Indian Tea Association Report Describes Acute Financial Crisis | Tea Awards Season is Underway as Judging Concludes in Major Global Competitions | Online Venture Vahdam Tea Opens its First Brick-and-Mortar Tea Room in Delhi

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Report from the Indian Tea Association Describes Acute Financial Crisis: Auction prices are low, and tea exports are in decline | Tea Awards Season is Underway as Judging Concludes in Major Global Competitions | Online Venture Vahdam Tea Opens its First Brick-and-Mortar Tea Room in Delhi 

| NEWSMAKER – Lumbini Tea Valley Managing Director Chaminda Jayawardana

| FEATURE INTRO – Lumbini Tea Valley in southern Sri Lanka relies on the expertise of more than 1,700 small growers to produce 625 metric tons of Ceylon tea annually. Lumbini tea is crafted in 40 styles, from conventional black tea bags to innovative twists and specialty curled tea, with ongoing experiments in inorganic Kale cultivation and a rare white tea cultivar. Smallholders are key to winning international awards that attest to the company’s ability to exceed expectations in overseas markets, says second-generation planter Managing Director Chaminda Jayawardana. He joins us today to discuss how smallholders became the foundation of Lumbini’s success. 

Foundation For Success – Forty-eight years ago, Dayapala Jayawardana planted tea in the lowlands along the south coast of Sri Lanka near Galle. The pristine 220-acre Lumbini Tea Valley garden he founded was surrounded by 18,900 acres of virgin Sinharaja rainforest(a UNESCO World Heritage site). The factory he built in 1984 was remote and self-reliant, soon becoming an essential means of support for the many smallholders in Ruhana. Twenty-four years ago, his son, Chaminda, was named managing director after several years as assistant superintendent at Kahawatta plantations. In 2000, he received a diploma in plantation management from the National Institute of Plantation Management. 

Lumbini received the presidential award as the best small-scale factory in the nation in 2017, one of many awards for excellence, including this year’s well-deserved recognition by the SriLanka Tea Exporter’s Association as the Ruhuna tea growing region’s OutstandingTea Producer for 2023. 

Smallholders contributed to that success from the beginning, says Jayawardana. “It’s mainly the bond we have with the small farmers from when my father started the tea factory. We have the farmers from my father’s era working with us. So they have a great loyalty to our brand and with us.”

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy