Kaley Tea, Where the thought of conservation transformed into a craft
This story takes us back to a rural region in Ceylon's southern lowlands, a solitary Enasaldola estate which is home to Kaley Tea. This estate resides bordering the largest rainforest of Sri Lanka, Sinharaja. It is nourished by the tropical monsoons with bright warm sunshine, cool mist rolling across sloping hills, and crystal-clear water from streams and springs
Kaley tea was founded by Udena Wickramasooriya with the aspiration of creating employment possibilities and opportunities for locals in the Enasaldola community to prevent them from relying on logging as a source of revenue. His vision came to life when he purchased the land bordering the Sinharaja forest, which is now developed to be an estate that embodies characteristics of a recreated forest environment. “Kaley” which is a Sinhalese term that translates to forest, is home to a range of exquisite handmade teas that embodies the typical flavour profiles of Ceylon’s finest low grown teas.
The estate is a 50-acre land out of which only 24 acres have been utilized for plantation while the rest has been preserved as the forest, untouched. While being renowned for conserving its forest, Kaley engages in organic practices such as using pest control methods and having a cow shed to produce biogas and liquid fertilizer. They additionally grow diverse crops comprising of coffee, vanilla, spices, fruits, and vegetables. The estate also built a lake spanning an acre which enables easy harvest of 20 million litres of water annually.
Distinguished for community involvement and empowerment Kaley plays a significant role in enhancing the education level of the future generation of the community by conducting free classes for school subjects including English, ICT, and crafts such as sewing. While providing transport to school for the children of the employees, they also distribute vegetables for workers at a reasonable price.
Treat yourself with a cup of Kaley’s renowned tea and heal your body and soul. That is Kaley’s promise - to connect you to the people and the forest with a sip of tea
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