What NR Group does

NR Group is a privately held, family-owned Indian conglomerate headquartered in Mysuru, Karnataka, founded in 1948 by Sri N. Ranga Rao and now managed by the third generation of the Ranga family. The group operates across FMCG, home care, personal care, botanical extracts, and select technology verticals through wholly owned subsidiaries including N. Ranga Rao & Sons Private Limited (flagship entity housing Cycle Pure Agarbathies), Ripple Fragrances (IRIS and Lia home fragrance and air care brands), and NESSO (Natural and Essential Oils Private Limited, a B2B floral and herbal extract manufacturer established in 1979).

The core business is the manufacture and sale of agarbathi (incense sticks), with Cycle Pure Agarbathies positioned as the world's largest selling incense stick brand, distributed across more than 65 countries. Cycle Pure is supported by patented in-house technology including PFIS (Patented Fragrance Intensity System), a carbon-neutral manufacturing certification (the first globally for an incense manufacturer, awarded in 2010), and an integrated manufacturing footprint beginning with the NR House facility in 1970 and expanding to Chennai in the 1980s. The group has diversified into premium home fragrances (IRIS brand via reed diffusers, scented candles, and ultrasonic misters), functional air care (Lia, Stop-O), puja essentials (Om Shanthi), B2B botanical extracts (NESSO, global market leader in Tuberose and Jasmine extracts), and adjacent experiments in agri-tech (Vyoma smart irrigation) and hospitality (Frosting cafe).

NR Group's revenue model is primarily one-time product sales across mass-market and premium price tiers, with mass-market agarbathi packs priced under Rs 100 and premium gifting sets (e.g., IRIS Celeste) priced around INR 1699. Go-to-market combines legacy van-based direct distribution across South India, IRIS Aroma Boutique retail in six cities, proprietary e-commerce platforms (cycle.in, irishomefragrances.com, purefragrances.com), international export channels, and high-profile marketing via celebrity brand ambassadors (Amitabh Bachchan, Sourav Ganguly, Ramesh Aravind), television advertising (the first agarbathi brand on TV), and cricket sponsorships. A stated strategic ambition is to reach 30% market share in the Indian agarbathi market.

Name

NR Group

Legal name

N. Ranga Rao and Sons Private Limited

Website

https://nrgroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1948

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

NR Group is a privately held Indian family conglomerate founded in 1948 and headquartered in Mysuru, operating the world's largest selling agarbathi brand (Cycle Pure) plus premium home fragrances (IRIS), air care (Lia, Stop-O), and B2B botanical extracts (NESSO), distributed across 65+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Incense Sticks and Home Fragrance Products

NAICS

Soap and Cleaning Compound Manufacturing (32561)

SIC

Soap, Detergents, Cleang Preparations, Perfumes, Cosmetics (2840), Perfumes, Cosmetics & Other Toilet Preparations (2844), Industrial Organic Chemicals (2860)

akta.pro primary industry

Air Care & Home Fragrance (Air Fresheners, Candles, Plug-ins, Diffusers) (CRADAKAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Home Fragrance (Candles, Diffusers, Room Sprays) (CRABADAE), Odor Eliminators & Neutralizers (Non-fragrance) (CRAJAEAF), Flavors, Fragrances & Aroma Chemicals (IMAEABAE)

Keywords

• Incense stick manufacturing
• Agarbathi products
• Home fragrance systems
• Floral extract production
• Functional air care

Headquarters

HQ city

Mysuru

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Incense/Agarbathi Products: Cycle Pure Agarbathies is the flagship brand generating primary revenue. The company manufactures and sells incense sticks, cones, and sambrani products under multiple brands including Cycle, Woods, Rhythm, Three-in-One, Heritage, and Vasu. Products are sold across 65+ countries.
2. Home Fragrance Products: Ripple Fragrances division generates revenue through IRIS home fragrance products (reed diffusers, scented candles, vaporizers, pillow misters, ultrasonic aroma diffusers) and Lia functional air care products (room fresheners, car fresheners).
3. Floral Extracts: NESSO (Natural and Essential Oils Private Limited) manufactures standardized botanical ingredients for Nutraceutical, Food & Beverage, and Personal Care industries. Global market leader in Tuberose and Jasmine extracts.
4. Aerospace and Electronics: Rangsons LLP (now Cyient DLM) provides electronics manufacturing services including parts for defense helicopters. The diversified business offers financial investments, media and marketing, legal, and people management services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

