Ceciliyan Tea Factory wins Gold at 2018 Tea Production Awards
View(s):The Ceciliyan Tea Factory, managed by Ceciliyan Associates Pvt Ltd and situated in Kalawana, Ratnapura, was recently recognised with the Gold award for being an Outstanding Tea Producer at the annual Total Excellence in Tea Production Awards organised by the Tea Exporters Association of Sri Lanka for the year 2018.
Paani Dias, CEO of Ceciliyan Associates Pvt Ltd receives the award from Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.
With the award in the “Low Grown” category, Ceciliyan was able to become the overall winner out of 125 tea factories from the Sabaragamuwa region. Ceciliyan was also the first runner-up in the same category in 2017. This track record of excellence is a fitting acknowledgment of the consistent and stringent high standards championed by the factory in the production of superior quality tea, the company said in a media release.
Additionally, Ceciliyan has achieved five all-time record prices for their tea at the auctions as well as being adjudged “Best Entrepreneur of the Year (Sabaragamuwa Province)” in 2017 by the Chamber of Commerce, Sabaragamuwa.
Nestled among the hills of Kalawana, adjoining the Sinharaja forest, the largest rainforest in the country, the Ceciliyan estate is in perfect harmony with nature. Tea has been planted on the estate since the early 1920s. Ceciliyan Associates Pvt Ltd is a family-run company, managed by CEO Paani M. Dias, a third generation family member. Under his management, the factory has flourished and now produces 3.5 million kg of made tea, by processing green leaf from over 6,500 small holders in the Kalawana area. This can be compared to the original production of less than 5,000 kg of made tea a year in the 1980s. The factory has facilities to produce both conventional and CTC teas, depending on market demand.
The Ceciliyan Tea Factory has also earned many accreditations including the ISO 22000:2005 and Ethical Tea Partnership certificates. While tea continues to play a major role and will always be Ceciliyan’s main business and passion, rubber, cinnamon, coconut and paddy have also been grown in conjunction with tea.
With over 500 employees working round the clock to produce 3.5 million kg of black tea annually, Ceciliyan Tea Factory says it is committed to uplifting the lives of its dedicated employees, as well as the tea small holders, in every possible way.