Nayapane estate tea factory of Elpitiya Plantations receives all-time record for BOP Fanning Grade

The Nayapane Estate Tea Factory 

The Nayapane estate tea factory managed by Aitken Spence Plantations Management PLC, has secured an all-time record for the BOP Fanning Grade in the Western Medium category with the highest price in the Sri Lanka tea auction. Securing this price is a testament to the Nayapane tea factory’s continuous commitment to maintain the highest quality of teas. 

The tea factory situated in Pussellawa produces quality liquoring teas to high-end Japanese markets in compliance with international market standards. By ensuring that the manufacturing and processing of tea leaves are completed under stringent hygiene and safety conditions, the Nayapane estate tea factory produce is highly sought-after by buyers and is even considered a healthy beverage by customers. 

Elpitiya Plantations PLC has heavily invested in state-of-the-art manufacturing technologies in the processing and manufacturing of its various produces. These efforts have enabled the company to manufacture the highest quality teas in a timely and efficient manner. 

The Nayapane estate tea factory has been acclaimed both locally and internationally, and among the wins are the ‘Two-star’ award at the Great Taste Awards UK 2018 for maintaining superior quality and taste in the British markets and the first place in the ‘150 Years Tea Board Awards’. The company is also an award winner at the ‘Sesquicentennial Tea Auction’ conducted by the Colombo Tea Traders’ Association where the Nayapane tea factory was adjudged the ‘Best Tea Factory’ amongst other victories. Being awarded these prestigious accolades and recognitions, the BOP Fanning Grade serves to reinforce Elpitiya’s role as one of Sri Lanka’s leading producers of exquisite high-quality premium teas.

“Since our beginning over two decades ago, we have been steadily moving forward, and having our tea factory’s BOP Fanning Grade secure one of the highest prices, is a momentous milestone in our journey so far. Over the years we have undertaken continuous quality improvements and have optimised our operations, in order to run well-managed plantations. We hope to perpetuate these efforts toward ensuring an uncompromising standard of quality at all aspects of the business,” said Elpitiya Plantations PLC Chief Executive Officer Bhathiya Bulumulla.

In its commitment to meet stakeholder expectations through continuous improvements, sustainability is one of the core business strategies practised in the company, and it has been strategically embedded across all operational aspects at the Nayapane estate tea factory. 

Commenting further, Elpitiya Plantations PLC Senior Manager Kaushal Mathavan said, “We have achieved an all-time record at Nayapane estate tea factory, and this was made possible through our continuous drive to ensure the long-term viability and profitability of Nayapane. We offset 20% of the company’s electrical energy requirements through a 93 kilowatts (kW) solar PV roofing system, and we are currently assessing Nayapane’s carbon footprint in order to become a carbon neutral plantation, which is an important element within our overall sustainability strategy at Elpitiya Plantations.” 

In addition to this, Nayapane is a Rainforest Alliance Certified tea factory and a member of the Ethical Tea Partnership, which are reputed organisations working to improve the sustainability of the tea industry and are highly esteemed by most European markets. In its commitment to quality, Nayapane has broken grounds yet again by becoming the first tea factory in Sri Lanka to receive the ISO 9001: 2008, the environmental management system standard back in 1998, which was later upgraded to the ISO 22000: 2005 (HACCP) Food Safety Management Systems standard.  

Managed by Aitken Spence PLC since 1997, Elpitiya Plantations PLC is one of Sri Lanka’s leading producers of the most exquisite high-quality premium teas. Today, Elpitiya Plantations operates 13 estates located in the up, mid and low country regions spanning over 8,800 hectares. Its core business is focused on cultivation and manufacturing of tea, rubber, oil palm, coconut and cinnamon, while the Company has subsequently diversified its operations into sustainable forestry development, eco-tourism, hydropower development, and specialty-tea manufacturing over the years.