It was during the British era that tea first began to be cultivated and manufactured here. The story of “Ceylon Tea” began with Coffee, that had already been found growing naturally in the central hill country. The British Governor Sir Edward Barnes, a British Army Officer who served the country from 1820 - 1831 offered the official support for large scale coffee cultivation, such as land for cultivation, infrastructure like network of roads etc., and funds allocated for research & experiments in coffee growing. In the 1870’s, coffee plantations were destroyed by a fungal disease called Hemileia Vastatrix, better known as coffee leaf disease. The death of the coffee industry paved the way to experimented with Cocoa and Cinchona as alternative crops but failed due to an infestation of a disease. In 1824, a tea plant was brought to Ceylon by a British from China and was planted in the royal Botanical Garden in Peradeniya for experimental purposes. Further, tea plants were brought from Assam and Calcutta in India to Peradeniya in 1839. The first commercial cultivation of Tea commenced in 1867 by the British replacing coffee, thereby paving the way to a crop which produce a beverage that would be loved and treasured by people all over the world.

James Taylor, a Scotsman turned planter known as the father of Ceylon Tea, arrived in the country in 1852, at the age of 17. Taylor over the years experimented in growing tea, was mainly responsible for undertaking the first commercial tea plantation in the country, in a 19-acer plot in “Loolecondera” estate in Hewaheta in the Kandy district. His enterprising efforts were followed by many other pioneers who not only contributed for tea growing but also helped create the infrastructure, which contributes to facilitate the supply chain of this great industry.

For over one hundred and fifty years, the tea industry sustained Sri Lanka’s economy and till to-date continues to contribute significantly towards it and is one of the foreign exchange earners for the country, generating over US$ 1.5 billion per annum. The tea industry also supports approximately 15% of the country’s population through direct and indirect employment. Tea contributes 15% of the country's foreign exchange earnings and generates 65% of export agriculture revenue. As the industry grew over the years, Ceylon Tea gained the reputation of being the finest beverage in the world. Independence to Ceylon brought new markets and production continued to increase and in 1965, Sri Lanka became the world’s largest Tea exporter. And to this day, Sri Lanka remains one of the largest Tea exporters to the world.