A civil contractor in a mercantile firm in colonial India, Ashutosh Ghosh discovered his true passion for tea and metamorphosed into a purchasing agent for Harrison & Crossfield, one of the largest tea houses of that era.
1880
A civil contractor in a mercantile firm in colonial India, Ashutosh Ghosh discovered his true passion for tea and metamorphosed into a purchasing agent for Harrison & Crossfield, one of the largest tea houses of that era.
1892
While the British played a key role in taking Indian teas to the world, Calcutta became the primary gateway, making Ashutosh Ghosh one of the leading suppliers to the mercantile firms.
1892
While the British played a key role in taking Indian teas to the world, Calcutta became the primary gateway, making Ashutosh Ghosh one of the leading suppliers to the mercantile firms.
1895
Prabhash Chandra Ghosh, the eldest son of Ashutosh Ghosh, joined his father's business.
1897
Prabhash Chandra Ghosh, under the able guidance of Ashutosh Ghosh, established A.Tosh & Sons.
1895
Prabhash Chandra Ghosh, the eldest son of Ashutosh Ghosh, joined his father's business.
1897
Prabhash Chandra Ghosh, under the able guidance of Ashutosh Ghosh, established A.Tosh & Sons.
1904
Calcutta was the epicentre of British Raj in the Indian subcontinent. However, the age of exploration saw Dutch, Portuguese and French merchants visiting the ports of Hooghly and Calcutta.
1912
As the business grew, Indubhushan Ghosh, the younger of the two brothers, partnered with Prabhash Chandra Ghosh to look after the firm's finances.
1904
Calcutta was the epicentre of British Raj in the Indian subcontinent. However, the age of exploration saw Dutch, Portuguese and French merchants visiting the ports of Hooghly and Calcutta.
1912
As the business grew, Indubhushan Ghosh, the younger of the two brothers, partnered with Prabhash Chandra Ghosh to look after the firm's finances.
1916
A.Tosh's first retail store and the registered office were opened at 11/1, Harrison Road, Calcutta. The Harrison Road Building served as
the company's headquarters until the early 1950s and presently houses one of the company's tea outlets.
The Golden Years 1920 - 1956
1920
Prafulla Kumar Ghosh and Kanailal Ghosh joined the business. Two more retail outlets were subsequently opened at Bowbazar Street and Strand Road.
1928
The fourth store was opened in New Market in Calcutta.
Prafulla Kumar Ghosh
Amulya Charan Ghosh
Balailal Ghosh
Prafulla Kumar Ghosh
Amulya Charan Ghosh
Balailal Ghosh
1936
Amulya Charan Ghosh, a civil engineer by profession, joined the business and soon came to be known as a respected and highly regarded tea taster.
1942
Amulya Charan Ghosh represented A.Tosh as one of the earliest Indian tea buyers at the Calcutta Tea Auctions.
1948
The youngest brother, Balailal Ghosh, joined his brothers in the organisation. His skills at forging relationships enabled A.Tosh to take the business beyond the borders of India.
1950
Bhabatosh Ghosh, son of Prabhash Chandra Ghosh and the eldest from the third generation of the family joined the business. As a young trainee, he was sent to London to learn the nuances of tea tasting and trading, with a leading tea broking firm.
1953
Subsequent to his return from the U.K., with the help of his uncles, Bhabatosh Ghosh was instrumental in registering
A.Tosh & Sons as the first Indian company to be the USSR Government's tea purchasing and shipping agent.
This partnership with the Government of the erstwhile USSR continued unbroken until 1991-92.
1950
Bhabatosh Ghosh, son of Prabhash Chandra Ghosh and the eldest from the third generation of the family joined the business. As a young trainee, he was sent to London to learn the nuances of tea tasting and trading, with a leading tea broking firm.
1953
1953
Subsequent to his return from the U.K., with the help of his uncles, Bhabatosh Ghosh was instrumental in registering A.Tosh & Sons as the first Indian company to be the USSR government's tea purchasing and shipping agent. This partnership with the Government of the erstwhile USSR continued unbroken until 1991-92.
1954
The charismatic and dynamic leadership of Kanailal Ghosh made him one of the Managing Committee members, representing Dealers, Traders and Exporters during the formation of the Tea Board of India. He was also the first Indian Chairman of the Calcutta Tea Traders Association (CTTA) in 1961-62. Subsequently, his son Mr D K Ghosh served as the Chairman of CTTA for 3 terms - 1977-78, 1982-84 and 1987-89.
1956
1956
Kanailal Ghosh along with his brothers with Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India.
He was instrumental in establishing the Tea Board in Calcutta, instead of New Delhi.
The iconic Tosh House was built at the very prestigious Dalhousie Square, the commercial hub of Eastern India. Tosh House till date serves as the company's headquarters.
Going Global 1957 - 2000
1957 to 1960
A.Tosh & Sons now a large exporter was shipping teas to countries like the USSR, UK, Netherlands, Iraq, Poland, Iran and Egypt.
1957 to 1960
A.Tosh & Sons now a large exporter was shipping teas to countries like the USSR, UK, Netherlands, Iraq, Poland, Iran and Egypt.
Rare memories from the early 60s of Kanailal Ghosh welcoming and hosting the Russian delegation for a tea tasting session of select Indian Teas.
1961
On her maiden visit to India, Queen Elizabeth II visited Calcutta among other cities. Kanailal Ghosh, one of the key guests, gifted Her Majesty and Prince Philip with a range of TOSH'S TEA packed in an Ivory casket.
1961
Yuri Gagarin, the first man to venture into outer space and his wife Valentina Goryacheva was met with a rousing reception during their
visit to India. With heartfelt adulation, he was gifted with the finest blends of TOSH'S TEA by Mr. Kanailal Ghosh.
1961
Yuri Gagarin, the first man to venture into outer space and his wife Valentina Goryacheva was met with a rousing reception during their
visit to India. With heartfelt adulation, he was gifted with the finest blends of TOSH'S TEA by Mr. Kanailal Ghosh.
1965
The third generation of the family joined the business in full force.
1970
Commenced tea export business from South India in Cochin, Kerala.
1980
A trading office was set up in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. Subsequently, a new packing and storage facility was established in the port city of Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu in 1984.
1986
A trading office was set up in Siliguri, West Bengal.
1992
The company established tea import and warehousing business in the CIS and started supplying teas to most of the leading tea brands in the region.
Present Day 2009 and beyond
2009
Purchased 12 acres of land on the outskirts of Coimbatore City and proceeded to build one of the best tea infrastructures in India.
2011
Set up two fully automated bulk tea operations in Calcutta and Coimbatore.
2014
2014
Purchased the first set of German tea bag machines as the company ventured into value-added private label business.
2017
2017
Launched exclusive gourmet range with The Hillcart Tales.
2019
In January, established India's first and only joint venture for tea bag packing with S. Ishimitsu & Co. of Japan.
Today, the business is led by the fourth and the fifth generations of the family.
The rich legacy brings age-old values into the business, with a promise of trust, honesty,
good work ethics, transparency in relationships and superior quality of products and services.
