Uva Halpewatte is where the story of Halpé Tea began. When the founder of the U.H.E. Group of Companies, Abeyratne, and his wife, scraped all their savings to invest in a tea factory that was on the verge of closure, little did they know that they were laying the foundation for something big: a global tea brand, Halpé Tea.
Leading this brand vision is Pramila Eranda, the youngest of the Abeyratne family and he is unstoppable in his mission. He shared his vision for the family business with Echelon magazine and how the SL@100 initiative will help him in this journey.
Tell us about the business and how it has evolved over the years.
The Uva Halpewatte Tea Factory owned by my father, Abeyratne, is the largest manufacturer of pure Ceylon Tea in the Uva Province. For years, the factory produced tea in bulk to some of the largest tea export brands in Sri Lanka. We never had a brand of our own and my father, being a man with a vision, wanted to create a brand for our teas. This vision became a mission for us, the second generation. Today, we have a successful business exporting teas under two brands, Halpé Tea and Greenlands Pure Ceylon Tea, which bring out the true essence of our own teas.
The family business later diversified into hospitality and adventure tourism. We introduced several award-winning properties, including the 98 Acres Resort and Spa, Secret Hotels, and the Flying Ravana Adventure Park. The Flying Ravana is the first extreme sports project in Sri Lanka and it has a mega zipline, the first-ever in the country and the second-longest in South Asia. Work is ongoing for an international standard bungee jumping tower and the largest restaurant in Ella, which we plan to open once the economy gets back to normal.
What is your vision for the company, and how are you unlocking growth opportunities in a post-Covid world?
We want to be the most respected Ceylon Tea company that grows, manufactures, and supplies premium teas that are renowned for exceptional quality and flavour in the export market.
I believe the Covid-19 pandemic has created opportunities for people who desire growth. When one arm of the business went into paralysis due to the pandemic, I had to look elsewhere for opportunities. With the tourism industry in limbo, I turned to our tea commodity business. We started supplying our teas to institutional clients, a segment proving to hold tremendous growth opportunities.
On the export side of the business, we are focusing on expanding our export markets with our tea brands. Unlike exporting teas in bulk to private labels, building a loyal consumer base for your brand becomes all the more critical for success.
We have entered new markets such as Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Nigeria, Morocco and Finland. If we maintain this growth, we can soon count ourselves among the top 10 value-added tea export businesses in the country
What does being a part of the SL@100 initiative mean to you?
We have partnered with SL@100 and Stax to help improve efficiencies and discover new opportunities for growth in international markets. We conducted an internal audit and uncovered aspects of the business that we would have otherwise not seen. The ideas and recommendations we received are helping us look at our own business through a new lens. We believe this will help us build our company for the future.
Where do you see your business when Sri Lanka reaches its 100th year of independence?
In the next twenty to twenty-five years, we want to be among the top 10 exporting companies in Sri Lanka. That is our ultimate goal, and I am sure we can achieve that with the help of the SL@100 initiative. We have been in the value-added space for teas for six years, and during this period, we have achieved significant growth. We have entered new markets such as Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Nigeria, Morocco and Finland. I am optimistic about the future, and if we maintain this growth, we can soon count ourselves among the top 10 value-added tea export businesses in the country.
How do you manage the often conflicting roles of keeping an eye on the day-to-day affairs of the business while focusing on the future?
We are fortunate to have a leadership team that shares the core values and vision of the company. We implemented an Entrepreneurs Operating System two years ago to better structure our leadership team. The EOS ensures that we are not only responsible but also accountable. We use the system to set and monitor weekly goals and evaluate progress. Leadership and management teams meet once a week to discuss the progress, find solutions for unmet goals, and establish new objectives for the week ahead. This approach gives us a bird’s eye view of the business. The EOS also helped me identify the right people for the right job, which is critical to fast-track growth.
What is the boldest decision you ever made?
The decision to tender for the airport shop was the boldest, high-risk decision I ever made. Having a shop in the airport was a privilege that only the best Ceylon Tea brands enjoyed. The rental cost was significant, but my family supported my decision because building awareness is critical for a successful brand.