Sri Lanka’s tea and coffee markets stand at a pivotal moment. Long known for world-class exports, the nation is now beginning to claim its place in the global consumer spotlight — not merely as a source of raw commodities, but as a home of sophisticated, branded experiences. From the plantations of the central highlands to the shelves of international retailers, the conversation has shifted from volume to value, and from supply to storytelling.
At the heart of this transformation is Aberdeen Holdings, a diversified group driving value addition and innovation across industries. Within its tea and coffee vertical, two pioneering subsidiaries, Damn Fine Coffee, founded by Ammar Kassim, and Expoteas Ceylon, founded by Shafik Kassim — both Group Directors of Aberdeen Holdings — exemplify moving beyond tradition to embrace modern, experiential branding. Through Damn Fine Coffee and Expoteas Ceylon (with its flagship brand, t-sips), the Group is shaping a new global narrative for Sri Lankan beverages.
Echelon sat down with Yasas Kodituwakku, Director at Damn Fine Coffee, and Inthikab Naufal, Director/CEO at Expoteas Ceylon, to discuss how the Group is redefining the narrative of Sri Lankan tea and coffee for the world.
Aberdeen has long championed value-addition across industries. How is the Group helping its tea and coffee verticals move beyond traditional exports—towards branded, experiential products that speak to modern consumers?
Aberdeen Holdings has always viewed business through the lens of value creation, not just the act of moving goods from origin to market, but of transforming those goods into stories that connect with consumers. Within its tea and coffee verticals, this philosophy translates to reimagining them as immersive, lifestyle-driven brands rather than bulk exports.
The Group provides these verticals with more than capital. It offers strategic direction, shared expertise, and a long-term vision to evolve them into consumer-centric brands. Under this guidance, both Damn Fine Coffee and Expoteas Ceylon have evolved from producers into storytellers, crafting sensory experiences that reflect Sri Lanka’s terroir and creative energy.
For Aberdeen, the mission is building Sri Lankan brands that can proudly stand alongside the world’s finest. Whether through a perfectly pulled espresso or a delicately balanced tea blend, every product under the Group’s umbrella carries the ambition to elevate Sri Lanka’s identity beyond the plantation and into the hearts and hands of global consumers.
Damn Fine Coffee describes itself as offering ‘bean-to-cup’ solutions across Sri Lanka. How do you manage this full ecosystem, and how do you ensure alignment and quality control?
For Damn Fine Coffee, “bean-to-cup” signifies total ownership of the coffee experience, from working hand-in-hand with smallholders in the central highlands to perfecting the final sip in a café. Every harvest is personally cupped, and roasting profiles are meticulously calibrated for Sri Lanka’s tropical climate, accounting for humidity and altitude.
These are not borrowed methodologies but proprietary processes honed through years of experimentation. The company’s commitment to quality is exhaustive: every café installation receives custom-engineered water filtration systems, and every partner undergoes intensive training to master extraction theory and water chemistry.
The result is a network of coffee professionals who can distinguish with precision between a perfect espresso, an over-extraction, and an under-extraction.
The brand’s zero-tolerance approach to mediocrity ensures that no product reaches the market without meeting the highest internal standards. Regular blind cupping assessments and continuous staff training preserve consistency across locations. Whether in Galle, Jaffna, or Colombo, customers encounter the same devotion to craft. That consistency builds trust, and in turn, cultivates culture.
You’ve positioned Damn Fine Coffee as more than a product: ‘we build a coffee culture.’ What are the core brand pillars, and how do you make sure the brand narrative resonates both globally and locally?
The repositioning of Damn Fine Coffee was about redefining what Sri Lankan coffee could stand for. The brand’s architecture is anchored on three pillars: Craft, Culture, and Community.
Craft reflects technical mastery pursued with both scientific rigour and artistic passion. Culture is about making specialty coffee an inclusive aspiration, accessible to everyone, from café-goers to home brewers. And Community connects all stakeholders, from farmers to consumers, in a shared ecosystem of learning and appreciation.
