MegaBrands · Branded rice and pulses
India Gate: How a Delhi Family Firm Built India’s Benchmark Basmati Brand
India Gate, selected as the Mega Brand for Branded rice and pulses by the Business Intelligence Unit of WCRC (World Centre for Research and Consulting), carries a family trading story that began in 1889. KRBL says it now reaches about 1.2 crore Indian homes and more than 90 countries.
India Gate in numbers
At a glance
India Gate is the flagship basmati rice brand of KRBL Limited, a listed Delhi company. KRBL’s roots go back to a firm set up in 1889 in Lyallpur by Khushi Ram and Behari Lal, whose initials gave the company its name. Led by Anil Kumar Mittal, KRBL sells India Gate through more than 3 lakh retail outlets and in over 90 countries. It has been selected as the Mega Brand for Branded rice and pulses by the Business Intelligence Unit of WCRC (World Centre for Research and Consulting).
| Key facts | |
|---|---|
| Brand | India Gate |
| Owner | KRBL Limited |
| Roots | Family firm founded 1889 in Lyallpur by Khushi Ram and Behari Lal; KRBL Limited incorporated 1993 |
| Registered office | Delhi |
| Leadership | Anil Kumar Mittal, Chairman and Managing Director; Arun Kumar Gupta and Anoop Kumar Gupta, Joint Managing Directors |
| Category | Branded rice and pulses |
| Reach | About 1.2 crore Indian households and more than 3 lakh retail outlets (KRBL, 2026) |
| Markets | India and more than 90 countries |
| KRBL revenue (FY2025-26) | Rs 6,097.9 crore, consolidated |
| Recognition | Selected as the Mega Brand for Branded rice and pulses by the Business Intelligence Unit of WCRC (World Centre for Research and Consulting) |
India Gate is a familiar name in India’s rice aisles, and its name began with a daily commute. The brand was created in the early 1990s, according to the company, by a family that had been trading farm produce for more than a century. Its idea has stayed simple: good basmati, sealed in a pack, with a name the buyer can trust.
The story starts in 1889 in Lyallpur, now Faisalabad in Pakistan. Two brothers, Khushi Ram and Behari Lal, set up a firm that bought cotton from Punjab’s farmers. After Partition in 1947, the family moved to Delhi and started again from a building in Naya Bazar, in Chandni Chowk. In the 1970s, as the Green Revolution turned India into a rice-surplus country, the family moved into rice. KRBL Limited was incorporated in 1993. According to ThePrint, Anil Kumar Mittal, a great-grandson of Behari Lal, named the brand after the monument he passed every day on his way from home to the family business in Naya Bazar.
In FY2025-26, KRBL’s consolidated revenue from operations reached Rs 6,097.9 crore.
WCRC MegaBrands covers 501 categories in India and selects one benchmark brand in each. It looks at brands through five pillars: Brand Positioning & Recall; Consumer Trust & Sentiment; Product, Innovation & Delivery; Sustainability, Governance & ESG; and Digital & Financial Soundness. India Gate has been selected as the Mega Brand for Branded rice and pulses by the Business Intelligence Unit of WCRC (World Centre for Research and Consulting). Here is how India Gate’s record lines up with each pillar.
India Gate through the years
- 1889Khushi Ram and Behari Lal set up a firm in Lyallpur
- 1947After Partition, the family restarts in Naya Bazar, Delhi
- 1970sThe family moves into the rice business
- Early 1990sIndia Gate basmati brand launched (per the company)
- 1993KRBL Limited incorporated
- 2008India Gate Classic launched with Pusa 1121 basmati
- 2025"Only Top Class, No Khulla Class" campaign with Amitabh Bachchan
- 2026India Gate Poha launched in 22 North Indian cities
Pillar 1: How India Gate Owns Share of Mind
Brand Positioning & Recall · weighted 28% in the MegaBrands framework · How MegaBrands measures this
India Gate starts with a name that needs no explaining. It borrows one of Delhi’s best-known landmarks and puts it on a pack of rice, giving a staple product a name with a sense of national pride.
