The Historical Story of Lipton Brand the story of the origin of Ceylon black tea planted in Sri Lanka

History and Evolution of Tea in Sri Lanka

As we continue our quest for tea's origins, our next stop is an island nation called Sri Lanka. Located in the Indian Ocean, this South Asian island is geographically separated from the Indian Peninsula by the Gulf of Mannar and the Strait of Parker. Sri Lanka, originally known as Ceylon for generations, became the country's official name in 1972. Sri Lanka has cool temperatures and heavy rainfall, which gives it the perfect climate for harvesting tea. As you may have guessed, this country is famous for producing Ceylon tea. Sri Lanka is acclaimed for its unique taste and signature aroma and is currently the world's fourth largest tea producer and one of the world's leading tea exporters.

Transformation and Development of Tea in Sri Lanka

Tea in Sri Lanka originated more than 200 years ago when the country was still under British rule. The tea plantation industry in Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) began in 1825 after the widespread cultivation of coffee in the early 19th century. The British brought seeds from China and planted them in the Royal Botanic Gardens for non-commercial harvesting, but Chinese tea seeds did not grow well in Sri Lanka soil. These early plants were soon abandoned. To further experiment, the East India Company introduced tea trees from Assam. Assam varieties are popular with the soil and become the main tea tree on every estate in Sri Lanka. At first, tea was second only to the coffee craze sweeping the region. However, in 1869, when the rapid spread of a leafy disease Hemileia vastatrix(also known as coffee rust) killed all coffee crops in the region, the booming coffee industry suddenly came to a halt. Unfortunately, farmers failed to replant quickly when the disease spread, and coffee plantations switched to tea to avoid economic losses.

The switch took 20 years and burned millions of infected coffee trees. With the help and expertise of Indian tea farmers, these tea trees were uprooted and Sri Lanka tea was successfully planted. A man named James Taylor planted 19 acres of tea and was the first to establish a tea processing plant. His commercial plantations soon became famous throughout the island. In 1872 he invented a tea leaf winder and a year later he regularly exported tea to London and Melbourne. Within a few short years, tea processing plants had sprung up all over the island. By the end of the 19th century, tea was more associated with Sri Lanka (or Ceylon at the time) than with China. Besides James Taylor, there are many influential tea farmers who have transformed Sri Lanka from a hard-hit coffee-growing region to a world-renowned tea producer. The best-known, instrumental grower is a surname familiar in the tea world. His name is Thomas Lipton.

Lipton grew up in Glasgow, Scotland, the son of poor Irish immigrants. In 1865, he worked as a manual laborer in the United States and later became a successful grocery store manager in New York. This experience taught him the skills of marketing and advertising that he later used to sell tea in Scotland and England. Lipton has a unique knack for buying a limited number of items in bulk and selling them at half price for low margins. Now a millionaire, he had to stop over in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) on his way to Australia for a holiday. There he discovered their growing market for tea. He wanted to sell tea in his shop, but he didn't want to deal with middlemen. Instead, he bought four old coffee plantations and turned them into his own cheap source of tea to sell directly to Britain. Lipton's greatest achievement is not the tea itself, but innovative marketing, product distribution and clever slogans. He transformed bland tea packaging into vibrant, eye-catching containers. The Lipton name became a global trademark and the company was eventually acquired by Unilever in the 1930s."

As tea grew in popularity, it became a hot commodity at various auctions. In 1893, tea sold for a record £ 36.15 at the London Tea Auction. About a million tea bags were sold at the Chicago World's Fair that same year. Ceylon Tea Trade Association was established in 1984 and all tea produced in Sri Lanka is still managed by this organization and Ceylon Chamber of Commerce. In order to further study tea production and how to maximize yield, the Tea Research Institute was established in 1925. Tea production in Sri Lanka has increased significantly, with exports exceeding 200,000 tons. By the 1960s, Sri Lanka had become the world's largest tea exporter. If that wasn't enough, Sri Lanka also became the official tea supplier to the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. Tea has become an influential part of Sri Lanka society and economy through auctions, conferences and even tea museums.