Duncan Lawrie’s origins lie in British East India, where Victorian merchants and traders flourished in the latter half of the nineteenth century. The name Duncan Lawrie comes from two Scotsmen, Alexander Lawrie and Walter Duncan, who travelled to Calcutta to make their fortunes in about 1860.

Quite independently, they both established merchanting houses in India which traded with the United Kingdom and also managed commercial enterprises such as tea estates, which are still part of the Camellia group today. Alexander Lawrie’s enterprises traded as Alexander Lawrie & Co. in London and Balmer Lawrie in Calcutta, whilst Walter Duncan’s companies traded as Duncan Bros. in Calcutta and Walter Duncan in London.