With a career spanning nearly four decades, Nishan Wickramaratna is a venerable bastion of the Sri Lankan Tea industry. Joining Finlays Colombo in 1986 after spotting an advert posted at his school, today Nishan is an Executive Director and the company’s most senior Tea Taster, while also serving as a mentor to many young people as they embark on their careers in tea.
Nishan’s is an inspiring story of hard work, dedication and loyalty, and of course, the proud heritage of Ceylon Tea. To find out more, we sat down with him to learn more about his role at Finlays, his achievements and the future of Ceylon Tea.
What has changed in the world of tea over the last 40 years?
So much has changed. The new generation of tea consumers is looking for health and wellness benefits, sustainable sourcing and packaging, as well as detailed information about the ingredients. This has given rise to beverages such as bubble tea and fruit and herbal teas recording tremendous growth compared to the consumption of tea in its traditional form.
While Ceylon tea is loved the world over, it is always seeking to grow new markets. For example, in the 1960s, 70s and 80s, the U.K., Egypt, and Pakistan were amongst the top three buyers of Ceylon Tea, but this has now shifted more to the Middle Eastern region.
What makes Ceylon tea so special?
Ceylon tea is special because of the unique aromas and flavors imparted to the teas, which are grown and produced across Sri Lanka’s diverse agro climatic regions. This yields teas with distinct characteristics, ranging from the low-grown teas with their strong liquor and taste, to the high-grown teas with their delicate aromas and flavor, including the exquisite flavory teas from the Nuwara Eliya region, which are renowned as the ‘Champagne of Ceylon Teas’.
What advice would you give to someone starting out a career in tea today?
Be prepared to get your hands dirty, learn about all the intricacies of manufacture, production and export, put yourself in the shoes of the customer/consumer, and be ready for an interesting journey. Make every day count and think of ways and means of continuous improvement and how you can delight the end consumer.
What are you most proud of?
Handling the flagship brand of the company – Alwazah Tea – for over two decades, and seeing it growing from 2 million kilograms to 4.5 million kilograms by 2013.
I’m proud of my involvement in the launch of the Istikan brand in Syria when that market opened after liberalisation of imports in 1990, and achieving a volume of 1.3 million kilogrammes over a span of 10 to 12 years - a significant achievement.
