Watawala Tea wins Gold Local Brand of the Year at SLIM Brand Excellence 2025

Friday, 5 December 2025 05:50 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Celebrating excellence and market leadership: Sunshine Tea team shine at SLIM Brand Excellence 2025

Sunshine Consumer has announced its outstanding achievements at the SLIM Brand Excellence Awards 2025, where its flagship brand Watawala Tea was crowned as the Gold Local Brand of the Year and Silver for Product Brand of the Year.

Watawala Tea is more than just a beverage—it is a symbol of unity and belonging for millions of households across the island. Since its launch in 2002, Watawala dethroned a multinational giant in 2022 to claim market leadership, transforming from a functional FMCG product into a beloved household name. These awards highlight Watawala’s exceptional marketing strategy, strong brand equity, and continued market dominance putting their consumers first always.

The SLIM Brand Excellence Awards celebrate brand excellence at the highest level in the country, honouring exceptional marketing efforts and outstanding brand stories. Through this program, SLIM aims to encourage best practices in branding, inspire local marketers to compete at international standards, and enhance the SLIM image nationally and regionally. Each year, a panel of judges evaluates contenders in each category to identify brands that truly stand out as champions. With wide participation across industries in Sri Lanka, the awards create a platform of healthy competition and encourage organisations to deploy effective strategies that win markets and the hearts of consumers.

The Local Brand of the Year category recognises the best home-grown brands with local origin, showcasing how locally sourced and marketed brands perform successfully in the marketplace. The Product Brand of the Year category evaluates tangible product brands, including FMCGs, consumer durables, and commercial or industrial products, where entries may be manufactured or sourced locally or abroad but marketed within Sri Lanka.

Sunshine Consumer CEO Anuruddha Aluvihare said: “These wins are a testament to our teams’ passion and dedication, and reflect our commitment to building brands that truly resonate with Sri Lankan families.” Chief Marketing Officer Kavi Rajapaksha Deshapriya added: “Watawala Tea’s achievements demonstrate the power of strong brand equity and innovative marketing in transforming a product into a household name. These national honours inspire us to continue raising the bar.”