BY the end of my hour-long chat with Bharat Group CEO Datuk Kesav Kumar Agarwal, there are four empty teacups on the table, all of which are mine. We are at the Cameron Valley teahouse in Bangsar Baru and Kesav has me try some of the group's best-selling tea drinks.

The multiple cups of tea have done away with my need for breakfast, yet I have before me a plate of warm scones with lashings of cream and jam to finish. Kesav, a truly charming host, has also given me a few more varieties of tea to try at home.

With his brother Vinod, Kesav heads Bharat Group, an 80-year-old business that focuses on tea and was founded in Cameron Highlands in 1933. Under Bharat Group is Cameron Valley, its in-house tea brand that was launched 61 years after the establishment of its 1,600-acre tea plantation in Cameron Highlands.

"A lot of people know Bharat Group, but not many know Cameron Valley. That is about to change, you wait and see," Kesav smiles.

The brothers represent the third generation of the founding family and their three sons are expected to bring youthful innovation to the brand and the holding company. Four generations in one family business makes for a good story, and Kesav agrees wholeheartedly. He smiles again as he tells me how his two sons willingly joined the family business, unlike himself — he had to be roped in.

"My elder son did law in Cornell, came back to Malaysia and said, 'Papa I'm joining you'. The younger boy finished his education in Australia, and is now studying tea in India to become an expert in tea tasting.

"I'm very proud lah, because when I finished studying in Scotland, my father had to force me to join, not like these boys. My father said to me, 'I've been working for donkey's years and sent you for your studies, only for you to come back and not work for me? Nonsense!' So that's why I joined," he laughs.

"Father" is the late Datuk Seri Brijkishore Agarwal, whom residents of Cameron Highlands fondly remember as a key member of the community and chairman of one of the oldest companies in the hilltop town.

The Bharat Group story began with Shuparshad Bansal Agarwal — who came from Agra, India, to what was then Malaya, to assist his uncle in running a grocery store in Taiping, Perak.

The resourceful and industrious young man did well and was quick to move on to new challenges.

He soon spotted an opportunity to open a small grocery shop in nearby Tapah, where contractors had converged as they built the snaking roads up to Cameron Highlands. Once the roads were completed, Shuparshad opened another provision shop in Cameron Highlands, to provide for its growing community.

In 1933, Shuparshad had done well enough to buy 50 acres of land from the British government. He was convinced that Cameron Highlands' cool climate, sunny skies and abundant rainfall would be ideal for a tea plantation.

Four years later, he passed away, leaving his two brothers to carry on Bharat Company, which they did, even through the punishing years of World War Two.

"The word 'Bharat' means India, which my grandfather was still very connected to, as he was from there," says Kesav. "He was quite confident of his land purchase for many reasons. First, he came from an agricultural background, so he knew what he was doing lah.

"Second, tea is a very hardy plant; its lifespan is 100 years plus. So, he figured things should go well." Those first 50 acres of land in Kuala Terla are still in the family's possession, and are where one of the Cameron Valley teahouses is located.

Shuparshad's son, Brijkishore, was just nine when his father died. After completing his education in India, he returned to Malaysia and shared the responsibility of running the business with his uncles.

By then, the 50 acres had become a lush and fertile tea plantation, and the grocery store had become a vital source of daily necessities for the entire Cameron Highlands community.

Brijkishore and his uncles made a remarkable team indeed, and by the time Malaysia celebrated its independence, the company had become a major contributor to Cameron Highlands' economy.

In the 1960s, the company expanded its operations by buying over other tea estates, and gradually built a formidable reputation for supplying quality tea to various wholesalers and other tea brands.

"We basically sold our tea to blenders. We never had a brand of our own like Boh does. We sold tea to tea brands like Boh, and many other tea blenders in the country. There were about 120 in total, including small, family-run blenders. That was how the company operated — as a tea seller and not a tea brand."

The third generation of the family, Brijkishore's sons Kesav and Vinod, soon joined the business and their influence was seen immediately — they created Cameron Valley, and the company began venturing into the retail space, with three teahouses in Cameron Highlands.

In the meantime, the brothers developed Bharat Group into a corporation involved in oil palm cultivation, real estate development and logistics.

"When I came back from my studies, my brother and I expanded the company and we decided it was time we entered the retail scene — that was the only way for us to develop our tea business further," Kesav says.

