J Thomas & Co. Pvt. Ltd.

J Thomas & Co. Pvt. Ltd.
Founded 1861 (Calcutta)
Founder Robert Thomas
Headquarters Kolkata, India
Key people
 Krishan Katyal
(Chairman & MD)
Vijay Shankar
(Vice Chairman & MD)
C. A. Mohan
(Vice Chairman & MD)
K. Ashok (MD)
Ravi Suchanti (MD)
Kavi Seth (Director)
Subsidiaries Tea Consultancy & Plantation Services (India) Pvt. Ltd.
J. Thomas Trading & Investments Pvt. Ltd.
J. Thomas Finance Pvt. Ltd.
J. Thomas & Co. Auctioneers (Tamil Nadu) Pvt. Ltd.
Website www.jthomasindia.com

J Thomas & Co. Pvt. Ltd. is the largest and oldest existing tea auctioneers in the world, handling about 200 million kg of tea annually. The genesis of J Thomas was in Calcutta, the centre of tea trade in British India. The company is headquartered in Kolkata, West Bengal, India and has branches in Siliguri, Guwahati, Dibrugarh, Kochi, Coonoor, Coimbatore and Bangalore.

History

1800's

In the year 1851, Robert Thomas & Charles Marten set up a joint venture called Thomas, Marten & Company. The Firm was registered as a Member-Firm of general brokers in the Bengal Chamber of Commerce records. Their offices were at, New Mart, 8 Mission Row. By 1853, the Company began to flourish and figure as a Member-Firm with Bengal Chamber of Commerce. Indigo was the major auction commodity, although shellac, sugar, saltpetre, raw silk, cotton and a variety of produce were listed in the records. It was indigo that helped the Company to prosper and shaped its formative years. So much so that indigo or nil left its indelible mark upon the Company(nil is indigo and haat is bazaar). Nilhat House, its current address, is a testimony to its origins. It is a tribute to the Company's roots, of beginnings never to be forgotten. Advances in technology and the development of synthetic substitutes however heralded the end of this profitable trade, and the Firm began to scout for new opportunities. As days passed, it became clear that the Company's future lay not in indigo, but in tea.

Little is known about Charles Marten, except that he was once a President of The Bengal Club. After Charles Marten resigned from Thomas, Marten and Company, Robert's son, Charles joined him, though very briefly. The Company's name changed to 'R Thomas & Company' General Brokers(1854). It was during this time that R Thomas & Company called upon Mackenzie Lyall, auctioneers to conduct on their behalf, a tea auction on 27 December 1861. This was the first tea auction held in India. From then on, the firm was successively styled Thomas & Company(1865); J Thomas & Company(1866); J Thomas & Company Limited in conjunction with J Thomas & Company (Jute & Gunnies) Limited and finally from 1947 and as it is known today, J Thomas & Company Private Limited.

As business increased, and after the death of Robert Thomas in 1865, the Firm, now renamed Thomas & Co. passed into the hands of the founder's nephew, John Philip (Jack) Thomas, who had come out to Calcutta at the young age of 18 in 1848. Along with another nephew of Robert, John Thomas, Jack renamed the Firm, J Thomas & Company and placed John Thomas in nominal control.

1900's

The Great Depression of the 1930s, following the collapse of the American Stock Market in October, 1929, hit the Firm as a result of a massive decline in commodity values. By 1932, tea prices had dropped to half their level of 1929. The Firm's Tea Department maintained its share of sales, but gunny floundered, as also jute and shellac.

The old auction room was pulled down in December, 1934, as the land on which it was built was taken over by the Calcutta Improvement Trust for the purpose of widening Mission Row. Till now, auctions were conducted by the broker selling from the rostrum at one end of the room and the buyers sitting around a large horse-shoe table. The auction room was re-built, roughly on the same plan in January,1935. The few sales held from December, 1934 to June, 1935 were held in the office of A W Figgis & Company.

In 1947, the year of Independence, it ceased to be a Partnership Company and on the 24th of April of that year, transformed itself into a Private Limited Company with the Partners becoming Directors.

