The Chowgule's was established in 1916 with a production facility for roofing tiles. Over the subsequent decades and the addition of the sons of the founder to the business, the operations grew to include trading of various commodities, consumer goods and automobiles. This included a shipment in 1947 of manganese ore from Goa to Czechoslovakia - the first taste of the resources mining and trading business for the 3 brothers that ran the business.

In 1950, the brothers saw an opportunity to grow the mining operations - especially in light of the infrastructure led post-war growth plan of Japan. The Japanese steel mills needed a reliable source of iron ore, the main raw material for their production process. Vishvasrao Chowgule went to Japan and negotiated an agreement wherein the Japanese would provide him the capital to start a mechanised mining operation and he would repay the capital through the cost of ore that he would supply.

The mechanised mining operation - the first in India - necessitated the need for various ancillary support businesses that were not properly established in newly independent India. Thus, the Chowgule's expanded in order to service this need - from the building and repairs of barges to the production of industrial explosives.

Over the subsequent years, each of the new businesses charted their own growth path - developing their products to meet client needs and expanding into new market.