• The Cincinnati Enquirer , Friday, March 14, 2008 10:45 AM

Wild Berry Incense, which sells about 50 million sticks of incense a year, has come a long way from the front porch where, in 1971, founder Marc Biales dunked a fistful of sticks into a fragrance to sell at his Wild Berry store in Oxford, Ohio. In January 2007, an independent buyer for Wal-Mart called to see if Wild Berry could ramp up production to sell at Wal-Mart.

Biales knew that Wal-Mart sales would bring a big increase in the number of retail outlets and probably lead to surging revenues--maybe even offer a shot at one day selling incense with other American retail giants. But he had misgivings because his products were upscale and expensive. "I'd heard stories about how people get beat up for price by Wal-Mart and how the company is so demanding," he says.

Five months after thousands of incense sticks hit Wal-Mart pegs near the tobacco products aisle, Biales couldn't be happier with the arrangement. Wild Berry is selling three fragrances -- Ocean Wind, Cherry Vanilla and Sensual Musk -- as well as an incense holder. Biales says the Wal-Mart exposure may be moving the sales meter at the boutique stores that stock their incense, too.

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