Adding more strength to the teas that are brewed under Bogawantalawa Tea Estates PLC (BTE), the ‘The Sydney Morning Herald’ has identified Bogawantalawa Valley as one of the top ten places in the world to have a cup of tea. Bogawantalawa Valley has been rated with locations such as The Ritz London, Trans-Siberian Railway Russia, Yueyang China, Temple-strewn Uji district in Japan and the historical Inca Trail in Peru.

The Sydney Morning Herald, the oldest newspaper in Australia that is famous for maintaining high standards of journalism, in their recently conducted survey, referring to the Golden Valley of Tea in Sri Lanka stated “To get in among the action take to the trails in the Bogawantalawa Valley, where you can walk or cycle between old planters’ villas and pluck a few leaves for yourself.”

Bogawantalawa Tea Estates PLC boasts of a tea processing history springing from the colonial days that dates back to 1860s. Sought after by connoisseurs across the world, Bogawantalawa produces a unique blend of teas of unparalleled fragrance, flavour, aroma and are sourced from this one single valley. The leaves are meticulously hand picked, carefully processed and hygienically packed before it reaches one’s cup.

Mr. Jayampathy Molligoda, Director Strategic Planning & Projects for BTE said “With years of experience we are positioned to be the preferred private label partner for discerning customers. We offer our customers the full spectrum of products and services direct from our own estates- starting from the process ‘tea plucking” to “packaging”. He further stated that BTE pledges complete traceability for the origin of their teas which in turn acts as a guarantee for quality, standards and freshness.

Out of about 450 tea exporters in Sri Lanka only 3 have their own tea plantations. BTE is one of them. This has ensured cost effectiveness, adherence to quality standards and has eliminated the usual interruptions that take place during conventional method of export.

Discussing about the quality aspect of their teas, Mr. Sarath Fernando, Director/C.E.O, BTE said that the company has already obtained HACCP, BRC Food Standard, ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 22000:2005 certifications for their manufacturing practices that further guarantees superior quality teas for their customers. “We are about to receive SA 8000(Social Accountability) certificate for Bogawantalawa, Bogawana, Norwood and Wanarajah Tea factories and Fair Trade Labels for seven tea estates including the factories in Bogawantalawa Valley.” Fernando said.

BTE has two parent brands of tea, namely, ‘Ceylon Tea Gardens’ and ‘Bogawantalawa Teas’. Under these two main brands the product range extends to black tea, green tea, herbal tea, organic tea, flavoured tea and iced teas. Currently BTE exports teas to traditional markets such as UK, Russia, Japan and Middle East whilst establishing themselves in new markets in US, Lithuania and Holland. BTE together with its US partner, Walters Bay International has secured the global award for the Best Iced Tea Processor  continuously since 2004. In addition this consortium was awarded with the Best Chai Iced Tea award in 2005 and the Best Flavoured Iced Tea award at the World Tea Expo exhibition in the USA. 

Discussing about future developments Molligoda said that BTE is in the process of embarking on a tea based eco-tourism path very soon.