At The Teahouse we have always bought tea that is fairly produced, right back to 2005 when we visited the Chinese gardens to ensure their ethics were reputable, we have maintained relationships with these farms since then and are still paying a fair price for our tea.
We were contacted by Mike, who owns an Estate in Sri Lanka along with his wife Rosh and asked whether we would be interested in taking some of their top Ceylon OP tea. Not only does it taste great, but it is in keeping with the way we like to buy our tea, here’s their story.
The first tea was planted at Devagiri during the last 20 years of British rule in Sri Lanka. In 1947, the year before independence, Rosh's grandfather, Francis Nanayakkara (a native Sri Lankan) bought the estate, established a tea factory and dedicated his life to making the finest teas in the south of Sri Lanka.
By the time he died in 1975, Devagiri had built a reputation as one of Sri Lanka's best estates. The British had been gone from Sri Lanka for 27 years and the country was trying to find its feet as a self-governing nation. His children (Rosh's mum and her 9 siblings) took over in a volatile political and economic environment but, despite the many challenges, they continued to produce excellent teas.
By 2020, the siblings were still making fine teas and the estate community was in its 4th generation. But the volatile environment combined with the inequitable supply chain had become too much to bear. They were devastated by the idea of selling their father's beloved Devagiri, but they could see no alternative and began looking for a buyer. Unsurprisingly, few wanted to get into the tea business- it was considered just too difficult. The only offers made were from buyers who might use the land for other purposes; and the impact of this would have been devastating for the community of almost 100 who live and work on the estate. If this happened, they would have lost their homes.
In 2022 Mike and Rosh were on holiday in Sri Lanka and happened to visit Devagiri. They were struck by the injustice that a community who had farmed the land for four generations could be displaced almost overnight. They also saw potential to turn things around and develop a business model less vulnerable to market volatility, and less at the mercy of the traditional supply chain. So, they raised investment and left their London careers to run Devagiri.
We hope you agree that this will only make a great tea taste all the better, try Ceylon Devagiri now by clicking the link below.
Ceylon OP Devagiri – The Teahouse
Happy sipping
Team Teahouse