The words “Ceylon” and “tea” are now so inextricably linked that it is surprising to discover that the tea industry in Sri Lanka is barely 150 years old. Even then it was a second choice crop after the unexpected failure of a hitherto very successful coffee industry due to a blight decimating the coffee plants.

The first commercial tea plantation in Sri Lanka is believed to have been created by James Taylor in 1867; he produced such high quality tea that within a few years all the coffee planters on the island had switched crop.

Later, Taylor went in to partnership with Thomas Lipton and together they set up an export business to send Ceylon Tea to all corners of the globe. The rest as they say, is history.

Would you like to become a planter? We have a number of tea estates and plantations on our books.