History of Jardine Matheson & Co.

Jardine, Matheson & Co., later Jardine, Matheson & Co., Ltd., forerunner of today's Jardines, was a Far Eastern company founded in 1832 by Scotsmen William Jardine and James Matheson as senior partners. Trafficking opium in Asia, while also trading cotton, tea, silk and a variety of other goods, from its early beginnings in Canton (modern-day Guangzhou), in 1844 the firm established its head office in the new British colony of Hong Kong then proceeded to expand all along the China Coast.

Source: Wikipedia — History of Jardine Matheson & Co. (CC BY-SA 4.0)