We don’t sell tea; we give consumers a unique experience: Basilur Founder

Basilur Tea Export  Founder and 

Chairman Gamini Abeywickrama 

Sri Lanka for centuries has been renowned for the superior quality and unique taste of its Ceylon Tea. Taking this national brand to new horizons across the world through constant innovation, Basilur Tea Export has made a mark in the industry as one of the leading premium Ceylon Tea exporters globally.

Having recently won two prestigious titles at this year’s SLIM Brand Excellence awards for its Basilur Tea and Tipson brands, Basilur Tea Export Ltd. Founder and Chairman Dr. Gamini Abeywickrama sits down for an interview to share insights into the company’s journey towards success.

Following are excerpts of the interview.

 Q: Would you kindly brief us about Basilur Tea Export Ltd. and its journey so far?

A: Basilur Tea Export was formed in the year 2007 with the core objective of producing and exporting the finest quality Ceylon Tea. We wanted to give the world the gift of Ceylon Tea. However, we wanted to go about this in a unique way, where we wanted tea to become more than just a beverage – to become a whole experience to our consumers. 

Therefore, a partnership was formed with a leading international creative director, who designed some of the best tea designs and supporting materials the tea industry had not seen before. Through this partnership, Basilur Tea was born.

At Basilur, we take pride in the highest-quality Ceylon Tea and unique products that we offer, which have been carefully developed over a decade of excellence and innovation. Through cutting-edge technology, creativity, and constant research and development, our products personify the luxurious elements of the finest teas on Earth.  In addition to this, through an uncompromised quality process, our state-of-the-art manufacturing plant produces a wide variety of tea which we then export to countries all over the world.

We take humble pride in the fact that Basilur’s constant innovations, uniqueness in packaging, and tea blends have positioned our products as an exclusive premium range globally. The growing number of accolades and awards we win are a testament of Basilur’s superior quality and innovation. 

Q: What does it mean for Basilur Tea and Tipson brands to win a Gold award and a Silver award, respectively, at SLIM Brand Excellence 2021?

A: We don’t intend to sell tea; we intend to offer a unique experience to our consumers. So, we strongly believe in the power of brands. 

SLIM Brand Excellence is the main platform in Sri Lanka that recognises the outstanding marketing efforts of brands in a professional, unbiased manner, consisting of a jury panel of renowned professionals from different industries. Participating at SLIM Brand Excellence helps our entire team to review the exceptional initiatives of the brands.

Obviously, winning one of the awards would certainly be a moral boost and a great satisfaction for everyone in the organisation, and we certainly feel glorious when it is a Gold, which is the highest award any brand could win at this event. 

Winning a Silver, too, was an outstanding achievement for us, given that we have applied in the Turnaround Brand of the Year category for the first time, and it was a first for the Tipson brand too at SLIM Brand Excellence. 

Q: Given the volatile economic and market conditions as of late, what challenges did the team face in aspiring to win at SLIM Brand Excellence?

A: We as a company have already won a battle in the last two years. Being mainly an export-oriented company, we had our own challenges which worsened with the global pandemic. However, Basilur has a strong team with different skills that stood firm during those challenging times – a team that worked effectively and efficiently to overcome all these challenges.  I believe SLIM Brand Excellence was a good platform to show the world what we have done remarkably differently. The marketing team took an extra effort in portraying those efforts against the usual highlights of other companies, such as YoY (Year-on-Year) growths or just one or two individual campaigns and their successes.

We already had strong stories of success to share for both brands, and the only challenge we had was how to present it to its perfection within the limited time frame. We believe we did well in that, too. 

Q: How does this achievement reflect on the overall growth and recognition of the Ceylon Tea industry, especially as a key export industry?

A: We certainly believe this to be an aspiration to all tea brands in Sri Lanka. Tea is a main export category of our country and taking Ceylon Tea to global consumers in an effective way means a lot – not just to us, but also to the entire nation. We are a strong believer in “effective branding”, for which we have worked hard all these 15 years. 

We have spent quality time in developing these two successful brands. We always encourage any tea company to promote their own brands, and when such hard-working brands are recognised in this way, we believe it will certainly motivate others also to follow it. 

Q: What makes Basilur Tea Export stand out amidst its competitors?

A: Being innovative with all aspects of the product, including the blends and packaging, using a differentiated focus strategy, being honest in what we do under our brands, and more than anything, giving a unique and authentic tea experience to consumers around the world are some of our distinctive factors. 

Q: What is the roadmap for Basilur Tea and Tipson in the future? Any new pursuits in the pipeline for Basilur TeaExport?

A: The brand “Basilur” aims to continue as the leader in what it does now as a premium Ceylon Tea and infusions brand. We also aim to be the first choice of every Sri Lankan when it comes to premium tea gifting. Tipson will continue to be a health and wellness brand that would aid in health benefits in a more palatable way to consumers around the globe. 

We wish to succeed in our journey while delivering the best possible products under our brands, where we intend to create a positive impact in the lives of our valued consumers.