Big incense wholesaler in MC

The sweet scent of incense tickles your nostrils as it drifts down the halls of the Perl building in downtown Madison. 

Although the aroma may seem to flow from the massage studios located on the western side of the building, the scent originates elsewhere.

Rather, the invisible fragrance stems from the opposite side of the Schoolhouse Road structure – the home of Windrose Trading Company.

When the 32-year-old wholesale business first moved to Madison County in 1994, it claimed only a few rooms within the building. Now, its offices and its warehouse – lined with stacks of herbal incense – take up half of the building. 

The company – which was founded in 1977 by local residents Stuart and Gabriele Masill – imports incense, oils, jewelry and other gifts from its network of partners located in India, Nepal and other areas of the world.

The Masills first made connections with their suppliers while working in India as a young couple.

“They were young environmentalists traveling, teaching and talking about the environment back then,” said Jim Sanders, who took over the company with his wife, Susie Sanders, in 2007.

The company’s vice president of operations and sales, Cary H. Sanders, says the Masills’ visit to India was also “borne out of a spiritual journey they decided to take” and that the individuals they met during their stay “inspired the birth of the company.”

The company’s founders – who the Sanders describe as “pioneers” in promoting fair trade practices – also headed workshops in India where they taught local people various business practices, like forming cooperative bank accounts and improving work environments by ventilating workrooms.
Windrose continues to support “fair trade cottage industry” suppliers who offer fair, living wages to their employees and often run family operations based out of their homes, according to Jim Sanders.

Besides offering jobs within poverty-stricken communities in third-world countries, many suppliers also support local causes in their communities, such as an Ayurvedic medical clinic in India that provides free treatment to those in need and another supplier that supports a Tibetan monastery housing monks in exile.
One of the company’s jewelry suppliers in Jaipur, India, offers jobs to homeless people in his community by teaching them his jewelry-making skills and employing them to assist his business.

“It’s all hand-done using these crazy, old fashioned tools,” the company’s president told The Eagle.

Every year, the company’s owners spend a month traveling around India and Nepal to meet with their suppliers and develop and design new products.
In 2007, once the Masills had decided to retire and have their friends take over the business, the couple brought the Sanders with them along their yearly travel overseas. Jim Sanders describes the trip as an extreme “culture shock” although he says it has helped him develop a deeper understanding of the business.

“It was amazing to see that many people in that small a space, getting along so well,” Sanders said of his visit to New Delhi, India, adding that the city is 300 square miles – the same size as Madison County – but instead of Madison County’s approximately 13,000 population, New Delhi is home to 12 million.

“As beautiful as it is, there’s trash everywhere,” Sanders told The Eagle. Much of the widespread trash is made up of assorted packing materials, including bags, boxes and cartons. While Windrose has always been conscious of using minimal packaging materials, it was eye-opening for Sanders to see first-hand how this extra “stuff” often leads to excess trash and waste.

The company has had the most success with its Triloka brand of herbal incense and other aromatherapy products. Unlike many other brands of incense, which are merely sticks dipped into chemicals and perfumes, this all-natural incense won’t give users’ headaches and produces minimal smoke, according to the company’s owner.

Triloka incense is made by hand-rolling thin bamboo sticks into a “masala,” or blend, of natural herbs, woods, oils, gums and resins.

“I’ve turned so many people on to incense,” Sanders says as a stick burns on his desk.

The company’s scent-releasing products aim to “heal through fragrance” by traveling up your nostrils and into your brain to transform your mood. Different scents translate to different moods – from helping people relax or meditate to energizing one’s mind and body to begin the day. 

“This product takes you on a vacation whenever you want to take one,” Cary Sanders said. 
Triloka’s popularity has grown as more and more people have become aware of alternative healing methods and the health benefits of using all-natural products.

Windrose Trading Company does not sell any of its products out of its downtown Madison location, or on its own Web site. However, the company’s products can be purchased locally at the Sevenoaks Pathwork Center bookstore at 403 Pathwork Way off Seville Road (Route 621) in Madison County, at various locations in Charlottesville and from on-line retailers listed on the company’s Web site.

For information about Windrose Trading Company, visit http://www.windrosetrading.com.