeful enterprise. As it scales with new botanicals and research, the journey reflects how something as delicate as jasmine can be value added for higher economic value