The location of Gokak Textiles Limited couldn't be more picturesque, or more appropriate. The foothills of the Sahyadri hills, at the confluence of two rivers - Ghataprabha and Hiranyakeshi passing through Gokak Falls. Gokak Textiles has a history going back over a century. The Imperial Gazetteer of India, published in 1908, records: "Next to agriculture, hand-loom weaving forms the chief industry of the [Belagavi] District. A factory for spinning and weaving of cotton yarn was established at Gokak Falls, by an English company in the year 1887. The mills are worked by water-power supplied from the falls of the Ghatprabha river from a height of about 170 feet.” The Gazetteer goes on to say. “The company employs daily @ 1400 workforce, and produces annually 4800 lakh kgs of yarn and 3 lakh kgs of cloth. To supply motive power, as well as for irrigation purposes, the Gokak storage works were constructed in the year 1889-1902, whereby 907,000,000 cubic feet of water are impounded. The cost of the works was Rs 17 lakhs those time.” Incorporated in UK in the year 1885 by Ritchie Stuart & Co, it commenced operations two years later. In the year 1903, Ritchie Stuart merged with Forbes & Co. and the new concern was named Forbes Forbes & Campbell (FFC). In the year 1919, FFC set up Gokak Mills to take over the going concern GWPMC. Gokak Mills was a significant exporter of cycle tyre cord, cotton yarn, canvas and duck fabric, and had ventured into knitwear later on. Over the years, Gokak Mills coursed through many amalgamations to finally be acquired by Shapoorji Pallonji group in the year 2002/03. It was spun off as an independent company, Gokak Textiles Limited in the year 2007.