'Cycl'ing on a long road

Agarbatti’s or incense sticks are a staple in almost every household. The stick has the power to change the mood from sulky to soothed and sometimes, almost like a walk in the garden. And invariably, long time users are sure to buy the famed Cycle brand of agarbattis.

This Cycle brand agarattis, owned by the Mysore-based NR Group, is a market leader in a highly unorganized sector. The only real ‘national’ brand comes from ITC, Mangaldeep- which in many ways sounds very ironic; the very same company fills homes and other places with cigarette fumes and then gives us agarbattis to diffuse that smoke smell.

Cycle brand is today a third generation business, currently managed by Arjun Ranga and it was started by his grandfather in 1948, NR Ranga, who lived a life of great struggle and difficulty. He had saved some Rs.500 from his various tuitions and with that money, he first got a job in Coorg, working in a coffee estate and then started this small scale venture. And since then there has been no looking back. Today Cycle is a household name across the country. It’s first export order was from Sri Lanka in 1954, now enjoys a presence in over 60 countries. Cycle is also the leader in the agarbatti industry in the country worth Rs1,500 crore, with a 15% share in the organised market, followed by ITC.

The agarbatti industry is a tough place to survive as there are some 200 registered players with some 400 brands. Its a low-cost, small scale industry product and its indeed a huge feat for Cycle to not just establish its brand name but also sustain for so long.