Sri Lanka

History

The British colonized the beautiful nation of Sri Lanka and made it a leading coffee-producing nation. Suddenly, a plague hit and the coffee production across the land was destroyed. The economy suffered and British did not know what to do to salvage the collapsing economy of their colony. They looked for solutions and stopped when they found James Taylor, a Scottish farmer who had expertise in another plant – tea.

He started growing and processing tea in the 1870s. Skilled with the art of tea making, Taylor had a fully equipped tea factory by 1872 and by 1875, started exporting the Sri Lankan tea to London. The exquisite tea caught the attention of the world at an auction in London. Soon, Sir Thomas Lipton struck a business deal with James Taylor and Sri Lankan Tea Industry boomed with Lipton’s marketing and Taylor’s exquisite blends.

Knowing that this leaf saved their economy from collapsing, Sri Lankans have great respect for tea. Today, it has become an important part of festivals and family celebrations.