In 1904 a young, adventurous and free spirited young man set out to explore the world. He ran away from his small hometown of Gorana in Gujarat, as a stow-away on a ship bound for Mozambique. Destiny intervened and set him on the shores of East Africa with no real direction, but a burning fire in his heart to create wealth as a means of serving society and giving back and supporting all those that had crossed his path. History was created. Today the Mehta group is the legacy of this one man's dreams. This young man was Nanji Kalidas Mehta.

The young entrepreneur started trading merchandise from a small shop in Kamuli. He went on to trade in cotton and over time established 30 cotton ginneries. In 1924, after a trip to Mauritius he came back to Uganda and with a few thousand acres of land, set up the first sugar factory of East Africa. Not only a pioneer in business, his philanthropic spirit formed the very foundation of all his ventures. Notable amongst his many contributions to the people of Uganda are the City Hall and the Sheraton Park, which stand as a monument of his love for the country.

In 1954 Mahendra Mehta took on the mantle of managing the Ugandan businesses, upholding and building upon his father's vision. Under his strong leadership, The Mehta Group has a very well established and respected presence in Uganda.  He put up a distillery, which was the first one of its kind in East Africa. He branched out into various other businesses including Engineering works, Electrical cables, Insurance and Horticulture. 

After independence he was elected as a member of the first parliament and served until Amin abrogated the constitution and all foreigners were expelled.  In 1980 he was invited back. He restarted his life in Uganda and resurrected the industries.