The tale of the largest Ceylon tea exporters A brief about the Ceylon tea company History of both Ceylon tea and Akbar Brothers family were destined to commence in the same era in Sri Lanka in the 1860's. James Taylor, a Scotsman, planted the first tea sapling in Sri Lanka (then Ceylon ) in 1867 whilst in 1864, the great-grand father of present Akbar brothers' Shaikh Hebtulabhoy, left his native India , and settled down in Sri Lanka . His son Tyeabally Shaikh Hebtulabhoy pioneered the family in to the thriving Sri Lanka tea industry, by forming M. S. Hebtulabhoy & Company Limited. Tea historian D. M. Forrest's 'A Hundred Years of Ceylon Tea' book in page 152 states thus: Very large purchases today, for the Middle East market in particular, are such firms as Hebtulabhoy & Co established in Colombo for generations, began shipping tea abroad in 1907. In time, Tyeabally Shaikh Hebtulabhoy's grandsons- Abbas, Abid and Inayet Akbarally - who too were well versed in tea, relinquished their positions in Hebtulabhoys & Co., and formed Akbar Brothers in 1969. Within 3 short years Akbar Brothers succeeded in making significant breakthroughs in to major tea markets in the Middle East , and elsewhere. Largest exporter of Ceylon tea Akbar Brothers Limited was incorporated in 1972. Significantly, in the same year, the father of these founders retired from the Chairmanship of Hebtulabhoys & Co. and joined his sons, making available his 40 years experience in the highest echelons of tea industry. Moreover, the flourish thus set, kept up its' momentum for the company to become the largest tea exporter. For 14 consecutive years since 1992, Akbar Brothers Limited has been acknowledged as the biggest Sri Lanka tea exporter. Further, "Akbar" became the flagship brand of finest Ceylon tea from Sri Lanka.
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