The brand’s recent marketing has gone after a habit rather than a rival. In February 2025, India Gate launched a campaign called “Only Top Class, No Khulla Class”, with Amitabh Bachchan, who had been named its brand ambassador the month before. “Khulla” means loose, and the campaign asked a plain question: if everything else in a family’s life is top class, why buy basmati loose? KRBL says nearly 70% of basmati bought in Hindi-speaking regions is still sold loose.
Kunal Sharma, KRBL’s Head of Marketing and Business Head for Modern Trade and E-commerce, explained the thinking at launch: “Staples being a lower involvement category, much of the purchase decision happens on habit.” The campaign ran on television, connected TV, radio, outdoor and in stores, and came with a refreshed pack design.
KRBL reports that, for the twelve months to June 2026, India Gate held about 37% of packaged basmati sales in general trade and 38% in modern trade, citing retail audit data. On its own internal numbers, the e-commerce share stood at 41% in June 2026.
Pillar 2: Why Indian Homes Trust India Gate
Consumer Trust & Sentiment · weighted 26% in the MegaBrands framework · How MegaBrands measures this
Rice is bought often and judged at every meal. A basmati brand earns trust only when the grain cooks the same way, pack after pack, year after year. India Gate’s case rests on that consistency and on the length of the record behind it.
The family behind the brand has traded farm produce for more than 130 years and has worked in rice since the 1970s. That history matters in a category where many shoppers still buy from open sacks. The brand’s whole message is that a sealed pack from a known name is a safer choice than an unlabelled heap.
KRBL says India Gate now reaches about 1.2 crore Indian households. When KRBL named Amitabh Bachchan as brand ambassador in January 2025, Ayush Gupta, then its India Business Head, linked the choice to the values the brand wants to stand for: “His legendary stature, unwavering integrity, and timeless appeal perfectly resonate with our core values and rich heritage.”
Pillar 3: The Supply Chain Behind Every India Gate Pack
Product, Innovation & Delivery · weighted 20% in the MegaBrands framework · How MegaBrands measures this
India Gate’s quality starts long before the mill. KRBL runs a contract farming network for rice and says it supplies about 35% of the basmati seeds sown in India. The company says it pays farmers directly, within about 3 to 15 days of procurement. It has also partnered with the Indian Agricultural Research Institute in Pusa to develop high-yield, disease-resistant and climate-resilient rice varieties.
How India Gate reaches you
The milling side is built for scale. KRBL operates five units, at Dhuri in Punjab, Gautam Budh Nagar in Uttar Pradesh, Anjar in Gujarat, Alipur in Delhi and Sonipat in Haryana. The company says it can mill 195 tonnes of paddy an hour and store about 1 million tonnes of rice and paddy.
Product development has followed new grain science. Outlook Business reported in 2017 that KRBL was given the Pusa 1121 variety on a trial basis in 2004 and launched it under the India Gate Classic name in 2008. In June 2026, the brand launched India Gate Poha in 22 North Indian cities, made with rice sourced from South Gujarat.
Getting packs to shoppers relies on a wide network. KRBL works with more than 850 dealers and distributors in India and reaches more than 3 lakh retail outlets. Abroad, its rice is sold in more than 90 countries.
Pillar 4: India Gate, Powered by Its Own Harvest
Sustainability, Governance & ESG · weighted 16% in the MegaBrands framework · How MegaBrands measures this
KRBL puts the by-products of rice milling to work. In FY2024-25, KRBL reports, about 90% of the energy used in its operations came from renewable sources, including rice husk and solar power. It also reports a reduction of about 35% in grid electricity use, and says its wind and solar plants enabled carbon offsets of about 1.8 lakh tonnes of carbon dioxide. A new 3.9 MW turbine at one unit aims to end that unit’s reliance on grid power. Power is a business in its own right: KRBL’s energy segment earned Rs 234.5 crore in FY2025-26.
The company also invests in communities. KRBL spent about Rs 10.85 crore on CSR in FY2024-25 and has set a target of about Rs 30 crore for community development by FY2028.
On governance, KRBL’s board has eight directors, four of them independent. In September 2025, an independent director resigned and raised concerns about governance, and the board ordered an independent review. In November 2025, the board reported that the review had found “no irregularities impacting the financial statements” and had identified “certain areas where the Company can enhance its processes”, which management committed to address.
