Asia Siyaka

Why ‘Ceylon’ Tea?

It was during the British era that tea first began to be cultivated and manufactured here. Tea from Ceylon soon gained the reputation of being the finest in the world, and tea exports became the mainstay of the colonial economy. Housewives and restaurateurs across the globe grew familiar with the name of the country, learning that its appearance on a tin or packet reliably guaranteed the quality of the tea inside. Independence brought new markets, and production continued to increase.

In 1965 Ceylon became, for the first time, the world’s largest exporter of tea. When the country changed its name to Sri Lanka in 1972, its premier industry was faced with a knotty problem. Ceylon was not only the former name of the country; it was also one of the world’s leading brands, familiar to consumers from Virginia to Vladivostok – a brand the industry had been actively promoting and investing in since the early 1930s. Abandoning it would deliver a setback from which there could be no easy recovery. And the cost of promoting and establishing an unfamiliar new brand – ‘Sri Lanka Tea’ – would be ruinous. Though opposed by some who demanded a complete break with the colonial past and a new start for the country, industry leaders managed to persuade the socialist government then in power to permit the continued use of the name Ceylon to refer to the country’s most famous product. Tea from Sri Lanka would still be marketed as Ceylon Tea; a priceless world brand had been saved.

Ceylon Tea

The first non-commercial tea plant that appeared in Sri Lanka was brought down from China by the British and planted in the Royal Botanical Gardens in Peradeniya.   After about two decades, the first commercial tea estate was grown in the region of Kandy which was successful after many trial and error attempts. It improved dramatically with many individuals and companies trying out different methods and machinery. As a result, in 1894 the Colombo Tea Traders Association was formed and in 1925 the Tea Research Institute was established. These bodies helped expand the production and exports of Ceylon Tea.

Weekly Averages

16-09-2020 Weekly Month to date Last Month
UVA HIGH
558.12
558.12
617.53
WESTERN HIGH
619.11
619.11
692.68
HIGH GROWN
598.64
598.64
655.72
UVA MEDIUM
576.17
576.17
668.52
WESTERN MEDIUM
547.20
547.20
773.84
MEDIUM GROWN
554.65
554.65
743.61
LOW
666.00
666.00
439.57
CEYLON BLACK TEA
635.22
635.22
661.03

Our Services

Factory Developer

As a seasoned team, we understand that that managing an estate is a challenge. We believe in formulating strategies and solutions that fulfill the potential of entrepreneurs who invest in this industry. Our skills and experience in providing solutions for factory management enables us to differentiate ourselves from our competition. Our experience shows us that one size does not fit all. We understand that the scale and scope of business challenges and goals are different. So we apply our development process, which is simple and flexible to respond to the ever changing business climate, giving our clients control over the final solution.

Warehousing

In 2000, just two years after our inception, when Asia Siyaka opened its state of the art logistics centre, we introduced a new dimension to the service of a traditional intermediary.
Colombo auction’s logistics systems which had changed very little in its 100 year history, was made significantly more effective with the introduction of Asia Siyaka’s innovative systems. For the first time a broker, was able to add considerable value to the pre and post auction logistics process, whilst cutting costs and operating time at both ends of the value chain.

Asia Siyaka’s logistics center which is located at the heart of the tea hub in Colombo is strategically positioned close to the new high way and is home to 150,000 packages or 6 million kilograms of tea at any given time. The first tea broker’s warehouse to be ISO certified in 2001, this centre is now managed under the new ISO 22000 standards.

Our logistics centre has become the industry standard for the tea broking community and is a model used by trading and marketing companies in design and layout planning for their own units.

Rubber and Non- Traditional Commodities

The performance of the Group’s Rubber broking division was subdued, affected by a fall in production due to unfavourable weather conditions as well as relatively weak prices. During the year under review, the division also transitioned to a new operational structure, with new talent being brought in to facilitate future growth.

The group remains optimistic regarding the opportunities presented in this line of business and intend to capitalise on its expertise in the tea broking industry to expand its operations in rubber.The group also acts as a market intermediary for a range of non-traditional crops including desiccated coconut, palm oil and spices. As a recent entrant to this industry, the contributions from this business line are still relatively small. However, earnings contribution from this segment is anticipated to widen in the coming financial year, particularly through desiccated coconut.

Our news

From sip to zip: Tea Auction goes high-tech

From sip to zip: Tea Auction goes high-tech The bang of the auctioneer’s gavel has been replaced with the click of a button, as Sri Lanka’s 126-year old Colombo Tea Auction has moved online amid the COVID-19 pandemic.Over 16.5 million kg of tea were sold at Sri Lanka’s first three...

Tea bag exports recover in June; overall shipments down

Tea bag exports recover in June; overall shipments down Total tea exports in volume down 2% to 23.6 m kg in June First half volume down 14% to 124 m kg Export value down 13% to Rs. 106 b   Exports of tea bags have recovered in June, though overall...