"We started with one teahouse. Then, because of the crowds we were getting, we opened a second and a third. We got visitors from Kelantan, KL and Penang. Tea isn't expensive, so it's easy to buy back for family and friends. That's when we realised our teahouses served a very important purpose — branding and raising awareness of the Cameron Valley brand."

Kesav and Vinod were content with the three teahouses in Cameron Highlands; it was the next generation — their sons, who decided that tapping the market in KL was the next appropriate step.

"The boys wanted to expand to KL. You see, they couldn't expand any more in Cameron Highlands — couldn't plant more tea or buy more land, or open more teahouses. So, coming to KL was their way of growing the business," Kesav explains.

The Cameron Valley teahouse in Bangsar Baru is a delightful space. A simple but appetising menu of Western dishes complement a lengthy list of teas, including basics like English Breakfast or infused teas such as iced rose tea, which I highly recommend, as well as masala tea.

Mixed seating arrangements — high bar stools, square tables and bean bags on the floor, make the space work for just about anyone, and the staff are efficient, knowledgeable and friendly.

There is another teahouse in Solaris Dutamas and a plan to open a third in a new development in the KL Sentral area.

You can also buy Cameron Valley tea at the teahouses — an attractive display forms part of the décor.

"The teahouses in KL aren't a major income stream, we just about break even. What we are relying on is the brand-building aspect, and that has really come through for us.

"Sales of Cameron Valley tea have increased on our website, and we've seen a 30% increase in sales in our Cameron Highlands teahouses as well," Kesav says while slurping the last of his tea, as the waiter dutifully pours him another. He drinks it black with no milk or sugar, and has up to five cups a day.

The teahouses are the bedrock of what Kesav says is the future of the Cameron Valley brand — going nationwide and becoming a household name. For that, building the brand name is of utmost importance.

"You see, the branding is more important than the plantations, because you can get the raw materials very easily and for little money. In Indonesia, for example, tea is very cheap! But the brand value is worth a lot — the Boh brand, for example, is worth much more than the plantations," Kesav remarks.

Although everything is in place for his sons to run the business, at 55, Kesav is far from retiring. "Every time I bring up retirement, my wife laughs at me and says, 'How to retire when you never actually worked?' I have really enjoyed doing what I do and I still do," he smiles.

"The boys have computerised everything, so I can work no matter where I am — at home in Camerons, or at the teahouses in KL."

As he watches his sons take on more of a leadership role at the company, Kesav often thinks about the relationship he had with his father. "My sons and I have problems just like my father and I did — we had huge arguments over what we thought was good for the business. But work was left at work, and at home, we went back to being father and son."

Kesav learnt a lot from his father, and is keen to pass those lessons on to his sons. Being thrifty is one, practising absolute humility is another.

"My father always reminded us to spend time in the tea estates, because if we forgot the land, the land would forget us. I also tell the boys that we must all work hard like paid employees, and that we are no more or no less valuable than anyone else. When you start treating the company like your personal possession, things will go downhill."

He reckons that there are more differences than similarities between himself and his father; Brijkishore was a stern father, who hardly ever lavished affection on his child.

"Father hugged me twice in my entire adult life. I didn't want to be like that, so I hug my children as often as possible. I also try and be a friend to my children as much as I can, because I know that is the best way to reach out to them," Kesav says, his voice filling with tenderness.

"Father was also very old-fashioned … to get him to renovate or change anything around the office was so hard! He practised the 'if not broken, no need to change' mentality, which, of course, doesn't always work in the real world. So, I made sure there was a balance."

In memory of his father, Kesav set up a foundation that provides education grants to deserving youths in Cameron Highlands. It is a project that has brought him much personal joy, and he is delighted that one of the recipients, who is a doctor, plans to start a similar grant programme of his own.

Apart from minding the foundation and other community-related activities in Cameron Highlands, most of Kesav's time is spent caring for the business, and of course, enjoying his charming hometown.

A single-malt man with a penchant for fine cigars, Kesav certainly knows how to enjoy life to the fullest. An avid golfer, he takes annual holidays with friends to tour courses all over the world, and has even driven his four-wheel drive all the way to London from KL — a 60-day journey that included pit stops across Asia, Russia and Europe.

So, what are his hopes for the company and what does he think the fourth generation of the family will do for Bharat Group?

"My hope is that the boys get Cameron Valley sold in the whole country," Kesav says. "Which I think they will do because for them, everything is set. They have a great company, they just have to care for it well. Their education is all settled now, and everything has been sorted out by their great grandfather, grandfather and father."

He leaves me with one final remark. "Eh, you want some more tea?"