 In 1868, he joined with fellow Englishman Edward Z Holme to found Holme Ringer & Co.Here, trade was also in tea initially, but soon expanded with the first burgeoning of Japanese industry to include shipping, coal, munitions and even to exports of seaweed, shark fins and vegetable wax, all important items of trade at that time.Holme left Japan soon after to conduct the London end of the business and eventually left the interests in Japan to his partner.