This Kolkata Sweet Shop Has Been Family-Run for 101 Years

In 1923, Jugal Kishore Ghosh opened a tiny mithai shop on Mahatma Gandhi Road in Kolkata, selling traditional Bengali sweets to his neighbors. He couldn't have known his small storefront would become a family empire lasting over a century.

The shop built its reputation on consistency and craftsmanship. Customers returned for the same quality sweets, made with the same care, year after year.

When Jugal Kishore died in 1963, everything changed. His youngest son Krishna Kali Ghosh, still very young, suddenly found himself running the family business.

But the real turning point came from the women in the family. When Jugal Kishore passed away, he told his wife to sell the shop, believing she couldn't manage it alone. She refused.

Krishna Kali's wife Amrita was studying law at the time but jumped into the business without hesitation. She worked while taking classes, even driving delivery vans herself to keep orders moving.

"When my father-in-law passed away, he told my mother-in-law to sell the business as she wouldn't be able to keep it running," Amrita recalls. "But she did not. She persisted, and that's why we are here today."

While Krishna Kali focused on customer experience and building the brand, Amrita kept operations running smoothly. Together, they transformed one shop into something bigger.

By 1983, Jugal's started opening new locations across Kolkata. What began as a neighborhood favorite grew into a recognized name throughout the city.

The Ripple Effect

Today, the legacy reaches beyond India. Krishna Kali and Amrita's daughters, Lahana and Angana Ghosh, now live in Canada and are bringing their family's Bengali sweets to a new audience. They're building a cross-border business that honors their heritage while creating opportunities in two countries.

The family now operates seven stores across Kolkata, each one still focused on the same craftsmanship that defined the original shop. Four generations later, the recipes and standards remain unchanged.

Jugal's story shows how determination can outlast doubt, and how family businesses built on quality can survive anything.