NR Group manufactures and sells incense sticks and agarbathi products (Cycle Pure Agarbathies), premium home fragrance products including reed diffusers, scented candles, vaporizers and ultrasonic diffusers (IRIS Home Fragrances), functional air care products such as room and car fresheners (Lia) and bathroom fresheners (Stop-O), standardized botanical and herbal extracts (NESSO), and puja essentials (Om Shanthi). The group also operates IRIS Aroma Boutiques, MyIncense custom fragrance service, agri-tech vertical Vyoma, and previously held aerospace/defense electronics manufacturing (Rangsons, now Cyient DLM).

Product overview

NR Group is a diversified conglomerate that started with incense sticks (Cycle Pure Agarbathies) and expanded into home fragrances, functional air care, floral extracts, and technology services. The core product line centers on Cycle Pure Agarbathies (incense sticks and puja essentials), supplemented by IRIS Home Fragrances (wellness fragrances and diffusers), Lia and Stop-O (air care products), and NESSO (floral extracts for nutraceuticals and personal care). The company also operates Rangsons for diversified business services and Vyoma for agri-tech solutions. All fragrance products are developed in-house, leveraging the group's vertical integration from raw materials to finished products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cycle Pure: Flagship incense stick brand, the largest selling agarbathi brand in the world, exported to over 65 countries
• Lia
• IRIS
• Om Shanthi
• Stop-O
• Vasu
• IRIS Luxia
• IRIS Celeste

Products and services

• Cycle Pure Agarbathies Flagship brand of NR Group, the world's largest selling agarbathi brand, sold in over 65 countries. Offers a range of incense sticks, cones, sambrani, and premium brands including Cycle, Woods, Rhythm, Three-in-One, Heritage, Sandalum, and Vasu. Manufactured carbon-neutrally and targeted at household consumers for prayer, worship, meditation, and ceremonial use.
• IRIS Home Fragrances Wellness home fragrance brand under Ripple Fragrances offering reed diffusers, scented candles, tea light diffusers, vaporizers, pillow misters, and ultrasonic aroma diffusers. Includes the IRIS Luxia premium range and IRIS Celeste luxury gifting collection. Targeted at urban wellness and lifestyle consumers seeking premium home fragrance experiences.
• IRIS Luxia Luxury home fragrance range under the IRIS brand featuring premium fragrance delivery systems including reed diffusers, vaporizers, and ultrasonic misters, targeted at the luxury home décor and gifting market.
• IRIS Celeste Gifting Range Premium Diwali gifting collection under the IRIS brand featuring luxury glitter range home fragrance gift sets with golden reed diffusers, potpourri, and scented candles. Priced at INR 1699 per set.
• Lia Functional Air Care Functional air care brand offering room fresheners and car fresheners for home, office, and mobile spaces, under the Ripple Fragrances division of NR Group.
• Stop-O Bathroom Fresheners Bathroom freshener brand under Ripple Fragrances offering Stop-O Power Bags fragrance boosters in four aromas (Lemongrass, Melon, Apple Cinnamon, Tangerine), each lasting 30 days, priced at Rs 55 per unit.
• NESSO Floral and Herbal Extracts Standardized botanical and floral extracts supplied to nutraceutical, food & beverage, and personal care industries. Global market leader in Tuberose and Jasmine extracts. Operates 3 manufacturing facilities with international warehouses in San Francisco and Paris, and holds NSF FSSC 22000, Kosher, and Halal certifications.
• Om Shanthi Puja Essentials Spiritual products brand offering puja essentials including Om Shanti Pure Cow Ghee Diya, Om Shanti Pure Chandan Tika, and Om Shanti Pure Puja Oil, plus puja accessories. Targeted at Hindu households performing daily prayers and rituals.
• MyIncense Custom Fragrance Service Industry-first custom fragrance platform allowing customers to create personalized incense fragrances, accessed through the cycle.in divine experience store.
• Rangsons Electronics Manufacturing Services Electronics manufacturing services business (now Cyient DLM) providing precision electronics for aerospace and defense applications, including parts for defense helicopters. Founded and led by Pavan Ranga.
• Vyoma Smart Irrigation Solutions Agri-tech vertical under NR Group providing affordable smart irrigation solutions for farmers, led by Director Vishnu Das Vasu Ranga.
• Frosting Gourmet Italian Cafe and Bakeshop Gourmet Italian cafe and bakeshop operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of NR Group, serving as an unrelated lifestyle retail business under the conglomerate.