In Sri Lanka, this vision has grown into a grassroots movement, with workshops filled to maximum capacity, a new generation embracing brewing techniques, and a growing pride in locally sourced beans. Globally, Damn Fine Coffee leads what it calls “The Damn Fine Wave”, a tropical interpretation of specialty coffee with brewing methods perfected for 30°C heat and 80% humidity, proving that excellence can thrive in unexpected origins.
With Aberdeen’s support, the brand continues to scale without compromising craftsmanship, and every cup tells the story of Sri Lanka’s evolution as an innovator in coffee culture, defined by authenticity, confidence, and creativity.
t-sips has a solid legacy as a private label or custom tea packer. How do you balance private label contracts with your ambition for the t-sips brand?
For Expoteas Ceylon, private label operations have long formed the foundation of success, offering scale, credibility, and the expertise needed to thrive in competitive export markets. These partnerships have built the company’s reputation as a reliable, consistent supplier trusted by international clients for quality and dependability.
However, over time, the company recognised that Sri Lankan tea deserved more than anonymity behind other labels. This realisation gave birth to t-sips, a brand created to celebrate the authenticity, flavour diversity, and artistry of Sri Lankan tea.
The balance between private label and branded operations lies in uncompromised quality. Every product, regardless of label, adheres to the same high standards of sourcing, blending, and packaging. Expoteas Ceylon’s fully automated production facilities ensure consistency and efficiency across every batch.
While private label operations deliver scale and operational strength, t-sips allows the company to express its creativity and cultural heritage, telling a distinctly Sri Lankan story to the world. The two pillars coexist in harmony: private label drives commercial resilience, while t-sips builds emotional connection and brand equity. Together, they form a business model that is both robust and resonant.
Being part of Aberdeen Holdings gives Expoteas Ceylon access to a diverse network spanning logistics, packaging, commodities, and supply chain expertise. How does this integrated ecosystem strengthen your position in the export market?
Being part of the Aberdeen Holdings ecosystem provides Expoteas Ceylon with a foundation of strength and stability. The Group’s integrated structure offers shared expertise, financial security, and operational synergies that enhance competitiveness in global markets.
This enables Expoteas Ceylon to focus on its core strengths, crafting premium blends and expanding the t-sips brand, while relying on Aberdeen’s logistical and strategic backbone. The Group’s cross-sector network ensures that every aspect of the value chain, from sourcing to final shipment, remains efficient, resilient, and adaptive to global market dynamics.
This integration has accelerated Expoteas Ceylon’s ability to scale rapidly, maintain unwavering product consistency, and confidently explore new international markets. With Aberdeen’s support, the company not only delivers exceptional products but also embodies a modern Sri Lankan success story, one that merges heritage, innovation, and global ambition in a single cup.
In recent years, we’ve seen shifts in how consumers perceive premium drinks (specialty coffee, specialty teas, wellness blends). What consumer trends are you seeing domestically and internationally, and how are your brands adapting to them?
Consumer priorities have evolved dramatically. Today’s buyers seek authenticity, sustainability, and personal connection; they want to know the origins of what they consume and the values that stand behind each brand. The days of passive consumption are giving way to a culture of conscious experience.
Both at home and abroad, there is a noticeable shift towards experience-based consumption, where people crave stories, rituals, and emotional resonance behind their daily brew. In Sri Lanka, curiosity around artisanal coffee and contemporary tea blends has surged, while globally, convenience and wellness are driving demand for new product formats such as ready-to-drink infusions, cold brews, and functional blends.
“Aberdeen Holdings has always viewed business through the lens of value creation, not just the act of moving goods from origin to market, but of transforming those goods into stories that connect with consumers.”
Aberdeen’s tea and coffee verticals have evolved in step with these trends. Damn Fine Coffee has built a following through education, community, and lifestyle-led experiences that make coffee culture both aspirational and approachable.
Meanwhile, t-sips continues to experiment with flavour innovation, bringing wellness-inspired teas and vibrant blends to a global audience. Together, they share a unified mission to make Sri Lanka known not just for exports but for creating an authentic and experiential culture.