Gill & Co. Private Limited

Coffee was first discovered in the Eastern parts of Africa now known as Ethiopia by a goat herder named Kaldi who realized his goats become friskier after eating berries from a certain bush. Later, Coffee berries were transported from Ethiopia to the Arabian Peninsula and were first cultivated in the country of Yemen. From there, the beans traveled to Turkey where they were roasted crushed and then boiled in water, to create a crude version of the beverage. Coffee first arrived on the European continent through Venetian trade merchants. Coffee houses spread quickly across Europe, and became centers for intellectual exchange where great minds heightened thought and creativity. Coffee was declared the national drink of the then colonized United States by the C. Continental congress, in protest of the excessive tax on tea levied by the British Crown. Espresso, a recent innovation in coffee preparations, obtained its origin in 1822 with the innovation of the espresso machine in France. Perfected by the Italians this machine converted Espresso into an integral part of Italian life and culture. Today there are over 200,000 Espresso bars in Italy. Second only to petroleum, in terms of Dollars traded worldwide; the coffee industry is a global giant, which employs more than 20 million people. With over 400 billion cups consumed every year, coffee is today the world's most popular beverage. Indian coffee : Indian Coffee, unique in its characteristics, is grown under the shade with filtered sunlight to ensure its slow and even maturation. India produces both Arabica and Robusta coffees. Arabica is grown at elevations between 3000 and 6000 feet whereas Robusta is grown at lower elevations. As in most countries, Indian coffee is processed by the wet (or washed) method as well as dry (or unwashed) method.

It is believed that wheat developed from a type of a wild grass native to the arid lands of Asia Minor. Cultivation of wheat is thought to have originated in the Euphrates Valley as early as 10,000 B.C., making it one of the world's oldest cereal crop. Indian Wheat Wheat is mainly produced in northern, central and part of western areas of the country. The sowing period is October/November. Weather plays an important role in growth of wheat. Wheat has a protein content of 9.5% to 12%. India mainly produces white/semi white quality of milling wheat and durram quality. Indian domestic consumption is about 75/76 million tonnes per year. The average acreage is 26/27 mil hectare.

Sugar as a commodity in its own right can be traced back several thousand years in China and India. A definite reference dates to 510 B.C. when soldiers of the Persian Emperor, Darius, saw sugar cane growing on the banks of the Indus River. They referred to it the "reeds" which produce honey without bees. Much later, it was grown in Persia and was transported to Egypt by the Arabs. The word sugar is itself derived from the Arabic word "sukkar". Sugar cane, to which all the earliest references refer, is a member of the grass family. It can grow up to 15 feet tall, with leaves at the top and a hollow stalk filled with a sweet juice or sap from which sugar is extracted. A perennial tropical plant, it grows best in very warm climates and is ready for harvesting after 10 to 20 months. Alexander the Great (356-232 B.C) introduced sugar to the Mediterranean countries, from whence it spread down the East coast of Africa. The Indian sugar industry: About 4 million hectares of land in India is under sugar cane with an average yield of 70 tonnes / hectare. India is the only major producer of sugar including traditional cane sugar sweeteners, Khandsari (*raw sugar) and Gur (jaggery) equaling 26 million tonnes of raw value, with Brazil coming a close second with 18.5 million tonnes. India is the largest sugar producer in 7 out of 10 years. There are 453 working sugar factories in India. India has the second largest cane production area in the world

One of the oldest fibers known to man, scientists researching its origins have found fiber and boll fragments from the Mexican Tehuacajn Valley to be about 7,000 years old. Cotton has also been grown and used in India for over 5,000 years. Cotton is a fiber which is unique and of great importance to farmers. Being a cash crop and a breathing natural raw material of preferred choice for textile mills, which manufacture it for varied applications.

Rice is the member of the grass family. Report suggests that a very sophisticated cultivation system existed in China over 7000 years ago. There are 42 rice producing countries in the World. Rice is the staple food in Asia, Latin America, parts of Africa & The Middle east. Indian Rice The main sowing period in India is June and takes place in the northern, eastern and southern part of country. The second sowing period is November and takes place in the eastern and part of southern India. The total acreage is about 45 million hectares and the production of rice is 85 million tonnes. India produces all types of rice. The world famous Basmati Rice mainly produced in North India. India's Long Grain rice & Basmati are preferred for exports.

Soyabeans are the most economically important bean in the world. It is a native to eastern Asia. Soyabeans were grown as long as 2800 BC in China. By the 17th Century, soyabeans were being planted in Europe. The USA is a world leader in soyabean production and other major producers include Brazil, Argentina and China. Indian Soyabean Meal Indian soyabean industry is still very young and growing rapidly. Soyabean production of 0.2 million tons which is presently grown upto 7.4 million tonnes. Soyabean exports are not permitted as India is an importer of soft oils. Oil is extracted out of the beans and meal is exported to various countries. Indian soyabean extracts produce high protein meal which contains 48% protein. India enjoys a very strategic position for the exports of soyabean meal due to its nearness to the importing countries such as South Korea, China Vietnam, Japan, Indonesia and the Middle East. India exports approximately 3-3.2 million tonnes of Soyabean Meal.