In 1960, due to the rapid advance in the quantities of tea sent for auctions, the need was felt to build a completely new structure to house the auction room and a new office for the Company. In 1961, the Company completely withdrew from its gunny and jute business, shellac having closed earlier in 1955. Meanwhile, the tea business began to expand rapidly and from then tea has remained the Company's core business. The foundation stone of the auction room at Nilhat House, was laid by Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru on 2 December 1961 and a modern, acoustically designed auction room was built in 1963. In the intervening period of 1961-1962, tea auctions were temporarily held at the premises of the Bengal Chamber of Commerce. The second auction room was commissioned in 1978, adjacent to the main auction room, following a split in the selling of leaf and dust catalogues.

Commodities

Tea


Varieties of Tea

Tea Tasting

This is a refined and specialised skill and is an intrinsic part of auctioning. The subtle and varied nuances of every invoice of tea is first tasted, judged and valued by tea tasters before offering at auctions. His description of the liquor is based on taste, sight, touch and smell. A taster may deal with several hundred tea samples in a day. In his evaluation, he brings his knowledge and experience of a particular estate to make his conclusions.

Tea Broking

Around one third of all tea auctioned in India is handled by J. Thomas. The company conducts auctions at Kolkata, Guwahati, Siliguri, Cochin, Coonoor, and Coimbatore and has correspondents in all auction centres worldwide: Colombo, Chittagong, Mombasa, Jakarta, Limbe.

Tea Auctions

Advantages to Producers
Advantages to Buyers
Advantages to Government

Coffee

Coffee Harvesting

Coffee harvest in India begins from November. Arabica Coffee is harvested first followed by Robusta Coffees and the entire harvesting is completed by end March. Ripe Cherries are harvested by hand, stripped from the tree with both ripe and over ripe beans. These processes are called selective picking and stripping. To maximize the amount of ripe coffees harvested, it is necessary to selectively pick the ripe coffee beans from the tree by hand and live behind the unripe, green beans to be harvested at a later time.

Coffee Auctions

The Indian Coffee Trade Association (ICTA) was established at Bangalore during Feb 1993 to conduct coffee auctions. J. THOMAS & CO PVT LTD., a member of ICTA has been auctioning coffee from the very first sale held on April 1993, currently auctions are held every Thursdays at the premises of Indian Coffee Board Auction Hall at Bangalore, only cured coffee (Green Beans) of all varieties are offered for sale in our catalogue brought out each week. Coffees sold in the auction per 50 kg price. Prices are based on the New York and London coffee future settlement rates ARABICA Coffee price are based on the New York terminal closing price and ROBUSTA Coffee price are based on the London terminal closing price respectively. Coffees are offered from all the traditional Southern States producing coffees from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, also Non-Traditional areas coffees from Andhra Pradesh and from the North East Region are offered through our catalogue. Certified Specialty coffee and Organic Coffee are also been offered through our catalogue. Coffee Producers process and store their coffees in the curing works. Samples are drawn by the Auctioneers and displayed at the auction. Auctioneers charge the seller a fee of 1% of the sale value as selling Brokerage. All sections of trade Exporters, Roasters and Merchant Traders participate in the weekly auctions and bid for the coffees on offer, as per the quality of coffee samples displayed each lot is knocked down to the highest bidder if the price meets the Auctioneers approval.

Rubber

How Rubber is Made

Natural rubber is made from the sap of the wild rubber tree. The bark of the tree is 'tapped', this means cutting small slits into the bark, so that the white sap, known as latex, drips out and is caught in collecting cups. Tapping of rubber trees is done by hand. A way of making rubber stronger and more elastic was invented by and Charles Goodyear in 1839. His method was called vulcanizing and it stopped rubber from perishing.

