Tea History

1835-1832

Father of Ceylon Tea

The plantation industry in what was the Crown Colony of Ceylon dates back to the 1830s. Among the cash crops tried out, coffee was an instant success. A few lone voices such as George Thwaites, the Director of the Royal Botanical Garden at Peradeniya, suggested the growing of tea but no one seemed to be interested. Why should they be? Not only was Ceylon the world`s largest producer of coffee but Ceylon Coffee obtained a premium due to its quality.

Against this background a young man from Laurencekirk in Scotland named James Taylor arrived in Ceylon in 1852 along with his cousin Henry Stivens to work as assistants on coffee plantations owned by the family firm of Hadden. James Taylor started his career on Naranghena Farm near Delgoda. Soon he was sent to open up a property on Loolecondera next door. Loolecondera was subsequently sold but Taylor was kept on as Manager. Meanwhile, George Thwaites was offering tea seeds for sale to anyone interested. James Taylor was quick to come forward and in 1867 tea was planted out in field number 7 at Loolecondera. It was a great success and not a moment too soon. Two years later a coffee blight appeared which wiped out the entire coffee industry. However, thanks to James Taylor`s pioneering efforts a tried and tested alternative crop, namely tea, was available.

This is why 1867 is regarded as the birth of the Ceylon tea industry and James Taylor, the father of Ceylon Tea.

Sir Thomas Lipton

Son of poor Irish immigrants, Lipton grew up amidst the slums of Glasgow. He left school at the age of 10(1860) to help support his family and in 1865 sailed to America to work as a manual laborer and later manage a successful New York grocery store. It was here that he learned all the tricks and techniques of advertising and salesmanship that he later used to great effect when selling groceries and tea back in England and Scotland.

He returned to Glasgow in 1871 and worked for a couple of years in the grocery shop run by his parents. By the age of 21, he had opened his own store, where he practised the retailing skills he had learned in America. His imaginative marketing and clever publicity stunts brought his new venture rapid success. By 1914 he had 500 outlets. His success was based on bulk purchasing a limited range of goods and selling them at cut-price rates with low-profit margins.

In 1890, already a millionaire, Lipton wanted to go on vacation and booked a passage to Australia. On the way, he broke his journey in Ceylon. He had an interest in tea as a product to sell in his shops. Lipton did not trust middlemen, and wanted to explore the possibilities of growing tea and bringing it direct to Britain. He couldn't have picked a better time. Because the economic effects of the coffee blight were still drastically affecting Ceylon, Lipton naturally chose this island as the inexpensive source for his tea. He bought four former coffee plantations and could now fully control his company's tea's quality and price.

Lipton's genius was not in the area of growing tea but rather in the marketing and distribution of the final product, and his tireless capacity to invent and popularize clever slogans and effective advertising campaigns are legendary. Instead of selling it loose from the chest, as was the custom at that time, Lipton packed his tea in brightly-colored, eye-catching packets bearing the slogan "Straight from the tea gardens to the tea pot."

Lipton's foray into tea was a huge success, and vastly increased his wealth. His 300 shops throughout England soon could not keep up with the growing demand for his inexpensive product, and so Lipton teas became available in other stores around Britain. The name of Lipton had migrated from a chain of grocery stores and became a trademark soon to be famous the world-over. In 1897 Queen Victoria, a big fan of the Lipton tea brand, elevated Thomas Lipton to knighthood.

History Timeline of Ceylon Tea

During the Ceylon coffee boom of 1867, a Scottish planter, James Taylor, now known as the “Father of Ceylon Tea” was entrusted with the task of assessing the commercial viability of planting tea, which is now considered the beginning of the tea industry in the country. His success was timely in that the coffee industry was devastated by a blight known as “Devastating Emily”.On the back of the destruction of coffee, below are the significant events in the tea industry.

1824

A tea plant was brought to Ceylon by the British from China and was planted in the Royal Botanical Gardens, Peradeniya.

1839

Establishment of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce.

1854

Establishment of the Planters' Association of Ceylon.

1867

James Taylor planted the first 19 acres of tea in Loolecondera Estate near Kandy, Ceylon and this marked the birth of tea industry in Ceylon (Sri Lanka).

