Melfort innovates roasted green tea for Japan

Hathoon Sheriffdeen

Sri Lankan consumption of green tea is just ten per cent of the total local product. The balance 90 per cent of the green tea produced in Sri Lanka is for export.

The market for green teas is highly concentrated in the Western province, Director Operations, Melfort Green Teas, Tiran Peiris said.

Melfort is looking for a new market for its innovation of "roasted green tea". This is a very demanding type of green tea in the Japanese market, very expensive too.

"We can earn a large amount of foreign exchange by exporting green tea to the Japanese market.

We have already distributed samples of roasted green tea to our partner companies to explore the export potential globally, he said. The Japanese processing recipe of green tea is very expensive and demanding in the global market.

These green teas do not taste bitter.

We are looking for an agent, who can market this type of green tea for us in future. We will be producing green tea with the Japanese recipe in future, he said.

The company anticipates Rs. 125 million of turnover and Rs 25 million per annum, Peiris said.

The company produces green tea according to the Chinese green tea processing recipe and the technology.

Sri Lankan consumers are familiar with the taste of Chinese Green teas. They produce 500 metric tonnes of green tea per annum.

Their productions are marketed in bulk and exported to Russia, Middle-East, USA and Europe through the leading local brands, Peiris said.

There are many reasons proved by research that drinking green tea is healthy and the habit of drinking three to four cups of green tea per day had resulted powerful health benefits.

The global market for green tea is increasing drastically due to the extraordinary benefits of consuming green tea, Peiris said. Our local consumers are not accustomed to the benefits of the green tea.

Research shows that there are 25 health benefits by drinking green tea every day, he said.

There are many by products that can be produced by green tea.

They are green tea cotton, candy, chewing gum, biscuits and canned drinks.

There is no local company that has thought about these production opportunities, he said.