Ceylon Tea - Pioneer Teas

Ceylon Tea Today

At Pioneer Teas, we are passionate about bringing the finest Sri Lankan tea to the world, proudly sourced from the lush verdant hills of our island.

Renowned worldwide for its exceptional quality, Sri Lankan tea continues to be a global symbol of excellence. Despite rapid competition, Sri Lanka still remains as the 4th largest tea producer with record breaking production and export earnings. For the year 2024, the tea export revenue is expected to hit $1.5 billion, while employing over 1 million people.

The Legend of Ceylon Tea

Ceylon tea’s origins trace back to 1824, when the first tea plant was introduced from China and planted at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Peradeniya. In 1867, Scotsman James Taylor established the first commercial tea plantation on 19 acres in Kandy. He set up a makeshift tea factory in his bungalow, where leaves were hand-rolled, fired in clay stoves, and air-dried on wire trays. Perfecting this process, Taylor sent 23 pounds of tea to London, marking the beginning of Sri Lanka’s tea industry.

After James Taylor

By 1899, nearly 400,000 acres in Sri Lanka were dedicated to tea production. Key figures like Ranolph Trafford enhanced cultivation, while innovations such as the Sirocco tea dryer and tea rolling machine improved efficiency. New factories were built to support the industry’s growth. As Ceylon tea gained immense popularity, the first public auction was held at Somerville & Co. in 1883 with the support of Ceylon Chamber of Commerce. In 1893, one million tea packets were sold at the Chicago World Fair, in the USA and Ceylon tea set a record price of £36.15 per pound at the London Tea Auctions.