Two all-time record prices at tea auctions

At this week’s tea auction held on 19 and 20 September, two all-time Colombo auction record prices were established for the following teas coming under the Low Grown elevation.

Avissawella Tea Factory: An invoice of BOP Sp grade from the Avissawella Tea Factory selling under the ‘Sithaka’ selling mark fetched an all-time Colombo tea auction record price of Rs. 880 per kg. The tea was purchased by Mabroc Teas Ltd, a fully-owned subsidiary of Hayleys Plc and a leading exporter of quality Ceylon Teas. This line of tea was sold through the catalogue of Lanka Commodity Brokers Ltd. 

This tea factory is situated in the Avissawella Free Trade Zone and is owned by Lalith Liyanage, Chairman of the diversified RTS Holdings Group of Ratnapura. 

The factory boasts modern, state-of the-art machinery with automation in the processing chain. Liyanage takes a very personal interest in product quality and ensures that his teas match the highest quality standards. Liyanage’s efforts and passion for excellence were rewarded when the OP1 of Sithaka was selected by a panel of eminent tea tasters for inclusion in a decorative miniature tea chest for sale at the Sesquicentennial Grand Charity Auction held on 20 July 2017 and realised a handsome price of Rs. 1 million.

Nawalakanda Tea Factory: An invoice of PEK 1 from Nawalakanda Factory selling under the ‘Nawalakanda Super’ selling mark realised an all-time Colombo tea auction record price of Rs. 920 per kg at this week’s auction. This factory is situated in Kalawana which is considered an area where the standard of green leaf from small holders is of a very high standard. This factory is one of the larger manufacturing units in the Sabaragamuwa Province and is fully developed with hi-tech machinery. This factory is owned and operated by Anura Peiris, a second generation proprietary planter. The tea was sold through the catalogue of Lanka Commodity Brokers Ltd.