They’re ambitious, diligent, driven and have found the key to unlock innovation. RITZ Magazine meets these promising men of substance from Karnataka who have made a mark in their respective fields and are making waves not just nationally but also across the globe.
BY NAMITA GUPTA
Kiran Ranga, Managing Director, Ripple Fragrances Managing Director and Master Fragrance Creator, Ripple Fragrances is a creative perfumer and also on the board of NESSO (Natural and Essential Oils), masterminded Ripple’s foray into retail by setting up Iris Aroma boutique chain – India’s first complete home fragrance chain. A graduate in Business and Perfumery from University of Plymouth, UK, Kiran’s expertise in fragrance creation has helped him develop over 50 fragrances for different applications.
TURNING POINT: I was brought up as a part of the family business ever since I was 10. My father was one of the creative perfumers. And every time we walked into the fragrance lab, there was a sense of wonder and excitement and mystery with fragrances in terms of the ingredients and where they came from. This is when I was introduced to different aromas, and how to understand and identify aromas. My whole fascination around fragrances and perfumery came from a very tender age. After my education, there was a very strong inclination to come back and drive business, not only through agarbathies but also to start new things. That’s when the whole idea of fragrance creation, application and evaluation, as a whole trend, led me to possibilities of how we can extend our fragrance strength in different areas and look at lifestyle fragrances.
PURE PASSION: We have a strong set of values which we hold very dear at the NR Group. Integrity, long term relationships with customers and vendors alike and innovation in everything we do. As director of NESSO (Natural and Essential Oils), I represent Ripple at the World Perfumery Congress WPC) at Cannes in France. I’m a member of FAFAI (Fragrances and Flavours Association of India), BSP (British Society of Perfumers), and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
CROSSING HURDLES: When we started Iris we wanted to create a complete sensory experience through fragrance and warmth that impacts people in their everyday lives. So trying to understand what type of home decor trends are emerging in India was a big challenge. If not traditionally, incense is the biggest source of fragrancing the air in India. We virtually succeeded in creating a market for home fragrances. The challenge was to work with vendors across the country and also design; both in the form of fragrance design and product design. International players are still trying to interpret, what would be relevant to the Indian market. With Lia, the whole positioning is about punchful fragrances with the right delivery mechanisms. With perfumery, the delivery of the fragrance, or the “release systems” as we call it in the business, is key – like heat based release systems, or surface evaporation release systems and Gel based release systems and we will be launching a membrane based product. We deliver fragrances in a way that’s both ingenious and cost-effective.
ALL WORK AND NO PLAY: I was always fascinated with the whole Idea of perfumery and flavours. My background education was also in business and perfumery during my undergrad in the UK, so I was keen on doing anything with the flavour and fragrance industry and the kind of opportunities in that field.
BENGALURU, A STARTUP CITY: I’ve always been fascinated by Mysore and its ability to be advanced yet maintain its serenity as a city. With Bengaluru acting like a gateway of opportunities for our group, we create a sublime partnership that helps both Karnataka and the NR Group, mature and stay ahead of the curve.
