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Estate Stories

Smallholders: The Quiet Backbone of Sri Lankan Tea

Much of the island’s tea is grown on small family plots. Here is why they matter.

A small house among tea plots on a green hillside in the Kandy district
Photo: Anatoly Maltsev on Unsplash

When people picture Ceylon tea, they often imagine vast estates with grand bungalows. But today a large share of Sri Lanka’s tea is grown by smallholders — families who tend tea on a few acres of their own land.

Family plots

A smallholding might be a hillside behind a village home, planted with tea alongside pepper, jak and other crops. The family plucks the leaf and sells it fresh to a nearby factory, often every day or two.

Why the factory matters

Because leaf must be processed quickly, smallholders depend on good factories close by — and good factories depend on well-plucked leaf from their growers. It is a partnership built on trust and quality.

Part of our story

Working directly with smallholder factories in the Kandyan hills is at the heart of Udarata Tea. Fair sourcing and consistent quality support the growers whose care shapes every cup.

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