East India Company relaunched after more than a century
East India Company, the world's first multinational company founded more than 400 years ago, has been resurrected as a luxury brand. The company, which lay dormant for more than a century, started selling gourmet tea and other specialty products. The "tea library" at its flagship store in London features more than 100 different types of brew, including green, black, herbal, and flavored teas. The East India Co. began as a trading monopoly under Queen Elizabeth I in 1600 to ship commodities to the West from India and China. It controlled the trade in indigo dye, cotton, silk, opium and tea. The owner has so far invested $20 million in the project and estimates that another $100 million will be needed to increase the number of retail outlets and expand into other areas of trade.