Mlesna tea exports on steady rise

Mlesna tea exports have been growing steadily despite the global economic downturn, said Mlesna Tea founder, Anselm Perera.

He said that the demand for quality tea will never decline and will withstand all odds as a preferred beverage. Mlesna exports tea to sophisticated markets such as Europe, USA, Canada, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.

“Tea exports to the Middle East have been affected due to the crisis in the region. Exports orders do not reach the destination on time and transactions are delayed due to the embargo on Iran,” Perera said.

He said even though Sri Lanka produces some of the finest teas in the world, many Sri Lankans consume low quality tea due to lack of awareness of tea varieties. People lose out on the consumption of poor quality tea as a large quantity is required for its preparation.

“Considered globally as one of the best health beverages, tea is consumed widely across the world today. Sri Lanka is one of the largest tea consuming countries in the world”, he said.

“Sri Lanka's tea production this year slumped due to the prolonged drought. Tea producers anticipate a better year-end yield with the onset of monsoonal rains”, he said.

Mlesna Tea launched a promotion with Nano Cabs by buying space on light boxes for advertising. Mlesna has bought space on 10 cabs for its brand promotion on a monthly payment of Rs. 250,000. Perera said that that the innovative venture will help boost the image of the company and create a precedent for innovative brand promotion. Nano Cabs plan to increase its fleet of vehicles to around 200 this year, said an official of the company.

- LF