Tea is serious business in Sri Lanka. Formerly a British colony known as Ceylon, this small Indian Ocean island is famed for producing the finest black tea in the world, grown and produced according to uncompromising, traditional methods and standards. Since the 1880s, Ceylon tea has been the country’s principal and most famous export; for generations, it formed the backbone of the Sri Lankan economy, and plays a major part, even today, in the country’s fortunes. The Tea Board is the apex regulatory and administrative body of the Sri Lankan tea industry. First set up in 1976, it comprises representatives from both private and government bodies involved in the industry, including cultivators and manufacturers, traders, exporters and plantation employees. It performs a wide variety of functions with respect to the industry, namely

• Offering advice and assistance to overseas tea buyers and tea brand owners

• Offering advice and assistance to tea exporters, traders, manufacturers and cultivators

• Defining, protecting and promoting the Ceylon Tea ‘brand’

• Defining, protecting and certifying the regional origins of Ceylon tea

• Monitoring and controlling the quality and purity of tea exported from Sri Lanka

• Promoting the sale and consumption of Ceylon tea worldwide

• Compiling and circulating market data and other information about the Sri Lanka tea industry