Purchasing Rubber

J. Thomas & Co. Pvt. Ltd. have been purchasing natural rubber for and on behalf of some of the leading Auto tyre manufacturers in India since 1966. As purchasing agents for various clients we negotiate, contract, inspect quality and arrange storage and dispatch of natural rubber stocks as required by our Principals. We have, over the years acquired an intimate knowledge of natural rubber plantation industry and of the rubber trade and our close familiarity with the needs of the consuming industry make us an ideal source for reliable market information and supplies of natural rubber. We can offer a ready made, well experienced division familiar with the needs of rubber consuming industries and our experience over thirty two years in this particular field and can assure you cost effective and trouble free procurement of natural rubber to meet all requirements. As one of the largest buyers of natural rubber in India we are able to obtain best possible terms for our Principals. Over the past thirty two years we have purchased natural rubber for and on behalf of Goodyear India Ltd., Ceat Ltd., Firestone Tyres, Modi Rubber Ltd., J.K. Industries Ltd., Vikrant Tyres Ltd., Birla Tyres and South Asia Tyres Ltd. and have acquired a close understanding of quality requirements of various consumers we service. Close contacts are maintained with technical and production personnel of our principals through frequent visits. The result of these joint endeavours, we believe, have been successful in evolving innovations such as improved packing methods, optimum grades for various applications etc.,resulting in considerable cost reduction. We have experienced personnel who are familiar with all aspects of rubber industry. We have also benefited by consultations with various international experts who have visited and advised us on our operations. Currently we are purchasing Agents for Goodyear India Limited, Birla Tyres, J.K. Industries Limited, South Asia Tyres Limited and Bridgestone ACC India Ltd.

Partners & Directors

Partners of J Thomas & Co. 1851-1947

Arrived
in India 		Name From To
1833 R Thomas 1851 1865
C Marten 1851 1854
1848 J P Thomas 1865 1898
J Thomas 1861 1883
Joined the
Company 		Name From To
1863 W L Thomas 1903
C R Hill 1913
N R Mclmes 1903
R E S Thomas 1902
1888 R J P Thomas 1906
1876 J D West 1910
D B Myers 1905 1913
R G D Thomas 1907 1919
1885 R G Bates 1907 1919
J E Ceehitt 1907 1917
C P E Colville 1911 1922
1902 R J G Ballantyne 1911 1920
1905 T G Evers 1919 1926
1906 E Studd 1919 1938
J Ford 1920 1925
1913 J D Guise 1920 1926
1909 H K Banks 1923 1931
1907 H K Pierson 1923 1936
1907 J R Wilson 1923 1942
1912 B C Studd 1923 1946
1913 J D Guise 1926 1927
1913 G S Horton 1927 1938
1925 P J P Thomas 1938 1947
1924 W H Jacques 1935 1947
1934 G W U Liddle 1939 1947
1930 C H Thomas 1939 1947

Board of Directors from 1947

Board of Directors (2012-2013)
Board of Directors (2013-2014)
Joined the
Company 		Name From To
1925 P J P Thomas 1947 1962
1924 W H Jacques 1947 1950
1934 G W U Liddle 1947 1952
1930 C H Thomas 1947 1949
1927 J H Methold 1947 1957
1929 R A S Thomas 1947 1952
1937 R Livermore 1948 1954
1947 G T Routledge 1949 1960
1938 A B Kingsley 1950 1962
1935 M R C Thomas 1951 1959
1929 G I Treadaway 1951 1957
1946 K A Evers 1954 1955
1945 V V Parekh 1957 1967
1946 J R Hollander 1957 1965
1948 G M Gay 1957 1959
1949 J D McDonald 1957 1960
1946 K A Evers 1960 1963
1953 J M Wallace 1959 1965
1964 C M Burn 1964 1967
1953 B K Dube 1965 1969
1964 R Nice 1965 1972
1965 W B H Churchill 1965 1966
1951 T A Liddle 1965 1972
1952 D Roy 1964 1988
1952 T C Satyanath 1964 1980
1964 N J Setna 1970 1987
1955 G K Jauhar 1970 1992
1955 P P Naharwar 1971 1978
1964 H M Parekh 1977 1995
1970 T K Madhav 1977 1998
1967 A K Ghosh 1980 1995
1963 P K Sen 1980 2001
1964 R Sen 1987 2004
1970 A Chowdhuri 1992 2010
1967 A K Atal 1987 2002
1972 A Batra 1995 2013
1971 A G Varkey 1987 2000
1977 A Ghosh 1995 2010
1973 V Shankar 1998
1991 V S Crishna 2000 2013
1977 K Katyal 2001
1977 C A Mohan 2002 2014
1980 M C George 2010 2014
1979 K Ashok 2010
1982 R Suchanti 2010
1985 K Seth 2011
1994 Arun K Chakraborti 2015
1994 Akhil Narayan Sapru 2015
1991 Gaurav Ghosh 2015
1992 Satyajeet Hazarika 2015
1987 N. B. Parikh 2015

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, May 03, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.