The Firm of B. A. & Bros. was established by Shri Bhavanishanker Atmaram Oza in the year of 1912 in Mumbai. He came in Mumbai from his native village in Saurashtra with nothing and received elementary education at Northcot Orphanage. He worked for some years with a Chemist shop and in 1912 established his own Chemist Shop at Princess Street on which at that time only two other Chemist shops were there. Another gentleman Mr. Vamanbhai Kapadia joined and in 1922 Mr. Kapadia shifted to Calcutta and started a branch there. B. A. Bros. also started branches in Dacca and Rangoon. However these branches were closed after these cities fell into different countries. In the meanwhile, keeping in mind the total development of the community, Shri B. A. Oza along with others, founded an organization called "Shree Nathalia Uneval Sevak Mandal" in the year 1915 in Bombay.
With hard work Mr. B. A. Oza established the business of dispensing chemists and also took active part in India's Freedom Movement. He went to jail on many occasions and in one such incarceration in 1928, during the Swadeshi Movement, he was asked to start a product to replace a foreign brand. Dr. Jivraj Mehta gave him the formula to replace Woodward Gripe Water, a British brand. The challenge was accepted and thus another famous brand in the name of
Babuline Gripe Water was born with offering products like infant gripe water and herbal gripe water for colic ease, atulence, convulsions, croup and other child problems.
Because of Mr. B. A. Oza's nationalist leaning, he became the contact point for German and Swiss companies, trying to make a foothold in India. As a result, B. A. Bros. became a pioneer in importing medicines of Bayer, Roche, etc. into India.
During the World War because of the alliance with German companies, the branch at Calcutta was sealed and goods of Bayer were impounded. The Company weathered all the ups and downs and saw the emergence of India's Independence.
In 1942, the Company started distribution of Geigy & Anglo French Drugs at Mumbai and Ciba & Anglo French at Calcutta, which also opened branches at Patna, Cuttack, and Gowahati. In 1951, in a tragic accident, B. A. Bros. lost its founder in a train mishap. The reins of business, then fell into the hands of the eldest son Navnitrai B. Oza, who had convent education and had to abandon his college education to look after the family's business and educate and look after his brothers and two sisters. He expanded the business and slowly transformed it into wholeselling and distribution business. After his tour to Europe, in 1956 the exposure gained with Ciba in Switzerland, Bayer in Germany and Anglo French Drugs in England, made him modernise the business. Later, his younger brother Prataprai B. Oza also joined in the business.
In the year 1962, the partnership firms of B. A. Bros. at Mumbai and Calcutta were converted into Pvt. Ltd. Companies to give it improved status and more permanency. Two companies, namely B. A. & Brothers (Bombay) Pvt. Ltd. and B. A. & Brothers Eastern Ltd. were formed. In the year 1980, B. A. Bros. Eastern Pvt. Ltd. was converted into a Public Company quoted on Calcutta Stock Exchange mainly to take advantage of lower rate of taxation for public companies
B. A. & Bros. (Bombay) Pvt. Ltd. also started another manufacturing venture, apart from its Babuline Gripe Water, manufacturing of Lake Colour in Partnership with a German National in the year 1966 and the firm was ergo named as Indo German Laboratories.
In the year 1969, Bharat, son of Navnitrai, joined the business after completing his B. Com. and acquiring Professional Degree of Chartered Accountant to look after finance, administration and expansion of business of the group.
With expansion in activity, Indo German was made into an independent firm and started occupying pioneering position in the field of Lake Colour Manufacturing & Tablet coating process.
In the year 1976, the second son of Navnitrai, Bhadresh, after completing his Pharmacy Degree, joined the business as Technical Expert to oversee Production and operations of Babuline and Indo German Laboratories.
In the year 1979, another firm M/s. B. A. Distributors was formed to handle distribution of Suhrid Geigy Products of ASE. In the year 1981, the Delhi branch was opened to distribute products of Ambalal Sarabhai Enterprise Ltd. Vadodara of Geigy and Squibb divisions.The firm was dissolved on 31-03-98 after it stopped operation with effect from 30-9-97 at Bombay as well as Delhi.This was done to remove duplication and get better efficiency. Business of the firm was transferred to Babuline Pharma Pvt. Ltd. Our main focus is on selling infant gripe water, newborn gripe water, gripe water for infants, herbal gripe water, infant care gripe water, gripe water colic relief and gripe water colic ease at a market competitive price.
In September 1981, M/s. Bab Pharma Pvt. Ltd. was formed to start manufacturing operation of Babuline, etc. products at the newly acquired plot at Kandivali Industrial Estate, Charkop, Mumbai. A branch was opened at Delhi for taking up Bayer Diagnostic Distribution in the year 1984. Bab Pharma Pvt. Ltd. was renamed in 1996 as Babuline Pharma Pvt. Ltd. to identify with its product Babuline which is a Registered Trade Mark as well as Copyright.
Kamlesh, son of Prataprai, joined the business in the year 1986. After taking his Pharmacy Degree and Ph.D. in Pharmaceutics from the University of Ohio State in the U.S.A.
