The history of Cycle Pure Agarbathies from N Ranga Rao & Sons (NRRS) is as old as the incense stick industry in India. The brand had its humble beginnings in 1948 at Ranga Rao’s home at what was then Mysuru Products and General Trading Company. Rao launched the Cycle brand in 1950 and opted for the name as it would appeal to everyone in the country and could be easily pronounced. The brand was launched with the tagline ‘As simple and affordable as a cycle’. Reportedly, the brand has a 15 pc share of the estimated Rs.7,000 crore agarbathi industry.
Billed as the only certified carbon-neutral brand in its category, Cycle library has around 500 fragrances. Cycle roped in Amitabh Bachchan as one of its brand ambassadors in 2015 as part of its pan-India expansion plans, besides cricketer Sourav Ganguly and actor Ramesh Aravind. A memorable ‘India Prays with Cycle’ campaign still rings a bell. The brand is also known for its long-standing support for cricket and owns the Mysuru Warriors franchise in the Karnataka Premier League. Actively involved in sponsorships, Cycle Incense was the title sponsor of the Sri Lanka Vs South Africa Series in 2021.
NRRS has diversified from incense sticks to essential oils, aerospace, IoT, and solar-powered irrigation.
Cycle Incense today exports to 65 countries, wafting Indian fragrances across the world.