1872

First sale of Loolecondera tea in Kandy

1873

Export of Sri Lanka's first tea consignment of 23 lbs from Loolecondera Estate to London.

1876

Founding of the first Broking firm John Brothers and Co.

1877

Manufacture of first "SIROCCO" tea drier by Samuel C. Davidson.

1880

Manufacture of first tea rolling machine by John Walker and Co.

1883

The first public Colombo Auction was held at the premises of Somerville & Co.on 30th July, 1883, under the auspices of Ceylon Chamber of Commerce.

1884

Construction of a Central Tea Factory on Fairyland Estate (Pedro) in Nuwara-Eliya.

1891

Ceylon Tea established a record price of Rs.36.15 per lb at the London Tea Auctions.

1892

James Taylor, aged 57 years, died in Ceylon on 2nd May, 1892.

1894

Formation of the Colombo Tea Traders Association.

1896

Colombo Brokers' Association was formed.

1915

Mr. Thomas Amarasuriya, first Ceylonese to be appointed as Chairman of the Planters' Association.

1925

Establishment of Tea Research Institute.

1927

Sri Lanka's tea production exceeded 100,000 metric tons. Sri Lanka's tea exports exceeded 100,000 metric tons.

1932

Formation of The Ceylon Tea Propaganda Board. Export of poor quality tea was prohibited.

1934

World's largest tea bush was found in Ceylon at Battawatta Group, Madulsima. It had a diameter of 24 feet and a circumference of 67 feet. Four pounds of green leaf were plucked from it on one day.

1935

Set up the International Tea Market Expansion Board (ITMEB) in which Ceylon was a founder member.

1938

The Tea Research Institute commenced work on vegetative propagation at St. Coombs Estate, Thalawakele.

1940

Biological control of the leaf eating Tea Tortrix Caterpillar by the Tea Research Institute.

1941

First Ceylonese Tea Broking house, M/s Pieris and Abeywardena was established.

1944

Ceylon Estate Employers' Federation was established.

1951

Export Duty on tea was introduced from 1st October, 1951.

1955

Export Duty on tea was introduced from 1st October, 1951.

1958

Formation of the State Plantations Corporation.

1959

Ad Valorem Tax was introduced on 1st June 1959 for teas sold at the Colombo Auctions.

1961

Sri Lanka's registered tea extent exceeded 200,000 hectares. Sri Lanka's tea production exceeded 200,000 metric tons.

1962

Sri Lanka's tea exports exceeded 200,000 metric tons

1963

Production and exports of Instant Teas commenced.

1965

Sri Lanka became the World's largest tea exporter for the first time.

1966

First International Tea Convention was held to celebrate 100 years of Tea Industry.

1972

State takeover of privately owned estates.

1975

Nationalization of Rupee and sterling companies.

1976

Sri Lanka Tea Board was established. Formation of Janatha Estate Development Board (JEDB). Establishment of the Tea Small Holding Development Authority (TSHDA). Exports of tea bags commenced.

1980

Sri Lanka's participation at Moscow Olympics as official supplier of tea.

1981

Import of teas for blending and re-exports was introduced.

1982

Production and Exports of Green tea commenced. Sri Lanka's participation at 12th Commonwealth games at Brisbane as official supplier of tea.

1983

Centennial year of the Colombo Tea Auctions. Production of CTC teas commenced in Sri Lanka.

1987

Sri Lanka's participation in 'Expo 88' as official supplierof tea in Australia.

1992

Sri Lanka completes 125 years in her Tea Industry. An international convention was held in Colombo to mark the occation. Formation of the Tea Research Board. Abolition of the Export Duty on 21st December, 1992. Abolition of the Ad Valorem Tax on 21st December, 1992.

1993

Privatisation of the management of Government owned tea estates.

1996

Sri Lanka's tea production exceeded 250,000 metric tons.

1997

Tea Exports reached 250,000 metric tons.

1944

Establishment of Tea Research Institute.

2000

Tea production exceeded 300,000 metric tons.

2001

Commencement of on-line sales of tea by Forbes and Walker Ltd., at the Colombo Tea Auctions. Establishment of a Tea Museum at Kandy.

2002

Tea Association of Sri Lanka was formed.

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