Watawala bags ‘Best Performer’ award at Keells Supplier Convention 2018

Watawala Tea Ceylon Ltd (WTCL), a subsidiary of the diversified conglomerate Sunshine Holdings PLC, received the ‘Best Performance’ award under the Gold tier, at the recently concluded Keells Supplier Convention 2018.

Held as an annual event, Keells Supplier Convention, organised by John Keels Holdings PLC (JKH), is an important platform for the company in recognising their top 100 suppliers who have showcased outstanding sales performance.

This year’s convention was held at the Cinnamon Grand and the awards were handed over to winners by John Keells Holdings PLC Vice President and Chief Executive Officer Charitha Subasinghe and John Keells Holdings PLC Chief Financial Officer Sanjeewa Jayaweera.

Watawala Tea Ceylon Ltd took away the accolade home after successfully fulfilling relevant criteria in the Gold tier including highest growth and fill rate. Apart from being recognised as one of the top suppliers of JKH, the award translates the excellence of WTCL brands that has won the hearts and minds of consumers.

“Being recognised by John Keels Holdings as one of their top suppliers is a tremendous honour for us,” said Watawala Tea Ceylon Ltd Chief Executive Officer Surith Perera. “With every tea brand that comes out of our company, we strive to deliver the highest level of taste and quality for all Sri Lankans. This award is a clear confirmation of our collective dedication to uncompromising customer service. At the same time, it is a motivator to continue pushing the boundaries we have set as an organisation to drive towards customer and brand excellence. I would like to thank JKH for the recognition and congratulate my colleagues for their great dedication and commitment.”

Watawala Tea Ceylon Ltd is the largest branded tea producing company in Sri Lanka. It has the highest market share in the tea category with three brands: ‘Zesta’, ‘Watawala Tea’ and ‘Ran Kahata’ catering to three distinct market segments.

Having built a strong foundation locally, the company has embarked on an expansion plan to penetrate into selected international markets by launching ‘Zesta Connoisseur’, an extension of Zesta to cater to premium international consumers. The company is the exclusive tea supplier to the Shangri-la chain of hotels, servicing 100 luxury hotels spread across 23 countries.