03 Jun Ayuroma spreading Indian fragrance globally : Anurag Katiyar

Ayuroma has become a popular enterprise not only in the country but also abroad. The family business with agricultural background along with higher technical education is appreciated globally due to its natural perfumes, essential oils and organic oils.Throughout the journey of progress and development, the company has also benefited farmers across many states. ‘Sugandh India’ discusses the growth of Ayuroma with the CEO, Anurag Katiyar.
Ayuroma is a major name in the industry and not only in the country but globally. How did it all start and what was the inspiration?

I come from a farmer family and my father is a graduate in B.Sc Agriculture along with a Masters degree in Economics. Coming from an agriculture background, there was a natural tendency towards innovation in farming techniques.

We started the aromatics business from the very first level that is horticulture and cultivation and got our hands on a government project. We realised that there were a lot of issues related to marketing, quality control, etc. Gradually we overcame the issues and developed the market. My uncle met with scientist  Dr. Prabal Singh and they devised ways for improvement. Initially we trained the farmers to adopt new avenues of farming and to strengthen our base.

After establishing the horticulture and cultivation, what was the next step?

After establishing the cultivation stage, we started with trading. Initially we started with 2 products and gradually increased the range of products and strengthened trading work. As we got our hold on cultivation and trading, we started our first manufacturing unit further increasing our range of products and we started with production of essential oils.  As we progressed we further focused on improving production. To reduce cost, the company saved fuel and started converting waste raw material into biomass. This is the reason that even today our company does not discard any garbage and instead uses it to run the boiler.

We further started the production of resinoids. The incense stick industry heavily relies on resinoids but it was not getting good quality. In resinoids we started making Benzoin resinoid, Olibanum resinoid, Oakmoss resinoid, Labdanum resinoid. Talking about the tobacco industry, we prepare various premium products like Saffron Extract and Cardamom Absolute which are in high demand.

Tell us about your RND department and team?

I am a postgraduate in social engineering and my wife is a PhD in bioengineering

Our other family members are also part of the research team. The family members and most of the associates are B.Tech and M.Tech. Our entire team works with a scientific approach. So our research and development is very strong. It is through our teamwork that we have replaced a lot of imported products by manufacturing them here. The biggest advantage of this was that people started getting cheaper goods and the monopoly of foreign products decreased. Since we have also done quality control, there is a huge demand for our products in various other countries as well.

In which states does Ayuroma carry out cultivation?

Ayuroma was registered in 2006. And  till 2008, we worked on agriculture and then started with trading. The company has connected many farmers in  states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and for this, along with providing incentives and technical know-how, seeds are also supplied to them. We have provided seeds to farmers in Bhagalpur, Katihar and Jalpaiguri of Bengal in Bihar. Khus and lemongrass are cultivated in Rae Bareli. Khus is also cultivated in Sitapur, lemon grass in Andhra Pradesh and geranium in  parts of Maharashtra. In Assam, citronella and basil oil in Barabanki, Sitapur, Hardoi, Badaun, Bareilly. Marigold is grown in Kanpur, Badaun and Kannauj.

How  do you encourage farmers?

We are actively engaged with the farmers.We get their soil tested for free. Apart from this, the company provides free projects for the MTech students of HBTI Kanpur and also trains them on GC and GCMS. This is a kind of social welfare work. Apart from technical support, they also help the farmers in setting up distillation units along with good cultivation and seeds. Farmers who work jointly are given free technical support. Farmers are encouraged to make good products, which the company will buy in its entirety and provide them with full marketing facilities.

Where are your products supplied in the country and abroad and how much demand is there for organic products?.

The company currently exports essential oil products to 27 countries including Vietnam, USA, Brazil, Panama, Czech Republic, Italy, Germany, Turkey, Jordan, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and Philippines among others. For the export of organic products, we are currently planning something big. Our plant is also organic certified. At present 90% of the consumption of organic products is export based. There is some demand in the domestic market, mainly in South India, there is a high demand for organic. It is mostly used in the food industry. Basil oil is in demand in the incense sticks industry. At present, there is no need or demand for organic in the agarbatti industry.

