The Gopalpur Tea Co. Ltd.
.jpg){kind=small} Logo from the 1948 share certificate | |
| Private | |
| ISIN | 🆔 |
| Industry | Tea, Agriculture |
| Founded 📆 | May 7, 1913 |
| Founder 👔 | Gopal Chandra Ghosh |
Area served 🗺️ | India |
Key people | Jogesh Chandra Ghosh |
| Products 📟 | Black tea, CTC tea |
| Owner | Inland Group (since 1993) |
| Members | |
Number of employees | |
| 🌐 Website | [Lua error in Module:WikidataIB at line 665: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). ] |
| 📇 Address | |
| 📞 telephone | |
The Gopalpur Tea Co. Ltd. (also known as Gopalpur Tea Estate) is an Indian tea producer based in, Jalpaiguri, West Bengal, India. Established on 7 May 1913 by pioneer Bengali entrepreneur Gopal Chandra Ghosh, the company operates tea plantations in the Dooars region of North Bengal.[1][2]
History
In the early 20th century, Gopal Chandra Ghosh, a lawyer practicing in the Jalpaiguri court, entered the tea plantation industry by purchasing land in the Madarihat subdivision of Jalpaiguri district (now part of Alipurduar district), West Bengal. He planted tea bushes, constructed a processing factory, and incorporated The Gopalpur Tea Company in May 1913. Ghosh was among the early wave of native Bengali planters who established independent tea estates during a period when the North Bengal tea industry was predominantly British-owned.[3][4][5]
The Gopalpur Tea Company was established in 1913 by Jogesh Chandra Ghosh in the memory of his father Gopalchandra. He also established the Malhuty tea estate in 1926 with the financial assistance of M/S. J. Thomas & Company, Luxmikanta tea estates in 1927 and Kadambini and Soudamini in 1930 for the Bijaynagar Tea Company Limited. The last two estates were established in memory of his two sisters, Kadambini Debi and Soudamini Debi.[6] Kadambini Debi was the wife of Tarini Prasad Roy, the pioneer Bengali entrepreneur of Jalpaiguri town and Saudamini was the fourth Queen Consort of the Dar Raj and the wife of Raja Mohini Mohan Dhar, Judge former Dewan of the Mayurbhanj State.[7]
Following Gopal Chandra Ghosh's death, his son, Jogesh Chandra Ghosh, expanded the enterprise. Under his leadership, the family owned and managed up to eight tea gardens in North Bengal. Birendra Chandra Ghosh, another son of Gopal Chandra, was also active in local philanthropy and industrial development, contributing to institutions in Jalpaiguri and assisting in the founding of the Siliguri Tea Auction Centre.[8][9]
In 1993, management and controlling shares of The Gopalpur Tea Co. Ltd. were acquired by the Somani family of the Inland Group, who continue to operate the company.[10]
Operations and products
The company's primary tea plantation, the Gopalpur Tea Estate, is located at Gopalbagan near Birpara in West Bengal. The estate specializes in producing CTC (Crush, Tear, Curl) black tea for domestic distribution and auctions.
Share Certificate No. 6264 of The Gopalpur Tea Company, Limited (incorporated under the Indian Companies Act VI of 1882 with a capital of Rs. 12,25,000 across 49,000 shares of Rs. 25 each) documents 100 fully paid-up shares (nos. 15263 to 15362) originally issued on 30 March 1948 to Atmadhar Sevasram through sebayet Mohini Mohan Dhar of Dacca.[11] Validated by revenue stamps and the signatures of Secretary Abinash Chandra Das and a director, the certificate records subsequent transfers to Atmadhar Sevasram through successive sebayets: via Sri Dhirendra Mohan Dhar on 6 February 1951 (Vide order no. 1230) and Sri Chittajit Mohan Dhar on 8 October 1956 (Vide order no. 1638), both countersigned by Secretary Abinash Chandra Das and Director Satyendra Prasad Biswas. Originally incorporated in May 1913 under the Indian Companies Act, The Gopalpur Tea Co. Ltd. remained under its early family management for decades before its eventual ownership and board restructuring. Control of the company later transitioned to the Somani family of the Inland Group, with members such as Ratan Kumar Somani and Raj Kumar Somani taking over executive management and board operations as directors of the company.[12]
See also
References
- ↑ "Gopalpur Tea Estate". Teagardenteas. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
- ↑ Bhubaneswar Mukhopadhyaya, Jogesh Jiban, B.S. 1371, Jalpaiguri, p. 65.
- ↑ Role of Bengali tea-industrialist and eminent persons in expansion of education in Jalpaiguri district, International Journal of Applied Research 2024; 10(1): 30-36 ISSN Print: 2394-7500 ISSN Online: 2394-5869
- ↑ Biswas, Supam (2026-04-24). From the Hills to the Plains: The Bengali Entrepreneurs and the transformation of North Bengal's Tea Industry (1879 – 1947). ISBN 978-1-003-73863-3. Search this book on
- ↑ The Tea. Sri Sunil C. Guha. 1963. pp. 153–158. Search this book on
- ↑ Biswas, Supam (2026-06-05). From the Hills to the Plains: The Bengali Entrepreneurs and the transformation of North Bengal's Tea Industry (1879 – 1947). Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-040-90882-2. Search this book on
- ↑ Sarkar, Suvobrata (2020-12-03). Let There Be Light: Engineering, Entrepreneurship and Electricity in Colonial Bengal, 1880–1945: Engineering, Entrepreneurship and Electricity in Colonial Bengal, 1880–1945. Cambridge University Press. pp. 201, 202. ISBN 978-1-108-83598-5. Search this book on
- ↑ Ghosh, B.C., “The Development of the Tea Industry in Jalpaiguri District 1869 – 1969”, Jalpaiguri District Centenary Souvenir, (ed.)DR. C.C. Sanyal, 1970, P. 290
- ↑ Mukherjee,Sibsankar,“Emergence of Bengali Entrepreneurship in JalpaiguriDuars, 1879-1933”,Ph. D thesis, University of North Bengal,1978, P.46 Readers can also see Sircar, Sekhar, “A Short History of the Tea Industry in Jalpaiguri District and Immigration of People in this area (1875 – 11895)”, Novum Organum, a half – yearly publication on North – East Region of India, (ed.) Sekhar Sircar, Subhash Ch. Saha Roy and et al., 1982, Cooch Behar, W.B., P. 63
- ↑ Check, The Company. "The Gopalpur Tea Co Ltd - 2026 Insights". The Company Check. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
- ↑ Share certificate (No. 6264) for 100 shares in The Gopalpur Tea Company, Limited, issued to Atmadhar Sevasram (through Sebayet Mohini Mohan Dhar of Dacca) on March 30, 1948.
- ↑ "THE Gopalpur TEA CO LTD Information - THE Gopalpur TEA CO LTD Company Profile, THE Gopalpur TEA CO LTD News on The Economic Times". The Economic Times. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
External links
This article "Gopalpur Tea Company" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Gopalpur Tea Company. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
