Abacus Tea unveils staple-free technology for existing tea bag machines

FZC & JV GOKAL India Universal Commodities Trading Director Nakul Jagjivan, HNB Chairman Dinesh Weerakkodi, Abacus Tea Ltd. inventor and Chairman Rohan De Lanerolle, Abacus Tea Operations Director Rohan De Lanerolle Jr. Abacus Tea Marketing Director Ishan De Lanerolle and JV Gokal India Marketing Vice President Sachen Verma

• Over 1000 constanta machines to get new lease of life. 
• Staple pins, recognized as potential health hazard, now avoided in most countries.  
• Investment on new unit can be recovered in three years from savings on removing staple and benefit received on packing price of staple-less tea bags. 

Abacus Tea Pvt Ltd on 9th April at the Hilton Colombo presented a ground breaking invention by making Constanta tea bag machines staple-free. The breakthrough is an invention by tea bag industry veteran and Abacus Tea Ltd. Chairman Rohan De Lanerolle, who will now give a new lease of life to over 1,000 tea bag machines operating around the world. 

Speaking on the invention, JV Gokal India Marketing Senior Vice President, who is the global agent of Abacus Tea, said that India is faced with a situation where the FSSAI is banning the use of staples in domestic marketing at the end of June, which has made the industry look to options available closer to home, and feels that this low cost revolutionary innovation, which engineers around the world have been trying with no success and now achieved by a master in the industry Rohan De Lanerolle, will help these machines to enter the future years.  

FZC & JV GOKAL India Universal Commodities Trading Director Nakul Jagjivan said he has known Lanerolle for the last 20 years and was very happy to partner him on this project. 

The Prime Minister in his message said, “I have known only of the internationally acclaimed singing duo The De Lanerolle Brothers so far, but I have learnt that Rohan de Lanerolle Snr was and is still a pioneer in the tea bagging industry, where he owns and operates a tea bagging plant, Abacus Tea Ltd.”Former president and current leader of the opposition Mahinda Rajapakse in a message said, “My first interaction with Rohan de Lanerolle Senior was in 2012, when I recognized his company for supplying the tea for the Diamond Jubilee luncheon of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Today it is with pleasure that I congratulate him once again on yet another milestone reached.” 

Former president Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga in her message said, “It’s no doubt that this invention is going to benefit the tea export industry in Sri Lanka. As a senior citizen you have showed that nothing is impossible at any age. I understand that you have learnt sophisticated software recently to help you complete the design you developed in your mind.”

Plantations Minister Navin Dissanayake in a message said, “Europe, due to recycling, is continuing to discourage the use of staples and the market share in Sri Lanka is expanding in producing staple-free tea bags. Closer to Sri Lanka, the Food Safety Standards Authority of India has banned staples in the domestic market to be effective at the end of June 2019. I understand that there are approximately 200 machines operating in Sri Lanka and more than 1000 machines globally. This invention to make the German origin tea bag machines staple-free will give a new lease of life for these machines in the world, which in return will also benefit the economy of Sri Lanka’.

Abacus Tea Operations Director Rohan De Lanerolle Jr. thanked his father the Chairman for his invention to the industry and everyone for their attendance and congratulatory messages. He also thanked their lawyers in Sri Lankan D.L & F. De Saram and in Singapore Viering, Jentschura & Partner LLP for their work in intellectual rights in relation to the invention.

The Chairman can be contacted at [email protected]