What products do you offer for the incense sticks industry currently?

We currently manufacture resinoids and fragrances for the incense sticks industry. We are majorly focusing on resinoids. If flowers or any fragrance are to be used, then a good resinoid is necessary to keep the incense stick burning properly as well as to retain the aroma for a long time. Resinoid is one of the important raw products used in incense sticks. No incense stick can burn well without resinoid. It is a natural product that provides longer shelf life as well as consistency. Hence, more work is being done on it. The demand for natural oil is also increasing in many industries,for which oils like Citronella oil, Basil oil and Palmarosa oil etc. are prepared.

 Ayuroma is known for experimenting with fragrances. Incense sticks are now being used not only for worship but as a mood freshener as well. What is your take on this?

It is true that the use of incense sticks as a mood freshener is increasing. The company is doing a lot of research on this. The day is divided into four phases. Morning, Afternoon, Evening and Night, a person has a different mood in every phase. For example, the emperor Akbar used to prefer the scent of roses in the morning, and the scent of bela in dance and music at night. The mood of every human being changes often and this area demands extensive research. The company is also working on how to understand the mood of a man? People usually wear white or light colored clothes during the day and dark colour suits at night. Similarly, the need for fragrance changes from day to night and also according to the seasons.

The company is also developing fragrances in inhaler form which will be antibacterial antifungal and will combat moisture and promote good mood just like the way people use Vicks inhaler for cold. It is also being taken care that it is beneficial in terms of health and people can use it as an inhaler. For this the entire team is engaged in research.

 Your company is engaged in the cultivation and processing of herbs, herbs, flowers, ayurvedic medicines.how quality control carried out?

Ayuroma is a company that is neither mine nor owned by any one person. It belongs to everyone who works here. All of us employees are the key in this. I also work as an employee. We do the cultivation of herbs and medicines on contract, but we do quality control in it. For this, full training is given to the farmers. They get training at Central Institute of Aromatic Plant Lucknow. Seeds are provided to them after training. After this, the company also does the work of getting their products to market and also controls the quality.

What suggestions would you give to increase the quality of the crop?

Most of the people after cultivation use Pulplizer Machine for cutting, but in this process, more dust comes out when a dry crop is cut. Whereas the less dust there is at the time of cutting, the more oil will be available. If the dust is less and the grind is more, then you will get more benefit. We have also modified the boiler so that the pressure remains the same. This results in production of more oil. If you go slow or fast, the output is less.

Traditional method is being used for Gulab Rooh in Kannauj, but there is another technique called the Kova method. By this process, water is always collected after distillation. The old technology takes hundreds of litres of water. To extract the perfume from 50 kg flowers, it requires a large number of deg (cauldrons). It also requires the same number of men, which is expensive. In Kova technique, 300-400 kg of flowers are put together, steam collects and 2-3 batches are released in a day. Due to this, 0.1 to 0.2 percent more oil is obtained and the quality is also not affected. Doing it the traditional way requires more manpower and wages are expensive which increases the cost. On the contrary, more benefits can be taken from the Kova method at less cost. If you want to compete with the world then it is necessary to adapt to new technology. Otherwise, they will use technology to produce more at less cost and sell them cheaply.

For which industries is Ayuroma working?

Separate research and development work is being done for the agarbatti industry. resinoids being the main one.We are also making all kinds of compounds and natural oils for the pan Masala and tobacco industry. Especially cardamom absolute and betel leaf oil. We have also come out with new products like Vetiver Oil Acetate and another Betel Leaf Oil at an affordable price. The exports are increasing as well. We also prepare compounds according to the specific demands of the agarbatti, pan masala, and mouth freshener industry.

There is a slowdown in the market, the producers, consumers and traders are all worried. How are you dealing with this situation?

The challenge has increased due to rising raw material prices and just like everyone we are also waiting and watching. However, there has been some benefit due to the ban on import of various things in India. THis has led to companies producing and researching non-import items in the country. Essential oil and everything related to it will now be made in India only. This will benefit the business and employment in the country.