The Sri Lankan tea industry has achieved a remarkable global milestone. At a high-profile charity auction held in Osaka, Japan, a lot of premium Ceylon Black Tea fetched a record price and was officially recognised in the Guinness World Records as the most expensive tea ever sold at auction.
The Auction & Record Lot
The charity auction took place on 26 September 2025 in Osaka, in conjunction with Sri Lanka’s participation at World Expo 2025. The Sri Lanka Tea Board (SLTB) and the Colombo Tea Traders’ Association (CTTA) jointly organised the event.
A total of 27 lots were offered (10 kg each for Black Tea, 10 kg for CTC, and 3 kg for “Innovative” teas), with 24 lots successfully sold. The total revenue raised was JPY 5,517,500 (approximately USD 37,153) for the tea estate community development fund.
The standout lot was New Vithanakande’s FFExSp Black Tea (from the Sabaragamuwa region), which sold for ¥125,000 per kg, equivalent to around LKR 252,500. That price currently stands as the highest ever recorded for a tea lot at auction.
Strategic & Symbolic Significance
From a business and branding perspective, the Osaka result carries both symbolic and practical significance:
- Global branding of “premium Ceylon”
Breaking the record reinforces the image of Ceylon Tea as a world-class, luxury commodity, able to compete on quality and prestige. This is valuable in differentiating Sri Lanka’s tea in a crowded international market.
- Premium pricing potential
Such a benchmark price gives tea producers a reference point for speciality or boutique lots. If marketed cleverly, estates may be able to command a “prestige premium” for ultra-high-grade teas.
- Foreign exchange and rural uplift
The auction proceeds are earmarked for improving education and welfare in tea plantation communities, especially among smallholders. That aligns corporate social responsibility with export income goals. Strong foreign exchange revenues from high-value exports can enhance national economic resilience.
- Encouragement of quality investment
Estates can also be encouraged to invest in processing, quality control and cultivation to enter speciality niches, rather than competing purely on volume.
- Market signalling & buyer attention
Overseas buyers who participated or witnessed will be more attentive to Ceylon’s speciality tea at forthcoming auctions or in direct trade.
Challenges & Considerations
Although the achievement is commendable, it’s important to keep in mind a few cautions:
- Such record sales tend to occur in “showcase” settings with few buyers and high competition. They may not always reflect what the broader auction market can consistently deliver.
- Scaling premium lots is difficult: the bulk tea industries are volume-driven and more constrained on margins.
- Sustaining quality benchmarks across estates (especially smaller, more remote farms) requires investment, training and oversight.
Moreover, reports note that the auction’s offerings were lower than in earlier sales, with some ex-estate offerings maintained around 0.6 million kg, and low-grown leafy teas meeting mixed demand. This suggests that even in a landmark event, market dynamics remain uneven.
Outlook & Strategic Steps Forward
To capitalise on this success, Sri Lanka’s tea industry must look at:
- Strategic global marketing momentum for the “record tea” to attract upmarket tea lovers.
- Premium positioning and certifications (organic, single estate, traceability) to support better margins.
- New product innovation, e.g., speciality blends or limited releases, leveraging the prestige.
- Further longer-term auction planning, potentially with repeat sales in Japan or other markets where premium demand for tea exists.
By and large, the Osaka charity auction and related Guinness designation are a milestone in the evolution of Sri Lankan tea: not only as a bulk commodity export but also as a luxury export with demand throughout the world. The challenge now will be to translate that instant of publicity into long-term expansion, intensified supply-chain refinement, wider participation, and permanent brand value for Ceylon Tea.