Pillar 5: India Gate’s Growth With Financial Strength
Digital & Financial Soundness · weighted 10% in the MegaBrands framework · How MegaBrands measures this
KRBL does not report India Gate’s revenue separately, so the company’s consolidated figures are the best guide to the brand’s financial base. In FY2025-26, KRBL’s revenue from operations rose about 9% to Rs 6,097.9 crore, from Rs 5,593.8 crore in FY2024-25. Net profit rose about 36% to Rs 648 crore. The company recommended a final dividend of Rs 4.50 a share.
Growth at home has been strong. Domestic revenue, excluding power, rose about 10% to Rs 4,444 crore in FY2025-26. In the first quarter of FY2026-27, domestic revenue grew 14% to Rs 1,221 crore and net profit rose 73% to Rs 261 crore. “Q1 FY27 reflects the strength and resilience of our business, with significant improvement in profitability and margins,” Anil Kumar Mittal, Chairman and Managing Director, said in August 2026. KRBL held cash and investments of Rs 1,841 crore at the end of June 2026.
Digital channels are a growing part of the picture. KRBL puts India Gate’s share of packaged basmati sold through e-commerce at 41% in June 2026, based on its internal numbers. Its 2025 campaign also used connected TV to reach digital-savvy viewers.
The India Gate Benchmark
Every category has leaders. A MegaBrand is the brand its category is measured against. India Gate holds that place in the Branded rice and pulses category because its record is strong on every pillar at once. It is widely known, reaches about 1.2 crore households, backed by a farm-to-pack supply chain, run largely on renewable power including its own rice husk, and financially strong enough to keep investing.
Above all, it shows how a staple can become a brand. For generations rice was sold loose by weight. India Gate’s work has been to persuade shoppers that the grain on their plate deserves a name, a seal and a standard, and KRBL says it now reaches about 1.2 crore Indian households.
India Gate on MegaBrands
Follow India Gate's consumer pulse
Powerfacts
What does India Gate sell?
India Gate is a basmati rice brand owned by KRBL Limited. Its range is led by basmati rice, and in June 2026 it added India Gate Poha in 22 North Indian cities.
When was India Gate founded and who leads it?
India Gate was launched in the early 1990s, according to the company, by the family behind KRBL, whose business roots go back to 1889. KRBL is led by Chairman and Managing Director Anil Kumar Mittal, with Joint Managing Directors Arun Kumar Gupta and Anoop Kumar Gupta.
Who owns India Gate?
India Gate is owned by KRBL Limited, a company listed on India’s stock exchanges. The name KRBL comes from the initials of its founders, Khushi Ram and Behari Lal.
More Questions About India Gate
How did India Gate get its name?
According to ThePrint, Anil Kumar Mittal named the brand after Delhi’s India Gate, which he passed every day travelling from his home to the family business in Naya Bazar.
How many homes buy India Gate?
KRBL says India Gate reaches about 1.2 crore Indian households, through more than 3 lakh retail outlets and over 850 dealers and distributors.
What is India Gate’s share of packaged basmati?
KRBL reports that in the twelve months to June 2026, India Gate held about 37% of packaged basmati sales in general trade, 38% in modern trade and 41% in e-commerce.
What is the revenue of KRBL, the owner of India Gate?
KRBL Limited, which owns India Gate, reported consolidated revenue from operations of Rs 6,097.9 crore and net profit of Rs 648 crore in FY2025-26.
Where is India Gate sold outside India?
India Gate rice is exported to more than 90 countries.
Why is India Gate the Mega Brand for Branded rice and pulses?
India Gate has been selected as the Mega Brand for Branded rice and pulses by the Business Intelligence Unit of WCRC (World Centre for Research and Consulting). Its record is strong on all five MegaBrands pillars: high recall, trust built over generations, a farm-to-pack supply chain, renewable-powered operations and steady financial growth.
About India Gate
India Gate is the flagship basmati rice brand of KRBL Limited, a listed company with its registered office in Delhi and roots in a family firm founded in 1889. KRBL runs five processing units in five states, works with a contract farming network and sells India Gate in more than 90 countries. KRBL’s consolidated revenue from operations was Rs 6,097.9 crore in FY2025-26. India Gate has been selected as the Mega Brand for Branded rice and pulses by the Business Intelligence Unit of WCRC (World Centre for Research and Consulting).