Sample a taste of Ceylon in the city
Sri Lanka, formerly Ceylon, is better known for its cricket team than its vast range of tea and distinctive cuisine. Ashvin Illangeshwaran is determined to change that.
Tea Ceylandia’s shop was looking a bit bare on opening day last Friday, but the thirty or so supportive crowd quickly filled the emptiness of the 46m2 shop, each with a cup of steaming hot tea and a plate of Sri Lankan snacks in hand.
The menu, although incomplete, features many Sri Lankan favourites: fish rolls filled with fragrant spices, vadai - an onion ring looking dish made with beans, and kotu roti - a flatbread salad.
Historically Sri Lanka was colonised by multiple powers and each had an impact on its cuisine but liberal use of coconut set their food apart.
Illangeshwaran admits that he still has a lot to learn about business, but after a turbulent start with his food truck, he’s sure that he can overcome any challenge.
Illangeshwaran is a busy man. He’s a purchasing officer at Health NZ and he’s secretary of the Tamil Society Waikato. His friends say he is passionate about whatever he does.
Tea Ceylandia was first set up to fulfil Illangeshwaran’s passion for tea and his dream to run his own business.
“If I don’t drink tea, I get a headache on that day.”
The 32-year-old sipped his first mouthful of tea when he was three-years-old, when his mother fed him a ginger tea made by boiling ginger, tea leaf and milk.
Like all immigrants who pack the flavours that they can’t live without into their luggage, Illangeshwaran packed bags of loose tea leafs when he left Sri Lanka to study Business Enterprise Management in Invercargill.
A hot cup of strong Sri Lankan tea paired well with the Invercargill breeze and gave Illangeshwaran the idea to set up his own business.
“I was so tired of making tea for myself and I know other people share the same feeling. So I thought if I make tea for people, they would love it.”
After moving to Hamilton for work, Illangeshwaran realised there’s a gap in Hamilton for Sri Lankan food and tea, so he decided to set up a food truck that offers both. It wasn’t an easy journey. Set backs included getting sued for his first trading name prompting a rebrand and a truck repaint, as well as a rainy summer in 2023 that kept him indoors and away from business.
For the entire 2023, Illangeshwaran’s little yellow food truck was only out for 14 days.
By the end of last year, he was giving up on his business. He wanted to sell but he had no buyers for his stock so he decided to keep running until he used it all.
To his surprise, business was good in summer 2024 and by March, he was looking for a permanent location.
Illangeshwaran, who started attending church six months ago, said religion has helped him overcome many challenges and he felt God has helped him landing the dream spot in Garden Place.