Quantifiable outcome

• World's first carbon neutral incense stick manufacturer
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Visvesvaraya Trade Promotion Centre (VTPC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 July 2023VTPC, the mandated nodal agency for promotion of international trade from Karnataka under Department of Industries & Commerce, organized the Karnataka State Exports Excellence Awards. NR Group received Top Exports Excellence Award for Agarbathi for 3 consecutive years through this partnership.
• Coorg Golf LinksminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNR Group associates with Coorg Golf Links for Silver Jubilee celebrations in December 2017, presenting an open Golf Championship. Partnership includes presenting the CGL Silver Jubilee - NR Group Golf Championship 2017 across 10 categories.
• Temple Partners (Nanjundeshwara, Chamundeshwari, Sri Lakshmi Venkataramanaswamy, Somnath Temple, Shree Chamunda, Ambaji)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCycle Pure Agarbathies sources flowers from places of worship including temples in Mysuru (Nanjundeshwara, Chamundeshwari, Sri Lakshmi Venkataramanaswamy) and Gujarat (Somnath Temple, Shree Chamunda Temple, Ambaji Temple) for their Sandalum Agarbathies, creating sustainable product lines from temple flowers.
• Lakhotia Design CollegeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLakhotia Design College partnered with NR Group for the launch of IRIS Aroma Boutique in Hyderabad. Principal Ms. A M Ayesha served as Chief Guest at the inauguration event.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Hem Incense: Hem is one of India's largest agarbathi exporters with multi-country distribution and premium positioning, directly competing with Cycle Pure in overseas markets across North America, Europe and Asia. Comparable product breadth and export-led GTM.
• ITC (Mangaldeep): ITC's Mangaldeep is one of the largest branded agarbathi players in India, directly competing with Cycle Pure across price tiers and SKUs. Both compete in the same prayer/worship consumer segment with similar distribution intensity and Indian household penetration strategies.
• Mysore Sugandh (Sai Nath): Mysore Sugandh is another Mysuru-based agarbathi manufacturer with overlapping heritage, regional South India distribution, and exposure to the same prayer/worship use case as Cycle Pure. Most direct same-city competitor in the core agarbathi category.
• Moksh Agarbatti: Moksh is a fast-growing Indian branded agarbathi company expanding through D2C and modern retail. Direct head-to-head with Cycle Pure on the urban, premium-priced end of the Indian agarbathi market.

Broad incumbents

• Jo Malone London (Estée Lauder): Jo Malone sets the global benchmark for premium home and personal fragrance gifting collections. Comparable to IRIS Luxia/Celeste as a premium, boutique-distributed, gifting-oriented fragrance house, though Jo Malone is a global incumbent.
• International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF): IFF is a global B2B leader in flavors, fragrances and botanical extracts with comparable customer base to NESSO (F&B, personal care, nutraceutical manufacturers). Closest global analogue for the high-margin extract/supply segment of NR Group.
• Symrise: Symrise is a major global flavors and fragrances supplier with a sizable Diana natural ingredients division, comparable to NESSO's certified botanical extracts play for F&B, nutraceutical and personal care B2B customers.
• Bath & Body Works: Bath & Body Works is a multi-category home fragrance and personal care retailer competing with IRIS Luxia and Lia in the premium home air care segment, with comparable retail-and-D2C omni-channel model and gifting-driven seasonality.
• Yankee Candle: Yankee Candle is a global mass-premium home fragrance brand with broad candle and diffuser presence; comparable to IRIS as a premium home fragrance brand scaling via retail and e-commerce, though anchored in Western markets rather than India.
• Givaudan: Givaudan is the world's largest flavors and fragrances company, comparable to NESSO's botanical extracts business as a B2B supplier of standardized natural aroma ingredients to F&B, personal care and nutraceutical customers globally.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nr-groupmysore

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about NR Group