KKR Group of Companies was established in the year 1976 by an enterprising man, Mr. K. K. Karnan at Okkal, Kerala, India. He set up a state-of-art manufacturing facility worth Rs.45 Crores, for rice production that redefined quality standards. As part of his business strategy he created an ubiquitous brand, Nirapara, to aggressively expand retail presence. Having introduced high quality branded rice products for the first time, he revolutionized rice trade in the state with the help of technology and customer focus. KKR Group emerged as the first company to set up a technologically savvy Quality Assurance and Control department and microbiology lab. It numbers among one of the few food manufacturers in the state to be ISO 22000-2005, HCAAP and FDA certified.

By 2000, KKR Group started focusing on expanding its Distribution network and retail presence by providing innovative schemes and setting up one of the finest distribution chain for an FMCG manufacturer. Since then, the brand has marked its presence across 46 countries including UAE, Muscat, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, USA, Canada, UK, Switzerland, France, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, Netherlands, Germany etc. In India, KKR has a partnership with over 350 distributors and registers its presence across 500,000 retail outlets, including Modern Trade such as Reliance Retail, Big Bazaar, ABRL, Lulu, Pothy’s, Nilgiris,  etc.

Today the KKR Group of Companies has a large manufacturing facility of about   30,000 sq. metre spread over 150,000 sq. metre land area. The Group is valued at about INR 1000 Crores. There are over 1600 direct and 1500 indirect staff and KKR is considered an equal opportunity employer having large number of women engaged in various roles across its subsidiaries. The Company is manufacturing various products under the categories of rice & rice products, breakfast powders, spice & spice powders, curry powders & seasonings, pickles, dessert mixes, sauces, condiments, and edible oils.