WARM WISHES FOR INTERNATIONAL TEA DAY 2022
Talawakelle Tea Estates PLC
Greetings on International Tea Day! On this day we celebrate one of Mother Nature’s gifts to the world that brings earnings and uplifts us all”
Dr. Roshan Rajadurai, Managing Director - Hayleys Plantations Sector
Enriched with many health benefits, and a tantalizing flavour and aroma, tea is truly the elixir of beverages. Warm wishes on International Tea Day!”
Mr. Senaka Alawattegama, Director/chief Executive Officer - Talawakelle Tea Estates PLC
Tea: it’s how we start our day and how we end our day. It’s the cup that we’re served with wherever we go in the island. It’s how we get to know people. It’s how we catch up with the people we love. For us Sri Lankans, the warmth, aroma and rich flavours of a cup of tea are huge parts of our daily lives.
Besides being the perfect companion for sitting down and having a moment to yourself, tea is known for the many benefits it can have on our mental and physical health.
Another lesser-known fact about tea its significance to us as Sri Lankans, how intricately it is woven into the socioeconomic fabric of our country. The tea industry of Sri Lanka directly and indirectly employs over 2 million people and supports the lives of over 500 million. Tea also earns an annual revenue of $1.5 Bn to the country.
We at Talawakelle Tea Estates PLC (TTE PLC), are the #1 Regional Plantation Company producing the finest Ceylon teas. With 6,491 hectares of plantations, spread across the serene tea growing regions in the Up and Low country, our annual production exceeds 6 Mn kilos and accounts for over 2.1% of the national tea production.
The wide portfolio of Black Teas, Green Teas, and Specialty Teas we produce find their way to key markets in Russia, Middle East, Europe, Japan and Taiwan. With a total employee count of 5,777, we support the socioeconomic progress of over 42,000 people living in our estates. This includes—but is not limited to—the families of our employees.
As a trailblazer within the tea industry, we have mastered the “art of tea”. Based on official statistical analyses provided by S S P Corporates, we lead the ranks in quality and price. This is a testament to our excellence and emphasis on delivering the highest quality product. Constantly raising the bar on sustainable growth, we drive the industry forward by fostering conversations and action on sustainable agriculture practices, conservation of the environment, and ensuring human welfare.
At TTE PLC, we perceive operating sustainably as an important enabler of our company’s success. Due to the closeness of our business with the natural environment, we take extra care to ensure that our operations do not degrade it. On top of this we also take progressive action to combat the ecological crisis. This includes initiatives such as the restoration of the St. Clair ecosystem through the planting of native and endemic trees. As an entity committed towards driving corporate action to combat climate change, we are the first ever Plantation company in the world and first organization in Sri Lanka to Commit to UN Climate Neutral Now and set Science Based Targets (SBTS) towards zero emissions by 2050.
On the social front, we strive to unleash employee value by providing them with decent work, competency development, and increasing their earning capacity. In 2021, we were the first plantation company in Sri Lanka to be certified “A Great Place to Work”. Further, we won 2nd place as “Asia’s Best Workplaces”, “Best Public Limited Company in Sri Lanka”, and was recognized one of the “Best Workplaces in Sri Lanka for Women” – Top 10, won Gold under “Extra Large Category in Sri Lanka”, and was certified as one of the “10 Best Workplaces in the Manufacturing and Production Industry in Sri Lanka”.
Home for Every Plantation Worker is our flagship community development project that is dedicated towards uplifting the socioeconomic standards of our estate community. This includes initiatives such as improving infrastructure, improving their health and nutrition, youth & women empowerment, and community capacity building. We are also committed towards achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals as set out in the United Nations 2030 Agenda.
The pandemic presented a novel set of challenges to us. But as a result of our resilience and agility we were able to overcome them. Prioritising employee health, we took prompt steps to reduce the health risk of COVID19 in compliance with guidelines provided by health authorities. We ensured that the lives of our employees, as well as our estate community were only minimally affected by the pandemic, by providing rations, medicine to boost immunity, and providing PPE. Thanks to our astute leadership, and the dedication of our employees, we recorded outstanding performance while other businesses were crumbling in the face of COVID.
Our estates and factories are compliant with HACCP, GAP & GMP; and are also certified under, ISO 22000:2018 Food Safety Management Systems which addresses food safety management risks across the food supply chain; ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System; ISO 14064-1:2018 Green House Gas Emission (GHG) Inventory Standard; ISO 14001:2015 Environmental Management Systems; ISO 50001:2018 Energy Management Systems. The Rainforest Alliance Certification certifies that we have conformed and met the principles of social and environmental responsibility. These validate our commitment to providing consumers with a high-quality product that adheres to hygiene and food safety standards while testifying our commitment to doing sustainable and ethical business.