The main object of Brooke Bond Lipton India (BBLIL) (formerly Brooke Bond India), established in the early twentieth century, was to take over the Indian business of Brooke Bond & Company of London. By 1967, it was operating six tea factories and two coffee factories. In 1983, the third coffee plant was established at Hosur, Karnataka. It diversified into oleoresins in 1979 and leather manufacturing in 1982. BBLIL is a subsidiary of Unilever, UK, which holds a 50.17% stake in the company. It is the world's largest tea marketing company handling eight percent of the global black tea output.
In 1993, Lipton India, Tea Estates India, Doom Dooma India and Kissan Products were all amalgamated with the company. It also took over Cadbury India's icecream business. After the merger of Lipton India, the company acquired the present name. In 1994, Merryweather Food Products became a subsidiary of the company.
Today, BBLIL produces a wide range of products -- tea, coffee, edible fats, dairy products, bakery fats, frozen desserts, ice-cream and frozen vegetable products. It is one of Unilever's largest food businesses outside Europe and the US. It has obtained accredation under ISO 9002. The company has set up a Rs 20-cr 100% EOU for instant tea powder at Etah, UP, which was commissioned in 1994-95.
The company proposes to amalgamate with Hindustan Lever (HLL).