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Promoting Ceylon Tea mid-pandemic

13 Oct 2020

  • Sri Lanka Tea Board’s innovative range of masks dyed using Ceylon Tea
By Naveed Rozais While necessity breeds invention, or so the old adage goes, disruption breeds innovation.  In the midst of the pandemic, the Sri Lanka Tea Board (SLTB) has launched an innovative initiative to market the Ceylon Tea brand with a range of “Ceylon Tea-dyed” face masks. These face masks are being distributed to the diplomatic and international business community to promote the Ceylon Tea brand overseas in a memorable way in keeping with restrictions brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.  The Ceylon Tea-branded face masks have undergone a value addition process with the usage of Ceylon Tea dye, a byproduct of the Agarapathana ice tea manufacturing tea factory.  The masks are naturally antimicrobial (AATCC 100) biodegradable, eco-friendly, and non-toxic. The extra benefit of using this innovative face mask is that it is reusable up to 30 washes. The range of masks was launched on 29 September, with masks from the first lot of production being symbolically handed over to Ministry of Foreign Affairs Secretary Admiral Prof. Jayanath Colombage by SLTB Chairman Jayampathi Molligoda. Also present at this landmark occasion were Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director General Kandeepan Balasubramaniam, SLTB Director – Promotion Pavithri Peiris, and SLTB Market Promotion Officer Gayan Samaraweera. The business of face masks has been booming ever since the coronavirus pandemic, making it one of 2020’s most essential and indispensable commodities. Through these branded face masks, the SLTB has adopted an innovative way of promoting the brand. The masks are being distributed in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. SLTB Director – Promotion Pavithri Peiris shared that the masks will be shared with all 75 of Sri Lanka’s overseas diplomatic missions for them to distribute to end-users on a complimentary basis as a promotion tool for Ceylon Tea. Peiris also added that the masks would be made available for sale in Sri Lanka’s largest foreign tea markets like Azerbaijan, where Sri Lanka does not have a diplomatic mission.  Peiris explained that this initiative was devised by SLTB, considering the pandemic situation, as a way to promote the image of Ceylon Tea, while also talking about the health benefits of tea at a time when health and wellbeing are at the forefront of the global mindset.


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