Hayleys Group appoints Niran Ranatunga as Managing Director of Mabroc Teas

Tuesday, 16 April 2013 00:19 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Hayleys Group appointed Niran R. Ranatunga as the Managing Director of its tea marketing and export business Mabroc Teas Ltd., with effect from 1 April, 2013.

A founder member of Mabroc Teas, which was established in 1988, Ranatunga was appointed to the board in 1990. He commenced his career in the tea industry in 1980. He has undergone comprehensive training in tea-tasting and blending at Lyons Tetley and R. Twinings & Company Limited in the United Kingdom.

“The vision of Mabroc Teas is to create teas beyond our customer’s imagination. We will continue to strive and exceed the expectations of tea connoisseurs around the world whilst adding value to our stakeholders,” stated Ranatunga.

The story of Mabroc began over two decades ago when a group of tea enthusiasts including Ranatunga founded the company with the objective of providing top-quality, authentic Ceylon teas.

In 2003 Mabroc Teas joined hands with Kelani Valley Plantations PLC (KVPL) and launched the program, “A Home for Every Plantation Worker”. Together with KVPL, Ranatunga was a part of Mabroc Teas’ successful launch of the first “Ethical Tea Brand of the World” comprising an exciting range of unblended single-garden teas based on joint commitment and initiatives to propagate the 10 principles of the UN Global Compact. This led Mabroc Teas to be the first tea company in the world to obtain the United Nations Global Compact membership.

Mabroc Teas became a fully-fledged member of Hayleys in 2010, joining the group’s plantation sector which spans 38 tea gardens, 19,000 hectares of tea land, 33 factories and annually production on average of 15 million kilograms of tea. Backed by the combined strength of the Hayleys Group plantation sector, the co-branding of Mabroc Teas with KVPL and Talawakelle Tea Estates PLC (TTEL) has also uniquely positioned the company amongst Sri Lankan tea exporters. Several accreditations including Rain Forest Alliance Certification secured by the two plantation companies have further enhanced the status of the Group’s Plantation Sector as a preferred supplier.

Post 2011, the Company underwent several improvements to streamline operations, rearrange its organisational structure and revamp systems and controls to bring about improvements in overall efficiency and to meet stringent food safety standards required by customers in developed markets.

A member of the Hayleys Group, Mabroc Teas Ltd., is the tea marketing arm of Kelani Valley Plantations PLC and Talawakelle Tea Estates PLC. The product range extends from bulk, packets, and tea bags to exclusive gift presentations of black, green, herbal and flavoured teas, carrying Mabroc and private labels.