Trade with the Empire made Britain rich. The most famous part of the British Empire was the East India Trading Company,which started out as a small business before becoming a very large trading company in Asia that many people depended on. It mainly traded in : cotton, silk, indigo dye and tea. Tea was its most successful import into Britain where it became a popular drink among the common people during the Victorian period. Queen Victoria was crowned the Empress of India in 1876 when the company disbanded ( closed down ).